Milk for Mothers
Melissa Belchaire
Melissa came to the program three weeks ago with two severely malnourished children. Dieuntho who was six months old only weighed 5lbs 2oz, and Dieude-Kerry who was a year old only weighed 12lbs. Melissa came to the clinic with the father and said she can not afford to take care of the baby and doesn’t have breast milk to give him and the father does not work. The Milk for Mothers program was able to treat her and both babies for scabies and give her milk and food for the children and herself. She was also given soap and other necessities to help them stay clean so the scabies would not return. Damou also gave her fund to go to a hospital and get some tests done the doctor had requested. When she returned the next week, both children had actually lost weight and she had not gone to the hospital to get the tests done. Since Melissa did not listen to the advice from the clinic and the children were in a dire situation Damou staff called the welfare department. They advised them to receive the children into their care since they are an accredited Foster care home and take care of them for a month. After four days the baby passed away, he was severely malnourished and at that point too weak to be treated. The older brother remains in their care and he is doing very well. When he came to them, he was unable to stand up or walk on his own because he had no muscle to do so. After just one week, he has already gained 2lbs and is starting to pull himself up on things. If it had not been for Damou’s Milk for Mothers program it is likely that both children would have passed away.
Madame Emanese
Madame Emanese is 37 years old. She had to walk all the way from Cap Rouge to get to the clinic, an over four hour hike through the mountains, just to be able to receive help. Madame Emanese came to the program when she was pregnant with twins. She has six other children and does not know who their fathers are, leaving her to care for them by herself. When she came to the clinic she was suffering from various infections and scabies, the program was able to treat her for these medical issues and provide her with the necessary prenatal care she needed for her and her twins. Prior to seeking help from the Milk for Mothers program, Madame Emanese had never attended a church service in her life, but that day she was able to hear a sermon and listen to praise songs. She was so happy that she broke down in tears and asked for the help of this program. Since joining this program over a year ago, Madame Emanese now leads the worship service every week and her children are thriving. She is very thankful for the help she has and continues to receive. We pray every day that she will come to accept Jesus as her Savior.
Madame Cliford
Madame Cliford is a 42 year old mother in Haiti. She has five children and is currently pregnant with her sixth. Madame Cliford, along with many others living in Haiti, suffers from syphilis and HIV. Damou’s Milk for Mothers program has been able to help her with her last three children. The Milk for Mothers Clinic makes sure that her children do not get infected, and then helps her with medical needs for both her and her children as well as milk. All of Madame Cliford’s children come from different fathers, all of who do not help her with taking care of them. This program has also helped educate Madame Cliford on how to not infect other people. After this pregnancy, she plans to get her tubes tied with the help of Damou’s Milk for Mothers program. We praise God because through this program, Madame Cliford has not only been able to care for herself and for her children, but she has also come to accept Christ as her Lord and Savior.