Together, Maraia and Renteria will work with a team of Haitian doctors, nurses and health care workers, to hold family health, pediatric, and maternal health outreach clinics in several remote villages and in the Shada clinic, which is in the slums of Cap Haitien.
Maraia hopes to make a difference by distributing much needed medical supplies and medications such as antibiotics and vaccines and providing education. Each volunteer is required to pick a topic of education to teach, and Maraia will teach breastfeeding to women in the Haitian community.
Maraia is raising funds for her trip: food, airfare, lodging, medical supplies, medications and scrubs for her to wear while there. To donate, click here.
Part of Renteria's volunteering experience includes training locals in neonatal resuscitation through the HUFH’s Helping Babies Breathe program, developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. In Haiti, for every 1,000 births, 50 babies will die in the first month of life, four will die directly after birth (usually from infection or lack of oxygen), and others suffer brain damage and are permanently impaired.
Renteria will be covering the cost of her trip, but is looking for donations to help cover the cost of the Helping Babies Breathe workshop, medicine and supplies, a peanut-based nutritional treatment called Medika Mamba for the children that they help and educating teenagers and parents in the community, making a huge impact in Haiti. To donate, click here.