Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and one of the poorest in the world. It was here that Catherine Wolf, a lifelong member of the Kingston Presbyterian Church; made a visit as a college student to see what a third world country was like as she considered her dream of being a medical missionary. She went back to Haiti to work as a missionary/physician after completing her medical training from 1982-1987 and 1990-1994, working in a 120-bed protestant mission hospital in south Haiti. It was there she met and befriended Haitian nurse, Cherlie Severe. The two remained close friends over the years and often discussed their shared desire to help the people of Haiti through the practice of medicine and their faith in Jesus Christ.
She returned to the United States in 1994 and worked as an Emergency Physician but Haiti remained in her heart and she decided to take on the challenge of developing a primary care clinic and maternity center in a mountainous area about an hour’s drive south of the city of Jeremie, on the northern coast of the southern peninsula.
The Founding of Friends for Health in Haiti – In 2006, Dr. Wolf founded Friends for Health in Haiti, a 501c3 non-profit organization based in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. The mission of Friends for Health in Haiti is to improve the health of the people of Haiti in a caring, compassionate manner, as a reflection of our Christian faith.
Move to Haiti – In late 2006, Dr. Wolf and Cherlie moved permanently to Jérémie, Haiti and began their work to establish a primary care medical clinic. Through Friends for Health in Haiti they raised funds and purchased land that would serve as the future clinic site in a small community in the mountains outside Jérémie called Gatineau.red in 2006 for future clinic site.
Needs and Resource Assessment – In early 2007, Dr. Wolf and Cherlie began conducting a needs and resource assessment in the communities within a two-hour walk of the future clinic site. Over the course of three months, they walked into 16 communities, held interviews with community leaders and conducted large community meetings
Move to Haiti – In late 2006, Dr. Wolf and Cherlie moved permanently to Jérémie, Haiti and began their work to establish a primary care medical clinic. Through Friends for Health in Haiti they raised funds and purchased land that would serve as the future clinic site in a small community in the mountains outside Jérémie called Gatineau.
After years of hard work, the new clinic opened in March 2014. For the complete story of Friends for Health in Haiti including how you can help, visit http://www.friendsforhealthinhaiti.org.
Members of Kingston Presbyterian Church have been privileged to join Dr. Wolf in Haiti 9 times in the past several years, most recently in March 2017 when members of the congregation were joined by members of the Hopewell and Nassau Presbyterian churches for a work camp sponsored by the Mission Committee of the New Brunswick Presbytery.
Gallery – KPC ~ United Presbyterian Women ~ Haiti Appreciation Luncheon – 11-2-2019
