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Page 4. Whutby Free Presa, Wednesday,' May 15,199, Resdetbelps with child health prograni in Haiti By Mark Reesor Néeepin abreast of who's in- andwhno a out was a crucial part of staying safe in Haiti for the il years Scott and Sally Hortop lived there. Scott ran St. Catharines-based International Child Gare (ICO), a non-profit agency which has an. extensive child health and vac- cination pr .a the county while Sally, daughter of Whitby residents Ralph and Pat Strat- ford, taught at an international communiV school. The Stratfords are no strangers to the impoverished Caribbean country either, having travelled there for meetings ini the six years Ralph's served on the ICC board of directors. ICC.opeerates Grace Children's Hosialin Port-au-Prince, which treats more than 1,300 children a year for tuberculosis (TB), and travels to villages te vaccinate some 30,000 people a year . against TB and other dis- eases. TB has worsened with the spread of AIDS, says Ralph, not- ing that sorne 20 per cent of -cbildren admitted te ICC ospi during one count were IHV postive -- "and this is a couple of years ago.l A United Nations study found the ICC TB vaccination prograrn has a 96 per cent success rate. There were seven coups in the last six years the Hortops were in the country, Sally says, although she stresses they neyer feit personally threatened by the political upheavals. Scott who did a lot of travel- ling on administrative business, was only in the country for one of the coups. «It got 80 that people would caîl us; up and say 'Is Scott travelling, because there's a lot of troublfe in the country right now, $ " she says. «Once the ambassador even jokingly said te me, 'There's a lot of rumblings, is Scott leav*ng," Sally recails. "And. I sid ~es Sunay,'and he said 'damn!' Athou gh living in such an unstable situation «had its moens, she says the Haitian SALLY HORTOP and father Ralph Strat- from Haiti, where Hortop, husband Scôtt ford look over some pictures and paintings and their four children spent il years. Photo by hMrk Reesor, Whltby FrePu the rising cost of edacation?. We cari provide a free education cost analysis that will show you: " approximately what the university of your choice is expected to, cost in the future; " how much you'li have to*save monthly or annually; *how to develop an investment plan that can help you meet your savings goal. - Cali or stop by today for more information: Member CIPF Richard, A.Rhodes 580 King St. W. (Island Plaza) Oshawa, Ontario, Li J 7J1 (905) 725-4142 EdwardJones Richard Rhodes Serving Individual Investors people «aren't as wild as they're portrayed. «They're very targeted - if they're out te get the Americans (for example), then you don't want to be an American because they'Il find out... but they don't .ust sort of level a neighbour- hood. "As long as we were neyer targeted, we actually feit safe... but if we'd been targeted, we'd have left -- they're that good. The bush telegraph is. pretty strong;, nothing slides by.» ItVs not as if the Hortops lived in a quiet part of the country. "In one of the coups, the second-in-command was our next door neighbour, so there was a morning when we drove out of our driveway... and there was a tank sitting there, oc we drove ri ht back in our driveway'1 Teople s four chi]de, I born in Haiti, coped very well though, she notes. «They pretty much picked up on us and if we were okay, they were okay... it's remarkable1 if you grow up there, whates nor- mal. «On, the positive side, ail of our ICC hande ail tuberculosis treamen chiidren have seen babies born, many times -- but on the flip side ail of them have seen a deaÎà. body on the side of the road. «They've ail seen a shot per- son, they've ail seen a car acci- dent that hasn't been iooked after and one of them had a friend who died of malnutrition. They grew up with that stui. The trouble came in waves, she says, and when it was trou- ble-free, their children were free to roam «way more than here.. "They would take 'tap-taps' (Toyota pick-up truciks whîch are used as buses) a Il over the city -- and. it's a busy city. I neyer worried about my kids scooting up to our neighbour's house after dark... "When there was political sta- bility, there wasn't rape and pil- lage and plunder.. there was a lot of petty- theft, but there was very littie (crimes with) bodily harmi.» That's because the country is so denselyý-populated, '"you would neyer not have a witness,» she says. 'Tou couldn't rape a womnan (for example) without 16 people knowing. It's ust not like around here -- there si no under- ground parking lots. «Everybody lives outeide and everybody's accountable.» One thing, that hasn't changed since the -Hortops left is the extreme poverty of most Hai- tians. "The year we left, Haiti spent $1 per person'per year on health care soa our program (ICC) was totally responsible for. ail the tubeirculosis treatment in the entire country -- both case-find- ing and treatment ý-- andail of the child immunization," ay Saliy ICO has a staff of more than 200 people in Haiti, of which onl three are foreigners, and with government 'cutbacks, in-* creasingly depends on ýdonations' te carry out its work, says Ralph, who adds Haitians are as poor as, ever. «There'so no crisis down in Haiti right now but there's no damned economy either. One thing that didn't happen (when Aristide the restored to power) is the economy wasn~t put together again.» «This is wvhy it's really tough running the operation down there.» ICC can be, reached at 905- 688-0632. MVORE 13EX APPLICATIONS, & GRAPHICS CoreIDRAW 4(win'95)ý Adobe Pagemaker V.6 (whi'95) Adobe Photoshop V.3 <w '95) Lotus SmartSuite '96(win'95) Save $100! NOW $ 79.97 at bex! Save $600! NOW $299.97 at bex' Save $500! NOW $299.97 at bex' Save $400! NOW $ 199.97 at bex! .gg. . . .. .. *.. presents Dr. Richard Hasselback and Breast Cancer in its Final Evening Concerning C ancer Wèdnesday, May 29, 1996 Oshawa Public Librar Auditorium 65 Bagot'Street, Oshawa 7:30 p.m. Dr. Hasselback is a retired oncologist from Princess Margaret Hospital, a founding member of the Canadian Women's Breast Cancer Foundation and former chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee for the Canadian Cancer Society, Ontario Division. IM Everyone is welcome. Admission if free. This evening on breast cancer with Dr.* Richard ~; Hasselback is sponsored by Hearth Place, a cancer caring centre. For more information, cali 905-579-4833.