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Stopover in Dominican RepublicBy Charles King January 15, 2010 In the wake of the earthquake that hit Haiti this week, Housing Works President and CEO Charles King, and Housing Works Medical Director Vaty Poitevien, a Haitian native, left New York today to go to Haiti and assist PHAP+, a Haitian coalition of PWA-led organizations, to provide desperately needed medical services and supplies to Haitians living with HIVAIDS. King will be blogging as much as possible during the trip. He reports to us from the Dominican Republic: Our flight to Santo Domingo was full and uneventful. Over 10% of the passengers were headed to Haiti, mostly rescue workers and news media. On our arrival at the Santo Domingo airport, we were pleasantly surprised to find that all taxes were waved for us and the government had set up an expedited immigration and customs process for all relief personnel, with "Dios bendiga" offered at every turn. The Dominican Government is going out of its way to be helpful, including opening its borders to injured Haitians, a remarkable turn of events, given the usually tense relationship between the two countries. According to reports, hospitals here are full to overflowing as far as Azua, all at no charge. This in a country where Haitian-Dominicans have complained for years of being denied access to health care, including antiretroviral medications. We were met at the airport by Jobanny Ramirez, my partner of nearly three years. He had secured an SUV, no mean feat when driving into Haiti, and a truck with a driver. Making our way into the city, we were met by Benigno Felix, the nephew of Housing Works staffer Pedro Batista. Benigno Felix led us to a wholesale market, where Vaty and I argued over dry beans versus canned, toothbrushes or Snickers, until we had purchased over $5,000 in food stuffs and sundries. This was followed by negotiation for plastic tarp, negotiation for sandals, and finally negotiations for sheets and blankets. Vaty's parents are on everyone's mind. Last night, Vaty's aunt called saying that the bodies had been found in the house. Vaty shared with me that she had been preparing for the possibility that this trip might be to bury her parents and just being here would feel useful. But then this morning, she received a call from another relative saying that no one had actually seen the bodies but were presuming because of the condition of the house. This has raised a slim chance to which we are clinging -- no different from thousands of people with close relations here. We made what we thought would be our penultimate shopping stop. We went to a supermercado to buy water. The manager said they completely sold out. Apologetically, he told us that "entrepreneurs" were buying in bulk to take to Haiti where they were selling it for as much as $10 a 12-ounce bottle. We were able to buy baby wipes. We have now left Santo Domingo. It is 8:10 pm. We are on our way to Christobal, where we are buying sheets. We are hoping to find water on the way. It will be awful if we have to cross over without any. Our truck driver, Ambiorix DeJesus, is running a fever. Good thing we have lots of Tylenol and two doctors. We are going to stop to eat once we have our sheets and then make our way to camp out at the border so that we can cross over first thing in the morning. Read all of King's posts at housingworks.org/activism Please consider donating to Housing Works' relief efforts in Haiti. Every dollar makes a difference!
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Charles King Blogs From Haiti  Charles King Charles King is the president and CEO of Housing Works which has been providing services since 1990 to homeless men, women, and children living with HIV and AIDS in New York City and beyond. King is one of a handful of people living with HIV at the head of a major AIDS organization. He cofounded Housing Works with his life partner Keith Cylar. When Cylar passed away in 2004, King took the reins. Born and raised in a small town in Texas, King attended Yale University's law school and divinity school and was ordained as a Baptist minister by an African-American church in New Haven, Connecticut. He conducts a weekly Bible study course at Housing Works' Keith D. Cylar House, where he lives in a small, book-lined studio. King also leads Housing Works' advocacy department and has been arrested dozens of times. Subscribe to Charles's Blog:
Recent Posts: March 2, 2010 - The UN Responds to Calls for Haiti AIDS Strategy, but Activists Are Skeptical March 1, 2010 - UN and UNAIDS Must Address Needs of Haitians With HIV/AIDS February 22, 2010 - A Slow Recovery in Haiti February 16, 2010 - Haiti Progress: St. Marc Clinic Opens, ARVs for Patients Secured February 14, 2010 - On Haiti Day of Prayer, Activists Discuss Long-Term Goals for HIV Clinics A Brief Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by TheBody.com's bloggers are entirely their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheBody.com itself. |
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