Mirdaige’s School: Lucky Iron Fish Pilot Launched

Friday, January 12, 2018

Thanks to Dr. Jim Korb, more than 100 of Merdiage’s school children were tested for hemoglobin levels in the first pilot to improve iron and reduce anemia.  Dr. Korb spoke to the parents at the school, to help them understand the Lucky Iron Fish.  The Lucky Iron Fish is a small iron cooking tool that infuses your meals with a healthy amount of natural iron to help prevent iron deficiency and anemia. It’s simple to use, and provides a natural source of iron that’s sustainable for the Haitian community, as the ingot lasts 5 years.  The hope is that the families will use this in their everyday cooking and when the 2019 medical mission team returns, hemoglobin levels of these tested children will show improvement and healthy levels.

Trisha Saylor taught the students a basis hygiene class on handwashing, before the poking began.  Vicky Zubiri, Teresa Ng and I (Sue Berkel) began the hemoglobin finger pricking while Nicolas Victorin and Mirdaige’s daughter Crystal called the students in by name.  Most were stoic with the procedure, but as expected, many were afraid of the process and called for mama or just cried.  But our favorite was a little girl, maybe around 5, who called on Jesus to help her through the process with great gusto and repetitiveness.

Teresa Ng was introduced to the child she sponsors through Save a Seat education of Haitian children, named Rosalyn.  The two shared some time over lunch, looking through Teresa’s photos of her children and dog. 

Mirdaige and her family served us a delicious lunch of fried chicken, plantains, slaw, pasta, pineapple upside down cake and cake.  It was wonderful to meet her husband, and her two sons.