DEKABÈS
Delivering Healthy Mothers & Healthy Babies in Haiti
Newsletter of Maison de Naissance GlobalBirthingHomeFoundation.org
Dekabès, a Haitian expression, means a double win at the lottery or at dominoes. People shout “Dekabès!” to the happy winner. A double win at MN is a healthy mother and a healthy baby. “Dekabès!”
June 2013
IN THIS ISSUE
1 “Maison de Naissance
Hosts 2nd Annual GlobeMed Team Visit From Truman State University”
This newsletter has the intent of sharing current details of Maison de Naissance’s story with readers who want to be inspired and included. As an organization, we have an unyeilding desire to provide education, accessibility, and quality of care to impoverished mothers and babies residing in Haiti. Through a newsletter we are able to spread our voice to a community that believes in grassroots organizations. Please enjoy! Sincerely,
2 “Spotlight on the Board of Directors: President Dr. Betsy Krin Wickstrom”
3 “Breaking Down the
Maison de Naissance Logo: An Explanation of Meaning”
Emily Brengarth Director of Development & Communications
Maison de Naissance Hosts 2nd Annual GlobeMed Team Visit From Truman State University
4 “A Birthing Home
Profile: Kirsty Bourret, Clinical Director”
5 “Global Birthing Home 1
Foundation is Growing!”
TSU students & MN staff in front of birthing center
In May 2012, a team of six students from the Truman State GlobeMed chapter in Kirksville, MO visited MN to conduct a community health survey (GlobeMed is a national, campus based organization dedicated to promoting global health equity). This year another team from TSU came to MN to build on that effort by conducting a vaccination survey, in order to estabview > 2
lish performance metrics for the vaccination portion of our Well Baby Care program. Five students from TSU and one from Wofford College in South Carolina, teamed up with MN’s Community Health workers and three local translators to interview women who delivered babies at MN in 2012, and to determine the vaccination and overall health status of their babies. The year’s team included Emily Schepers, Emily John, Emma Flower, Claire Cioni, and Megan Dorsey, all from TSU, with Audrey Coventry from Wofford.
Left to Right: Emily John, Claire Cioni, Megan Dorsey, Emma Flowers, Emily Schepers & Audrey Coventry
This information, once processed, will be key to evaluating our vaccination program’s effectiveness, and for determining how to improve the program. The Well-baby Care Vaccination Program provides inoculations for diphtheria, tetanus, polio, German measles, and rubella. These vaccines have the potential to establish herd immunity (the percentage of a population that must be immune) to prevent spread of a contagion in a community. A community that is protected against disease will foster a strong and growing young population with the potential to empower and strengthen their entire community. Without this program, children in MN’s zone of service would most likely not receive this critical care, and would be exposed to epidemic outbreaks of these crippling and sometimes fatal diseases.
We are grateful to our GlobeMed team, and the entire TSU GlobeMed chapter for their dedication to the mission of the Global Birthing Home Foundation and Maison de Naissance maternal health center in Torbeck, Haiti, and we are already planning for next year’s visit!
Spotlight on the Board of Directors: President Dr. Betsy Krin Wickstrom Betsy Krin Wickstrom is a native of Omaha, Nebraska, the daughter of a chemist and a registered nurse. Raised on the East Coast and in the Midwest, she returned to Omaha for high school, college, and medical school. During her fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine at Northwestern School of Medicine in Chicago, she also served on the Bishop Iakovos Task Force on AIDS, and sang with the Hellenic Choral Society (while 9 months pregnant with her daughter Andrea). A medical mission/teaching trip to Bulgaria with a group of physicians from Chicago opened up what would become a lifelong interest in international medicine. While in college in 1981 at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, she met her husband, John Wickstrom, Jr., and they have been together ever since. A life of singing and serving in the Greek Orthodox Christian church has brought her endless joy, which she has passed on to her daughters Andrea and Elena. She has
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Left to Right: John, Besty, Andrea & Elena Wickstrom at of the 2009 Maison de Naissance Benefit Dinner hosted byAixois
served as choir member and director, Sunday School teacher and director, Parish Council member and President, and currently also directs the Greek Folk Dance troupe at St. Dionysios Greek Orthodox Church in Overland Park, KS. After moving to Kansas City to practice high risk obstetrics, Betsy became medical director for a midwifery view > 3
group at St. Luke’s Hospital, and advisor to Project GROWTH. Though the Project GROWTH program, which provided mentoring and prenatal care to pregnant teens in urban Kansas City, did not continue, it laid the groundwork for an ongoing relationship with the midwifery community in Kansas City and beyond. Volunteering with the Eastern Orthodox Youth Camp for the last 9 years, and with the Kansas City Advisory Council to the Christian Medical/ Dental Association, keeps Betsy connected with young adults and students of all ages. At work, she serves on the Perinatal Safety Committee at one hospital, the Spiritual Advisory Council for another health system, the national Ob Subcommittee for the Adventist Health System, and teaches students, residents and fellows in her chosen field through UMKC’s School of Medicine. She also serves on the board of directors of the Kansas area March of Dimes, whose campaign to reduce/eliminate premature birth is a perfect fit.
“When I feel as though I just can’t do one more thing, the reality of how little I do compared to their day-to-day struggle humbles me.” In Betsy’s own words, “My desire to continue my work on the board of Global Birthing Home Foundation stems from the inspiring staff at Maison de Naissance, whose “can do” attitude never weakens in the face of
Betsy providing a demonstration at Maison de Naissance
difficult circumstances (foul weather, natural disasters, political unrest, poverty, lack of government support, poor infrastructure) that would be insurmountable to less dedicated and resilient individuals. When I feel as though I just can’t do one more thing, the reality of how little I do compared to their day-to-day struggle humbles me. Mothers will do anything for their babies worldwide. At MN, that’s also true of our amazing staff.” In her spare time, Betsy confesses that she is an avid reader (mystery series especially), a so-so housekeeper, and loves to travel and attend her childrens’ performances. Supported by her family, both at home and around the world, her energy and passion for service and making positive change are boundless.
Breaking Down The Maison de Naissance Logo: An Explanation of Meaning + Home
Mother & Baby
= Maison de Naissance - Home of Birth
The logo for Maison de Naissance was not arbitrarily pieced together. A significant cultural story lies behind the geometric image. In Haiti, the only structure that is built with a pitched roof, is a home. Institutions like hospitals, schools, and businesses are placed in buildings with flat roofs. A pitched roof implies a space where individuals of all types are welcomed with open arms. Thus, the angled line resting on top of an abstract structure represents a home, a place that turns away no one in need of care. The image sheltered underneath the home that was built, symbolically and realistically, stands for a mother and her baby. These two symbols combined evoke the essence of Maison de Naissance – Home of Birth. Maison de Naissance is a space where families of all faiths are welcomed, a space where anyone in need will be provided with quality maternal health care, and a space that represents the start of significant change in an impoverished community.
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A Birthing Home Profile: Kirsty Bourret, Clincal Director Kirsty is a Canadian midwife with a masters in Health Science Bioethics, who first visited Haiti as part of a post-earthquake relief team. Her experiences stayed with her after her return home, and eventually she decided to relocate to Haiti. She met her Haitian husband, Mackenzy, when she was in need of a Creole translator, and they now have a 17 month old son, Atali. Kirsy had visited MN several times during 2011 and 2012 as a consultant to conduct advanced training on behalf of Midwives for Haiti, and then again in 2013 to oversee the reintegration of our four new auxilliary midwives, who had returned from a year’s training in late December. It was during these trips that we realized she would be the perfect candidate to replace Miss Odine, who had recently resigned her post as Clinical Director to move to Port-auPrince. Kirsty was a perfect fit at MN: competent, industrious, selfmotivated, already liked and respected by the staff, fluent in Creole and immersed in Haitian culture. Kirsty’s professionalism, poise, and comprehension of cultural nuances in workplace communications have allowed her to quickly Left to Right: Mackenzy Vilme (Husband), Atali BourretVilme (Son) & Kirsty Bourret become an integral member of the birthing center staff, where she is the only ex-patriot employee. Her presence inspires cooperation and dedication from the entire clinical staff, and her commitment to continuing education is greatly appreciated by them. What are her days like at MN? Here is a story about her morning trip to the birthing center after only one month on the job:
“Babies come when convenient for them!”
“Babies come when convenient for them! On the way to MN this morning we came upon a woman who had just given birth on the side of the road! She was on her way to MN while in labour, but her baby decided to be born next to the beautiful rice fields about half a mile away instead! Ms Dieuveuille (MN midwife) and I put the baby skin to skin with the mother and loaded the new family in our vehicle to be observed at MN. It was a serendipitous event that we drove by when we did. A reaffirmation of our profession to start off our day!” If you would like to read more about Kirsty’s work in her own words, please follow this link to our blog where she had shared her MN experiences: GlobalBirthingHomeFoundation.WordPress.com
Darlyndje Vilme (Daughter) & Kirsty Bourret
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Letter from the Executive Director: Global Birthing Home Foundation is Growing!
This is an exciting time at the Global Birthing Home Foundation office. We had one of the most successful Mother’s Day appeals ever, and a very productive visit to the MN birthing center by this year’s Truman State University (TSU) GlobeMed team (see accompanying article in this issue). In addition, the entire TSU GlobeMed chapter raised $11,000 for our clinical programs over the course of the school year. We are also very happy to introduce our newly appointed Director of Development and Communications, Emily Brengarth, along with two new office interns, Hannah Motes and Andrea Wickstrom. Emily came to the foundation office in late August 2012 as an intern, and over the course of the next eight months became an invaluable asset to our development and communications efforts. At the April board meeting, it was unanimously agreed to offer her the position she now holds, effective June 3rd. Emily has a BA with a double major in Sociology and French, with a minor in Anthropology from UMKC, and brings her personal passion for global health equity to the job. We also welcomed the first of two new office interns on June 3rd, Hannah Motes. Hannah is a graduate of Truman State University in Kirksville, MO with a BS in Anthropology and a minor in Health Science, and was a member of our partner GlobeMed chapter on that campus. She is currently enrolled at UMKC to complete her medical school requirements. Hannah will be working with Emily on donor management and grant research. Our third welcome is to Andrea Wickstrom, daughter of MN cofounder Dr. Betsy Wickstrom. Andrea is a junior at KU, and will also be assisting Emily with donor management and web development. Please join me in extending a hearty congratulations to Emily, and very warm welcome to Hannah and Andrea!
Cheers,
Jim Grant Executive Director
Emily Brengarth Director of Development & Communications
Hannah Motes Intern
Andrea Wickstrom Intern
The next issue of Dekabès is scheduled for September. If you would like to receive a newsletter, please e-mail us at Info@maisondenaissance.org.
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