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OUR HISTORY: A PROMISE MADE, A PROMISE KEPT
In 1981 while serving as Chief Surgeon at the Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas, Dr. Guy Theodore embarked on a mission to help heal the sick, feed the hungry and give hope to a community of 140,000 plus people in the northern Central Plateau of Haiti - his home. He organized
volunteers with
the aid of friends and supporters who understood and shared his passion
for caring for the under-served people of his country. They helped him
educate and empower his people to establish one of the best healthcare
centers in Haiti today.
Guy D. Theodore, MD, FACS
Born in Pignon, Haiti, Dr. Theodore was the seventh of nine children of a lay Baptist minister and his wife. As a child, young Guy often went with his father by donkey to visit the sick and dying people in the remote countryside. His father would pray with the sick and their family, and often dispense medication acquired with his own money.
Guy
often saw children die from treatable or avoidable illnesses, due to
malnutrition, poor sanitation and lack of medical attention. There was
no doctor or clinic for miles, and no resources to travel to Cap
Haitien or Port au Prince. He knew that these people were perishing not only unnecessarily, but often hopelessly.
With
both a child's innocence and a maturity beyond his years, young Guy
asked if he could become a doctor and care for his people. His father
told him that it was possible with the Lord's help and blessings.
There, in the mountains, they got down off the donkey and Guy prayed
aloud: "Lord there is so much need all around me. As a Christian, I
feel it is my duty to try to help people. Give me the wisdom and
intelligence to become a doctor. Wherever I am, I will come back to
Pignon and do Your Work."
Guy
went on to finish high school and
medical school in Port-au-Prince. After completing a
residency in urology, he traveled abroad to pursue an internship in New
Jersey. He then completed a general surgical residency in New York
City
from 1970 to 1975. After being licensed by the New York State Board of
Medicine and becoming certified in general surgery, he entered private
practice.
For
a
Haitian boy reared in a remote village of Haiti, Dr. Theodore found
himself in a relatively comfortable life in the US. He had friends,
thriving career, prestige and possessions. And then a dream in 1976
reminded him of himself as a twelve year old boy, and he heard his
father
probing, "Guy have you forgotten your commitment to the Lord?" He saw
again the hollow eyes of dying children and awoke knowing he must
return to Pignon. He had to honor his promise to the Lord... and to his
father.
At
the time of his dream, Dr. Theodore was about to invest in a new home
in a suburb of New York City. Instead he sent the money to
Pignon to begin building the Hopital Bienfaisance (Charity Hospital) on the site where
he was born. He also entered the U. S. Air Force to broaden his
experience. He became the chief Surgeon at the Little Rock Air Force
Base in 1980. While there he formed the Christian Mission of Pignon,
Inc. in 1981 with the help of Arkansans, who began making medical and
dental team visits to Pignon. In 1982 he became a Fellow of the
American College of Surgeons, being one of few Haitians to achieve this
distinction. In 1983, after seven years of service in the U S Air Force
and obtaining the rank of Colonel, he returned to Pignon to serve his
people full time.
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Under
Dr. Theodore's leadership and with the help of hundreds of volunteers,
his vision has become a reality. The Comite Bienfaisance de Pignon
(CBP), a locally elected committee of community leaders, presides over
the mission of HBP, defining its vision, realized in its programs and
projects. There is now a 65 bed hospital and six clinics, including an
extensive public health program.
The vision has expanded beyond
healthcare to the provision of clean water (building and maintaining
hundreds of wells), education (building seven primary schools, and
administration of a large scholarship program), agricultural and
economic development.
Comite Bienfaisance de Pignon Directors
Marie-Adele Romelus - Executive Director
Emmanuel Sylvestre - President
Cliguy Colars - V. President
Henri Clowde Crepin
Elusma Desuis
Clodorick Pierre
Ernest Noel
The
Christian Mission of Pignon, Inc. has evolved into Promise for Haiti,
Inc. - the US-based volunteer board that works hand-in-hand with CBP to
make the vision of HBP a reality. It's responsible for fundraising,
coordinating the many teams of volunteers and their invaluable work in
Pignon and public relations, as well as collaborating with CBP to plan
strategically for the future.
Promise for Haiti Board of Directors
Siri Fiebiger MD, MPH (Fargo ND) - President
Jim Birong DDS (Carrollton Ohio) - V. President
Sue Ishee (Nashville TN) - Treasurer
Ron Nomeland (Fargo ND) - Secretary
Denny Brand (Pella IA) - Executive Director
Mike Evans (San Diego CA)
Elizabeth Babu MD (Brooklyn NY)
HBP
has a number of local and US-based partners to help realize its goals.
There are volunteer teams from Virginia, Arkansas, Ohio, Minnesota,
North Dakota, Iowa and New York.
Young Guy Theodore's promise has
been fulfilled and Dr. Theodore's vision is becoming a reality as the
mission continues to expand its dream for the future for the people of the Central Plateau of
Haiti.
PLEASE  TO or send Contribution to :
4402 Howell Place
Nashville, TN 37205 www.promiseforhaiti.org Email:admin@promiseforhaiti.org HOSPITAL BIENFAISANCE de PIGNON HAITI |
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