Dr. Kendra Richardson says she had a wonderful experience serving in Haiti through Spaugh Dameron Tenny's GOtoGROW Scholarship program. On October 13th, Dr. Richardson traveled to Grand-Goâve, Haiti with five other Bless Back Worldwide medical providers who are pictured above. These medical providers worked hard, serving in Mission of Hope International's primary clinic and two nearby outreach sites during one short week!
The primary clinic in Grand-Goâve, Haiti is operated by Mission of Hope International, which was established in 2000 by Lexidan and Renée Edmé. Our Charlotte based partner, Bless Back Worldwide enhances healthcare, enriches educations and empowers business by partnering with local organizations in Haiti and Nicaragua. Mission of Hope International has been their Haitian partner in Grand-Goâve, Haiti since 2012. Their organization serves the Grand-Goâve and surrounding area through leadership and pastoral training events, two privately funded schools for 800+ children, daily medical and dental clinics. The Grand-Goâve organization also provides many employment opportunities and much more. Bless Back Worldwide partners with Mission of Hope International to help support their medical clinic, providing new educational opportunities for both their students and teachers, in support of their trade schools and economic development.
As you can see on the map above, Grand-Goâve is located in the Southern part of Haiti, right on the coast. The town is one of the oldest cities of the country and was 90% destroyed by the horrible earthquake that occurred in January of 2010. The earthquake drew a response team from a Charlotte church to offer temporary relief. The inaugural group of twenty-two colleagues and friends quickly realized the Haitians needed more than short-term relief. In January of 2011, Bless Back Worldwide was formed when they sent their first team to Haiti.
Fast forward to 2018, and today Spaugh Dameron Tenny is partnering with Bless Back to sponsor passionate physicians and dentists to join Bless Back's many teams that are deployed to Haiti throughout each year. Dr. Richardson was chosen as a GOtoGROW scholarship recipient because of her compassion for serving others. She is currently a Family Medicine Physician at CaroMont Health, in the Lake Wylie, SC area. Here is her perspective of the GOtoGROW experience before and after her trip:
I am always excited about experiencing a new culture. Not being able to speak the language can be scary and uncomfortable but to know we have interpreters definitely helps the transition. I personally would like to use my years of medical training to help the people of Haiti with their medical needs. I want to make a difference in the lives of others.
Helping the pharmacy team learn to draw labs such as hemoglobin, glucose, and malaria testing was amazing. They were so excited and I am sure they will continue to do these tests in the future.
I think it can help. Mission trips can be challenging with long days, seeing many patients and having limited resources, however, being able to practice medicine with no insurance restraints, overhead, or 15 minute time slots makes every minute working worthwhile.
Humility, humanity, and family centered. It was such a humbling experience to see how much you can do with limited resources. Everyone in the clinic, guesthouse, and church all felt like one big family. I always felt at ease and at home. Everyone was so appreciative of our help and the energy was so positive and uplifting.
We saw quite a bit of patients during the week. I had an elderly lady who was having trouble seeing. I was able to provide her reading glasses that worked for her and this brightened up her day. She was able to see clearly for the first time in a while. It was like she was in a brand new world.
Apply for a life-changing experience and the opportunity to care for the people of Haiti through a GOtoGROW Scholarship.
CRN202011-239827
Molly was the marketing director at SDT from October 2017 through November 2020. She is passionate about connecting with people, digital marketing, and serving her community.
