5 Sugru stories from a remote hospital in Haiti

Eric is a photographer who recently travelled to Haiti to document a volunteer medical team training local doctors and nurses. As he was stationed at a remote hospital up in the mountains, he decided to take some Sugru with him saying:

"I'm sure there are always things in need of repair, and finding replacement parts is not a very viable option (or at least involves a very long wait). I just figured that a lot of good could be done there with your wonderful product."

It turns out he was right. Here's how he sorted out all kinds of problems that would otherwise have gone unresolved, with some clever thinking and a little bit of Sugru.


1. He fixed worn out stethoscopes

"I asked the doctors if they ever have tears or holes in their stethoscopes or any other tubing. They often do, but they get thrown out since there is no way to fix them. In the future, they plan to fix them with the Sugru I gave them."


2. He banished mosquitos

"An anaesthesiologist staying on the hospital compound was getting bitten at night by mosquitos. He showed me a tear in the wire mesh screen on his window that was allowing mosquitos easy access to his room. We used Sugru, the two of us working together from the inside and outside as the spot was difficult to reach, and sealed the opening.”


3. He gave the handyman a hand

Daryl is the head handyman at the hospital compound. He is the guy people call when something needs fixing. He’s never far from his trusty gator buggy filled with various tools and ladders.

"One of the seats on Daryl's gator had been ripped with something sharp. So that was an easy fix with some Sugru."


4. He made some fixes in the local chapel

"One of the pews in the hospital chapel rocked when people sat on it. So we applied some Sugru to the bottom of the leg, and the problem was solved!"


5. He sorted things out for friends

With nowhere nearby to source replacement parts, and when everyday things break, they tend to stay that way. Luckily, Eric was there to help out.

Norma and her husband had been using their wobbly kitchen table for ages. Now they can finally enjoy a meal without having to find something to wedge underneath it each time.


Mona has been the cook and housekeeper for over 20 years at the house that Eric stayed in.

"I did a crash course in Haitian Creole for five weeks right before the trip. So I decided to attempt to ask if Mona needed anything fixed. After a comically frustrating conversation in Creole, I discovered that her only frying pan no longer had a handle." 

Problem solved!


A huge thank you to Eric for making all these stories happen. It's always fantastic to see Sugru being used to help others.

If you know of a great volunteering project or organisation that would benefit from a touch of thoughtfully applied Sugru, let us know [email protected]