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David Alcina (Left) and Kely Marcelus (Right) are agronomy technicians for Many Hands in Pignon, Haiti. They serve the ministry by working in the gardens, performing routine checks on the goats, training families in our programs on how to garden and take care of their goats, and various other ways. In January 2018, David and Kely were chosen to travel to Port-au-Prince for additional training at a Veterinary Technician School. This was a ten-month commitment where they traveled for a week each month for intensive training. The other three weeks of the month were spent studying and practicing what they had just learned. This training has been incredibly beneficial to this duo. Shortly after completing training, a baby goat was attacked by a dog in the community and needed immediate attention. Thanks to Kely and David’s care, the kid is on the mend!

Kely and David

Pictured above, Kely and David at their graduation from the Veterinary Training program in 2019.

“We feel very proud of our training” – David

In addition to answering emergency calls, the trained vet agents invite all HEP participants to bring their goats to MH4H for a monthly check-up. This allows them to track the goats’ health and regularly follow up with the families, teaching them to properly care for the animals. More importantly, this meeting allows Many Hands staff more opportunities to invest in the community of Sylvain relationally, spiritually, and practically. By learning to be veterinary technicians, the team was able to use their skills to help deliver a baby. Down the road, there was a woman having a hard time giving birth. There wasn’t time to get to the hospital. “It was very serious – more than what we were trained to do,” Kely remembers.

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“It was God who gave us the experience we needed”

Despite feeling ill-equipped, Kely and David stopped to see if they could help. Upon further inspection, it appeared that the baby needed to be turned to allow for safe delivery. David explains, “The same way a child has complications, a baby animal can also have complications.” The technicians were able to use their goat delivery training to turn and deliver the baby safely. “It was God who gave us the experience we needed. We took a chance and we were able to intervene to save the life of both mother and child,” remarked Kely. The family was so grateful, asking if there was any way they could repay them. The pair agreed that no payment was necessary, “just give God all the glory.”