Healing Art Missions exists to support those in need around the world. Beginning in 1998, we have been supporting the people of Haiti in the areas of health, nutrition, education, housing, and social justice. Our work is committed to fostering the dignity of the individual, respecting the ways of the community, and reflecting the strength of a loving God.
We are a group of people from all walks of life committed to sharing our talents, resources and good fortune with those less fortunate.
Non-profit 501(c)(3) group, U.S. Federal Tax ID #311618706
Dr. Tracee Laing and Paul Hammond will hit the road again in June to spread the word about Healing Art
Missions from Ohio to the west coast and back. With the HAM
logo and website address on the back of their teardrop trailer, they'll be raising
curiosity and interest wherever they traveled.
Read recent article in the Newark Advocate about HAM by Clicking Here
IN APRIL, DUMAY BECAME A HOTSPOT OF CHOLERA IN HAITI,
now the largest cholera outbreak in the world.
Read about the Dumay crisis and HAM's response HERE, and read posts directly from the HAM team in Haiti as they responded HERE.
You can also read a recent article in the NY Times about the history and current state of cholera in Haiti HERE.
Art from the Heart silent auction of Haitian art arrives in Ojai, CA June 21st. Visit our News & Events page to find out more, and to see photos of the actual art pieces for auction in our Photo Gallery.
58% of the population in
pre-earthquake Haiti lacked access to clean water. Since the earthquake that figure has worsened, though no one
knows by how much. With the outbreak of cholera, the need for clean water is
greater than ever, and the community of Dumay, which HAM’s Center de Sante
serves, is no exception. During HAM’s most recent mission, a localized outbreak
erupted in the Dumay community and HAM’s Cholera Clinic was overwhelmed with
cholera victims to the point the clinic had to be expanded to over 70 beds and
the staff was tripled to accommodate the case load. Cholera is a highly
contagious waterborne disease and this latest outbreak in Dumay is thought to
have originated at one of the 13 primary water sources for the community. Access
to clean water within the community must become a priority if the health of the
Dumay community is to be effectively improved and cholera sufficiently reduced.
Cholera patients at HAM's Cholera Treatment Center
Clean water is currently at the top of HAM’s agenda, as
efforts made during the most recent mission to Haiti demonstrate. A few months
ago, the nearby water well that supplied HAM’s Centre de Sante and Cholera
Clinic with water was cut off from our access. Water to support the Center de
Sante and Cholera Clinic must now be obtained from a well close to a mile away
and transported in five-gallon containers. To resolve this issue, during our
April mission we contracted with a Mennonite group to have a new well drilled within the HAM compound
which has been completed. In August a team of volunteers will travel to Dumay
to install a new solar powered well pump so that both clinics will have sufficient
water supplies. This water will still need to be treated in small batches to
make certain it is clean enough for drinking. A future goal for the clinic
water supply is to install a water purification system to produce larger
quantities of drinking water.
Even more important for the community at large is HAM’s
effort to restart a clean water program in Dumay that involves low cost,
in-home systems comprised of two five-gallon buckets, rope and charcoal filters
with chlorine added. When the program ended in 2009 in Dumay, there were
approximately 3,000 units in households. Today, there are only 857 functional
units. HAM has begun a partnership with Gift of Water http://www.giftofwater.org/, who
manufactures the units, to restart the program in May. HAM will hire water
technicians who will be trained to maintain the systems and educate the
population regarding the proper use of the systems and the importance of clean
water and sanitation. These technicians will then begin to repair and replace
the broken systems still within households in the community. As HAM has the
funds to purchase new systems, we will expand the program with the hope of
eventually providing these clean water systems in all households throughout the
Dumay community of 20,000.
In the past, HAM has also worked with the community of
Demier, a small village in the mountains south of Port-au-Prince, to provide
clean water. We are also starting up the Gift of Water program in Demier.
A primary building block for the health of any community is
access to clean water. HAM’s efforts to help provide a healthy community in
Dumay must involve such access. It is only through the continuing support of
HAM’s friends that we will be successful in our efforts and goals. To
contribute to HAM, please go to our Support Page.
our access. Water to support the Center de
Sante and Cholera Clinic must now be obtained from a well close to a mile away
and transported in five-gallon containers. To resolve this issue, during our
April mission we contracted with a Mennonite group to have a new well drilled within the HAM compound
which has been completed. In August a team of volunteers will travel to Dumay
to install a new solar powered well pump so that both clinics will have sufficient
water supplies. This water will still need to be treated in small batches to
make certain it is clean enough for drinking. A future goal for the clinic
water supply is to install a water purification system to produce larger
quantities of drinking water.