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2nd "Plane To Haiti" update from Charli Butterfield

Well, another very busy day for us on the ground in Ft. Lauderdale.  We are preparing for our 2nd flight to Port-au-Prince tomorrow.  I have been on the phone all day confirming the names and required paperwork for all the new doctors and nurses we are taking to Haiti tomorrow along with some people working for “Clean water for Haiti” and two missionaries.

Every seat on the plane is full, with people both going to Haiti and returning back home to resupply. We have filled our cargo compartments with more much needed medical supplies, donated by Medshare and SEIU.

Jeff Behring also called me today and said they have desperate needs for basics, such as children’s vitamins, aspirin, eye drops, etc., so the crew of the aircraft, Captain Phil VanderWilt, Carol VanderWilt, Tim Hablitzel and myself all went out and bought all that we could fit into the trunk of our car to bring down with us tomorrow.

We are also bringing the military personnel on the ground at the airport 20 more pizzas, soda and ice!  Wish us luck and we will be home tomorrow night!  The photo’s are of the crew loading the plane with medical supplies at the Ft. Lauderdale airport.

Charli Butterfield

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"Plane To Haiti" update from Charli Butterfield

Charli Butterfield of the Wheelchair Foundation

Charli Butterfield of the Wheelchair Foundation

As a first hand report of our first trip into Haiti to provide doctors, nurses, medical supplies, wheelchairs, and other emergency supplies, everything went very smoothly.

We departed from the Ft. Lauderdale airport at 9:15 PM for an arrival into Port-au-Prince at 11:00 PM last night.  Everything was dark, so we couldn’t see much from the air on our approach.  Haiti has a curfew for everyone which takes effect at 7:00 PM, so the team was forced to sleep at the airport until 6:00 AM, when the curfew is lifted.  We were then able to travel to our assigned posts.  The landing was smooth and uneventful.  We were met by the US military, who was very helpful.  We were told when we departed Ft. Lauderdale that the US military needed ice.  We brought in lots of ice, 15 pizzas, and Coke.  The military was very excited and more than willing to assist us in the offloading of all our medical supplies and wheelchairs.  They let our doctors, Wheelchair Foundation volunteers, and DC3 volunteers set up a makeshift camp right next to their central base right at the airport.  MedShare rendezvoused with us at the airport to help organize the distribution of medical supplies, and Dr. Janette Nesheiwat led several of our doctors and volunteers to a small village where people were desperately seeking and in need of medical attention this morning.  Jeff Behring reported that these small villages were living in tents and had very long lines of people waiting for medical attention.  They were doing the best they could but were still in need of more medical supplies such as aspirin, blood pressure medicine, thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, etc.  We are actively searching for these items to bring with us on our next trip into Port-au-Prince on Saturday.  We have another group of doctors and nurses arriving and another plane being loaded with more medical supplies that are being trucked down right now from Medshare’s Atlanta, Georgia distribution center.  We are also working with 4 constituents representing the “Clean Water for Haiti” organization.  We couldn’t ask for a better group of people to work with.  Everyone is really pitching in and doing the best they can to help those in need of medical attention and mobility.  I am so proud of our mission, and of those who have volunteered their time and supplies to help.

Charli Butterfield

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Swartkei/Ezulu End Of Season Message

2009 turned out to be a far better year than anyone expected. The news of the recession has been all doom and gloom, and yet we have had a great years’ hunting!

We would say that one of the most exciting things for us has been the fact that we have had so many wives and families come on safari this year. As we tailor-make our safaris for each individual, we are flexible and are able to make the experience unforgettable for each client.

100_1164Our youngest ‘hunter’ this year was a 6 year old and have even had an 8 year old girl shoot an ostrich! Most memorable was Caleb who arrived on crutches with a broken leg, but was out there every day and even shot a few himself. On one occasion when they were stalking, he and Jonathan, the PH, did some kind of ‘leopard crawl’ with Caleb on Jonathan’s back!

Although the rains have not been as plentiful as we had hoped, our veld is looking good and the animals are in good condition. We have had some excellent trophies this year and have shot some exceptional buffalo, all well over 40”. We are very pleased that the herds are breeding well, and a magnificent 46” bull was spotted recently!

As Ezulu is a new reserve, we are thrilled that the place has matured on all levels. We offer a truly unique experience in that we have the 3 hunting areas, and each place complements the other, offering a broad hunting experience, never allowing one to get bored.

Our generous sponsors and donors continue to support the Ithemba Trust, and allow many disadvantaged children the opportunity of an excellent, well rounded schooling.

We were honoured to have a visit from the Wheelchair Foundation, who spent some time here and did some hunting. A function was organized and some clothing and 14 wheelchairs were handed over to locals in need. Among those was a 68 year old grandmother who had her leg amputated 6 months beforehand, and had been struggling to get around. Her new wheelchair would change her life and that of her family who were caring for her.

2010 has arrived, and South Africans are looking forward to hosting the Soccer World Cup in June and July. Our hunting days are filling up fast for next year, so suggest you reserve your dates timeously. Some exciting packages are on offer, so best contact us for details if you are interested.

We wish all our clients, family and friends a happy and blessed 2010.

As usual we will be exhibiting at the SCI Reno Show, so please pay us a visit.

The Swarkei/Ezulu team.

SOURCE: Safari News Reel

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