From The Field - Hope For Haiti

Hope for Haiti Excels at Unite For Sight’s Global Health and Innovation Conference

Hope for Haiti — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 23:24:00 GMT

Jennifer Lang, Program Manager April 27, 2012

On April 21, 2012, Hope for Haiti was honored to share our Pilot School-based Public Health Program to attendees of Unite for Sight’s Global Health and Innovation Conference. Based at Yale University, this year’s Conference focused on making a sustainable difference in the fight against poverty worldwide by extending public health education and interventions.


Community Health Worker administering Vitamin A to students under 5	Hope for Haiti Community Health Workers

Hope for Haiti Evaluates Students’ Public Health Knowledge in Rural Communities

Hope for Haiti — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 23:07:00 GMT

Jessica Jean-Francois, Program Manager, April 21, 2012

The Hope for Haiti Public Health program is successfully training community health workers and educating students in public health and preventative care. This month we had the opportunity to assess some of the 2,400 students that benefit from the program on their knowledge of the several themes taught by the community health workers in their schools. The results were astonishing and the process was very beneficial. Most of the schools that participate in the program are in extremely rural parts of southern Haiti. Since many of the schools only reach up to the 4th grade, we developed an exam to test the 4th grade at every school and compared their scores. At each school, the student with the highest grade received a gift from Hope for Haiti during our bi-annual site visits. From the exam, we were able to learn more about the success of the program in the communities. We identified the themes that the students understood the best and which ones they wanted to learn more about. We received strong feedback about what is going well and developed ideas for improvements.


Mirlande and Loudena with their exams	Ricardo listens closely during a public health lesson	Ricardo receives a celebratory pen from Hope for Haiti for his success on the exam

Partnership Responds to Dental Needs at Missionaries of Charity

Hope for Haiti — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:28:00 GMT

Program Manager, Jennifer Lang, March 20, 2012

(We are not allowed to display photos of the
Missionaries of Charity.)

While unloading boxes of medications, clothing, and school supplies at the Missionaries of Charity (MC), Sisters Mary Philone and Guadeloupe pulled me aside. Long familiar with Hope for Haiti’s Infirmary Saint Etienne, the Sisters asked, “How busy is your dentist right now?”

Low-cost dental care in the Southern city of Les Cayes and its surrounding rural community was unheard of before Hope for Haiti opened its Dental Clinic in 2008. For 15 goud—or about 27 cents US, patients can see Dr. Esperance Dupervil, who specializes in preventative education on dental hygiene. Despite seeing an average of 10 patients per day, extractions remain the central fixture of the second-generation dentist. The Infirmary is regularly forced to turn patients away because the demand for healthcare so exceeds our limited resources.

Still, when the Sisters asked about the availability of dental care for their population, we had to help. Hope for Haiti’s partnership with the Missionaries of Charity includes provision of medications and supplies received as in-kind donations in our Naples office, financial support for overall operations, and inclusion of referred patients in our specialized emergency care network. The Missionaries of Charity Les Cayes facility features both in-patient and out-patient medical care, food distribution, and a malnutrition recuperation center. Moreover, it hosts an orphanage facility equipped for children with handicaps – a rarity in Haiti.

National Carnival Celebrated in Les Cayes

Hope for Haiti — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:04:00 GMT

Program Managers Jennifer Lang & Paula Prince, March 7, 2012

It is an understatement to say that Kanaval in Les Cayes was a memorable experience. As members of Hope for Haiti’s full-time International Management Staff, we have spent nine months thus far in Haiti. Working together, we have experienced many of Haiti’s challenges first-hand—including limited access to healthcare, the spread of cholera and the difficulty of emergency response, and the impacts of poverty and malnutrition on education.


Dancers adorned in costume dance through the streets.	Dancers representing Comme Il Faut the Haitian cigarette company dance through the streets during the parade.	Float passes by in Les Cayes representing the Governmental Ministries.

Still, much of our tenure has been spent hiking through lush forests, talking and laughing with program partners and community leaders, and walking pristine beaches. We eat Haitian food, speak Haitian Creole, and consider our office and team a new home and family. After the December announcement by President Michel Martelly that the national Carnival festivities would move to Les Cayes for February 2012, many were skeptical. We chose to stay and experience the event that so many around us recalled with such pride.

A Little Girl’s Steps

Hope for Haiti — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:16:00 GMT

Jennifer Lang, Program Manager, January 19, 2012

Operations Officer Stanley Liste joined the Hope for Haiti team in January 2008. A crucial part of Hope for Haiti’s Emergency Response team following the devastating earthquake in January 2010, Stanley has participated in many difficult medical cases. It is rare in Haiti – where so many lack access to healthcare, to hear success stories. It is even more rare to see a successful patient grow over several years.

Kidney Clerger, Feb 2009

Kidney Clerger was one of Hope for Haiti’s earliest Robert E. Hord consultations. Entering the Program in February 2009, Kidney presented with Amniotic bands formed at birth. While amputation was initially considered, Hope for Haiti’s partners at FINCA Hospital were able to perform a surgery on Kidney’s foot. For only $350 US, Kidney received a surgery that enabled her to walk.

Almost three-years later, Stanley was able to visit with the family and see Kidney’s progress first-hand. Today, Kidney can run and play—and even stand on one foot! As Stanley approached the house—half-built with cement and a palm tree roof, he saw Kidney running through the yard with three of her girl friends. Stanley knows Kidney’s mother, Sandra, from the marketplace where she works, and he greeted his other acquaintances from construction and family ties throughout the neighborhood.

As Hope for Haiti’s current Healthcare Program Manager, I have relied on Stanley as a liaison in numerous difficult cases. Still, my tenure here stretches only since June 2011, and I do not remember the struggles of Kidney’s handicap or her laughter after her first steps. When I talked to Stanley about what makes Kidney’s case stand out, he highlighted many factors. “Successful surgeries in Haiti require a lot of variables to come together. You need to find the right hospital, the right doctor. You need money. The medications you need have to be found in country or shipped in.”

Hope for Haiti Tackles Water-Borne Diseases through its Clean Water Program

Hope for Haiti — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:24:00 GMT

Jessica Jean-Francois, Program Manager, January 16, 2012

This past Thursday, Hope for Haiti and the Clean Water program’s technician, Harry Victor, were in Baradères for a routine maintenance and site visit. The Little Sisters of St. Therese Clinic in Baradères were chosen in October of 2007 as the perfect place to house one of Hope for Haiti’s 12 UV Water Purification systems. With most systems located near clinics, orphanages and schools, the system at the clinic in Baradères serves the infirmary, many church organizations and the community. Due to the large demand from the community and a rise in water-borne diseases in the general population, Hope for Haiti installed a second water purification system in the Baradères Town Center in 2009.


Hope for Haiti Program Manager, Jessica Jean-Francois with Water Technician, Harry Victor and Caretaker of the clinic water system in Baraderes, Roland Jean.	Hope for Haiti Water Technician, Harry Victor, speaks to Caretaker, Roland Jean, about cleaning the water system and its cistern.	System Caretaker, Laurie Monteville, holds the clean water test with Hope for Haiti Program Manager, Jessica Jean-Francois.

Hope for Haiti’s Public Health Program completes its final Module

Hope for Haiti — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 22:14:00 GMT

Jessica Jean-Francois, Program Manager, December 8, 2011

Lormil Frantz, a community health worker from Grenodière, distributes Albendazole to the students at the primary school

One year ago, Hope for Haiti launched its Public Health program, designed in response to a need for preventive education in the communities we serve. One answer to some of Haiti’s most prominent reoccurring illnesses is community education on the symptoms, treatments and preventive measures related to those illnesses. The team at Hope for Haiti had an idea to train some of the best and brightest members of our partner communities to hold lessons in the schools and be a beacon of health information in their communities.

Thirteen months later, Hope for Haiti has completed its own public health manual and trained 24 community health workers on topics ranging from hygiene and nutrition to prevention of malaria, typhoid and tuberculosis. We have implemented and managed first aid kits in the 12 public health schools and have distributed over 200,000 multivitamins, vitamin A, and Albendazole to their students. These vitamins and medications promote good nutrition and battle intestinal worms. Through the public health pilot program, both the young and the old receive training on how to keep themselves safe from illnesses and diseases and how to live healthier lives.

Vitamin Angels’ Visit to Haiti Highlights the Importance of Nutrition

Hope for Haiti — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:11:00 GMT


Vitamin Angels founder Howard Schiffer shares a moment with Sister Denise, Director of Baraderes Nutrition Clinic	Vitamin Angels team member Paul with a malnourished child at Timoun Kontan Nutrition Clinic

Jennifer Lang, Program Manager, November 23rd 2011

This past week, Hope for Haiti was fortunate enough to receive a visit from one of our major in-kind donor organizations - Vitamin Angels. By providing Children's Multivitamins, Prenatal Vitamins, and Vitamin A, Vitamin Angels products are a major component of Hope for Haiti’s Nutrition Program.

The team's trip began with a visit to Hope for Haiti's Infirmary Saint Etienne in Les Cayes, which serves the poorest of the poor who often travel miles by foot to see a doctor. At the Infirmary, Healthcare Director Dr. Steeve Victor oversees the distribution of Vitamin Angels products. "We distribute about 3 boxes of Vitamin Angels pre-natal vitamins to pregnant or lactating women per week - that's about 6,000 vitamins!"

Providing relief to mountain villages: Hope for Haiti conducts joint Education and Public Health site visit to Cornette Primary School

Hope for Haiti — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:59:00 GMT

Hope for Haiti staff make the long trek back down the mountain

Paula Prince, Program Manager, October 28th 2011

In Haiti there are hundreds of small villages tucked away in the mountains, far removed from the hustle and bustle of city life. Because the small paths that lead to the villages are exceptionally rocky and steep, many of the villages are only accessible by foot or on the back of a donkey or mule. Hope for Haiti actively partners with schools in these ultra-rural communities, to ensure that the needs of Haiti’s rural poor are addressed.

On Thursday, October 27th Hope for Haiti staff conducted a joint Education and Public Health site visit to the mountain village of Cornette. After completing the extremely challenging 1.5 hour hike in the mountains around Saint Louis du Sud, Hope for Haiti staff distributed Vitamin A, Albendazole and Multivitamins to the children at Cornette Primary School, while educating the school’s 43 students on the importance of personal hygiene.

Hope for Haiti’s Emergency Response to Flooding Saves Lives

Hope for Haiti — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:30:00 GMT

Jennifer Lang, Program Manager, October 28th 2011

It was 8pm when Father Max, Hope for Haiti’s long-term partner and regional education contact, called. “Torbeck is flooding,” he said. “Please help. The water has started coming into the neighborhood’s houses.”

The next morning, before the rain had even stopped, Hope for Haiti staff responded to the emergency with 80 Survival Buckets for the community. The buckets were designed following the 2008 deadly hurricane season and can help keep a family of five alive for one week.


View from car window on way to respond	Flooding outside the Hope for Haiti office in Les Cayes	Flooded roadway on the way to Torbeck

Thank You Note

Hope for Haiti — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:14:00 GMT

Eglantina Zingg, Bibi Nunez, October 26th 2011

Tiffany R. Keuhner
President and CEO
Hope for Haiti

Peace is more than just the absence of violence. It means realizing that if we work together our lives could be different.

Scranton Physical Therapists Train, Care, and Repair

Hope for Haiti — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:10:00 GMT

Jennifer Lang, Program Manager, September 26th 2011

This past week, the Haiti team was joined by a group of 7 Physical Therapists affiliated with the University of Scranton. Comprised of professors, former students, alumni, and colleagues, the team included varying specialties such as Pediatrics, Orthotics, and Wound Care which were all utilized to address the varied needs of the population in Southern Haiti.

Therapist Barbara leading Foyer residents in "Senior-cise" Program

Foyer residents stretching to the beat

Jen stretching out a young patient at Ile a Vache Orphanage

Hope for Haiti Community Health Workers, a Driving Force in their Communities

Hope for Haiti — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:23:00 GMT

Jessica Jean-Francois, Program Manager, September 9th 2011

This month, Hope for Haiti Community Health Workers (CHWs) have been holding numerous meetings in the communities they serve. These meetings are to spread useful information about illness prevention methods to their neighbors and their families. Hope for Haiti CHWs, who generally work in 12 of our partner schools, are spending the summer helping community members evade the chronic illnesses plaguing their communities. They have chosen 4 themes that best fit their community’s needs and are holding informational sessions that inform participants of the signs, treatment and prevention methods for these common illnesses.

Successful PPI Training Enables Needs Assessment in Two Rural Communities

Hope for Haiti — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:47:00 GMT

Jennifer Lang, Program Manager, September 7th 2011

Hope for Haiti is proud to announce a new program as part of our Community Development Initiatives. Two of Hope for Haiti's long-term partnership communities, Ravine Sable and Tête Source of the South's rural Aquin Department, will benefit from a new push towards sustainability in holistic development.

Building upon Hope for Haiti's established partnerships in Education and Public Health, the Sustainable Communities program kicked off with a formal needs assessment. A community meeting led by the school directors at each site used a democratic process to identify qualitative needs, including increased access to healthcare, flood prevention, and better roads. The next step to address the identified needs is a quantitative assessment, through a household survey on the Progress Out of Poverty Index (PPI).

Five-year old recovers from malnutrition and malaria

Hope for Haiti — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:33:00 GMT

Jennifer Lang, Program Assistant, August 24, 2011

Five-year old Jean-Will came to Hope for Haiti's long-term partner Missionaries of Charity less than 2 weeks ago. His mother, Francique, had no remaining outlets for her child's rapidly depleting health. Unable to pay for services at the public General Hospital, she turned to the Sisters after Jean-Will stopped eating entirely. He was admitted for malnutrition when Sister Guadeloupé noticed his head swelling, his fever spiking in the morning and evening, and his failing balance and eyesight.

Francique and her two children after their taxi ride to the Hope for Haiti office

Jean-Will takes cover from the rain

Jean-Will with mother Francique at MoC

With many hands, the weight of providing a quality education to Haiti's children is a little lighter

Hope for Haiti — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:41:00 GMT

Paula Prince, Program Assistant, July 21st 2011

On Wednesday July 20th, Hope for Haiti held its first meeting with nearly all 40 Directors of Hope for Haiti's numerous partner schools. The ability to assemble all of these partners in a single location was a remarkable feat. This reunion allowed schools from all over the Southern Peninsula, ranging from the lush forests of Baradères, to the slums of La Savane in Les Cayes, and the crystal blue coasts of Morency, to come together and share stories of struggles and successes.

The dedication of the school directors to their mission of educating all children and the appreciation of their relationship with Hope for Haiti were apparent in the long distances that our program partners traveled to attend the meeting. Seven local directors and one regional director made the five-hour car ride down treacherous bumpy roads from the regions of Gris Gris and Cote-de-Fer just to partake.

'All work and no play makes Jacques a dull boy' - the familiar proverb holds true in rural Haiti

Hope for Haiti — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:48:00 GMT

Jennifer Lang, Program Assistant, July 18th 2011

This year's group of 24 Community Health Workers recently received some well-deserved rest and praise to recognize their completion of 6 months of Hope for Haiti's Public Health Pilot Program. The Community Health Workers (CHWs) all traveled from various regions of Haiti's south for a two-day training in Les Cayes and a celebratory beach day in Port Salut.

Both the training and the retreat provided opportunities for reflection, feedback, team bonding, and learning. Day 1 commenced by sharing stories of successes and challenges in enacting content from previous training sessions. Samuel Terasma, a Community Health Worker from Cherettes-a rural mountain community and recent partner of Hope for Haiti, spoke of the sacrifice required to be successful. "Travelling up into the mountains to reach those students whom I could not normally see is hard work. I have to travel from my house, to the hub of Cherettes, up the mountains, and back again all in one day. Rains and heat have made it difficult, but I continue because I know my goal is worthwhile." As an exemplary of the program, Samuel visited four schools in May and June and presented over 9 hours of curriculum.

Seven Young Women Successfully Complete Hope for Haiti's 4th Cooking Class

Hope for Haiti — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:52:00 GMT

Paula Prince, Program Assistant, July 11th 2011

On Saturday July 9, 2011 the Hope for Haiti house was in a cooking frenzy. Seven young women prepared the final dishes that would serve as a test of the culinary expertise that theyve acquired over the past 19 weeks in Hope for Haiti's cooking school. As onions were chopped, batter was mixed, and eggs were cracked, the young women fried, baked and boiled into existence some of the many recipes that they have spent long hours memorizing. The young ladies, ranging in age from 15 to 26 years old, prepared a wonderful spread of dishes ranging from Rotisserie Chicken and Rice au Gratin to Christmas cake.

Baraderes Community Offers Lesson on the Power of Action

Hope for Haiti — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:55:00 GMT

Jennifer Lang, Program Assistant, July 6th 2011

Baradéres is a rural farming community 30 miles outside of Hope for Haiti's operations base in Les Cayes. Still, visiting Baradères requires a 3-hour drive over mountain ranges and boulder slides. Despite this intense topography, the residents of Baradères remain committed to their community - walking hours to the nearest market, farming wheat over rocky slopes, and taking ownership over their health and education.

Even when other organizations have lost interest in this small community, Hope for Haiti has proudly continued its support for the past 11 years, supporting the Little Sisters of Saint Therese as they run a primary school, healthcare facility, and nutrition program. They aid new mothers in a maternity ward, providing both pre-natal and post-natal care. For those women who cannot make it down from the mountains to give birth, they support a network of local midwives with regular trainings and birthing kits assembled by Hope for Haiti volunteers.

Hope for Haiti's visit to two Port-au-Prince school partners highlights the stark difference between rural and urban school resources

Hope for Haiti — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:05:00 GMT

Jessica Jean-Francois, Program Assistant, July 1st 2011

This week, the Hope for Haiti team headed to Port-au-Prince for regular site visits to our partners in the city. We met with school Directors at Dominique Savio and Saint Francois de Sales Primary and Secondary schools and visited the children of the Missionaries of Charity in Delmas 31.

As a new program assistant with Hope for Haiti and someone who is learning more and more about the dynamics of Haiti, I was blown away by the experience and left reflecting on the comparison between Hope for Haiti's rural and urban partner schools.