HAITI TRIBUTE: TO MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE

This article was originally featured on this blog on April 16, 2010.

Ali Matthews is an accomplished Singer-Songwriter from Stratford, ON. Her love for creating and producing music has earned her respect from her peers and fans throughout North America. She is also a long time supporter and spokesperson for FTC Canada.

Her brother is Dr. Anthony Brown, FTC Canada Medical Team Advisor, who helped lead the very first FTC medical team to Honduras in 2007. In January, just days after an earthquake rocked Port-au-Prince Haiti, Dr. Brown was working diligently to secure medicines and supplies and coordinating plans with FTC to send a medical team to the country.

As Ali stood back watching all this unfold, she wondered how she might help too. In the best way she knew how, Ali headed into the studio to produce her own version of the Bob Dylan classic, "To Make You Feel My Love". When images started coming back from the team in Haiti, it was a natural next step to pair music and photos and share it with her fans. The following video can also be found on YouTube.

To learn more about Ali Matthews visit www.alimatthews.com

Day Four: Dr. Brown Recap

Dr. Anthony Brown or Dr. Tony is the FTC Canada Medical Team Advisor and provides key leadership to the entire medical team.  This includes advance trips into each country we visit as well as working with FTC Canada President Ken Dick to select the team members.

This short video is a recap of the past few days and a quick starter for Day 4. 

FLYING TO GUATEMALA

Flying into Guatemala City through rain filled clouds reminded me of my previous visit almost three years ago.  Exciting things have happened since then including the building of a new school, two wells have been drilled and our Medical-Dental Team provided care to thousands.  Well, here we go again!

On November 6th our next Medical-Dental Team will leave Toronto for Guatemala City, Guatemala. Getting the 27 member team there along with what seems like “tons” of baggage is always interesting, but between the time we arrive at Toronto International (really early in the morning) and our arrival at Guatemala City, the bonding process will have begun.  When we come to end of this mission, we shall all be good friends (we hope!).

At the end of September, Dr. Anthony Brown (FTC Medical Advisor) and I spent 3 days visiting communities outside Guatemala City. We met with local community leaders, all of us enduring what seemed like constant rainfall.  Our capable Director for Central America, Efrain de los Rios, drove us up to the side of a volcano to a community where there had been major damage caused by a violent eruption last May.  Black ash still covered the roads and much of the landscape.  Our plan is to take the team into several communities in that mountainous area.

Palencia is a region of more than 55,000 people.  This is familiar territory for Dr. Brown and me. Mayor Beto,  always an enthusiastic host was once again gracious in his welcome.  He smiled broadly when we told him we planned to bring the medical team back into Palencia in November.

It was a very productive few days, traveling the deeply rutted, muddy roads of rural Guatemala.  Our goodbyes to Efrain and the amazing Central America Feed The Children staff were hopeful; it wouldn't be long until we were back together again.

At the upcoming team orientation on October 23, 2010, photos will be presented, highlighting the five communities chosen for the Medical-Dental clinics.  It won’t be long now and we will be off to Guatemala.  I’m excited.  I hope you are too!

Ken Dick, C.A.

President

PS You can follow the team here at this blog site as there will be daily updates (internet permitting)


PSS You can support the Medical-Dental program by clicking here.

PLANNING: TEAM TO GUATEMALA

FTC Canada is currently in Guatemala, where plans are being made for the next Medical-Dental team.

The team will land in Guatemala in early November.  You can learn more about the work at our website (click here) or follow the team's daily activities at this blog.

FTC Canada Medical Team Advisor, Dr. Anthony Brown is scouting out locations for the next team.  Joining him in this process, is FTC Canada President Ken Dick.  Selecting a good location means first meeting the needs of the community where we will serve.  Meeting local officials and community leaders is an important part of planning.

Sites must support the "portable" team; allowing room for a pharmacy, food and supplies, and of course doctor and dental areas.  The later two require waiting space, room for practitioners, assistants and if required translators to see patients and private areas that allows for discreet interviews and minor surgeries.

There will be 5 locations chosen, all within reach of Guatemala City.  This is a region we have been in before, so there is a good chance we will be making a return visit to sites we have previously served.

HAITI FUNDRAISER: DINNER PROGRAM

We are looking forward to the Haiti Fundraiser coming up on September 24, 2010 in Burlington, ON.  Tickets are still available for this special evening gathering.

The evening program looks like it will provide a great deal of insight into Haiti:

Program:
Doors Open ~ 6:00 PM
Dinner ~ 7:00 PM
Speakers for the evening

~ Paramedic Grant Rumford - Mr Rumford, was stationed at Mission of Hope in Haiti when the earthquate struck.
~ Dr. Anthony Brown, FTC Canada Medical Advisor - Dr. Brown will talk about the FTC Canada Emergency Team that was sent to Haiti 8 days after the quake.
~ Otis Garrison, VP Mission of Hope Haiti - Mr. Garrixon will share his thoughts on the future of Haiti

HAITI FUNDRAISING DINNER
BURLINGTON CONVENTION CENTRE
SEPTEMBER 24, 2010, 7:00 PM
DOORS OPEN: 6:00 PM

Please click Purchase Tickets to go to the ticket Ticket Page.

MEDICAL-DENTAL: TEAM TO GUATEMALA

I can always be sure when returning from a Medical-Dental Team excursion, that I will be asked several times, “When is the next trip and where is it going?”. Because of the preparation time required, we are careful to leave sufficient time between travels to Central America. My answer in February, as we returned from El Salvador was, “Sometime later in the year”!

Dr. Tony Brown (Medical Advisor) and I had to make two major decisions. One, where do we go next, and two, when do we go? It did not take long to decide we should return to Guatemala. Why Guatemala?

The medical/dental needs in Central America are everywhere and unlimited opportunities to share our expertise are welcomed in several countries. Since 2007 we have taken teams to Honduras, Guatemala (2008), Nicaragua and El Salvador. In making the decision to return to Guatemala we talked to the people who partner with us in that country, reviewed recent events that have impacted the people there, including floods and earthquakes and looked carefully at the current political situation and safety factors. There was nothing to keep us from going to Guatemala and plans are under way for a team to be there November 6-14, 2010.

We are often asked if we have problems finding people for the team? No is the short answer. Since our first team to Honduras in 2007, our roster of medical professionals and other support staff has been growing. Our largest team, 30 strong, went to El Salvador in February 2010. This we have discovered, is a level at which we can operate efficiently.

Dr. Tony and I will be visiting Guatemala at the end of September to visit communities where the teams may visit and scout out suitable locations to run our clinics.

If you are a medical professional and would like to get involved please contact me at ken@ftccanada.ca. By the way, there's a good chance we may be in El Salvador, April, 2011.

Ken Dick, President

DR. ANTHONY BROWN REFLECTS ON HAITI

Dr. Anthony Brown has been featured prominently in post about our medical-dental teams as he is the FTC Canada Medical Team Advisor, working closely with Ken Dick, President of FTC Canada.

This video was taken shortly after Dr. Brown returned from Haiti. He was there with a team that was assembled just days after the huge quake rocked Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010.

It is a trip that really had a deep impact on team members and some of that can be seen and felt in Dr. Browns stories.