How We're Making Vaccination More Accessible in Haiti
Hope for Haiti
Our mission is to improve the lives of the Haitian people, particularly children.
Dear Hope for Haiti Family,
As Hope for Haiti's Healthcare Program Manager, I get to see first-hand the impact our healthcare services have on the lives of families each and every day at our Infirmary St. Etienne.?
Our dedicated team of Haitian doctors, nurses, and technicians conducts more than 100,000 consultations annually, providing life-changing medication, disease screenings for early detection, chronic illness management, and more. Recently, I met a mother and son who are particularly grateful for our vaccination services in Les Cayes – here is their story:
Hope for Haiti Makes Vaccination Accessible
Odile was walking home one day when she saw a young boy wandering down the road unattended. The 8-month-old child had unfortunately been abandoned, and, despite her own economic struggles, Odile took him in as her son.
Odile's son, Josué, is now two years old. Having been abandoned at such an early age, Josué had not received any vaccinations, leaving him susceptible to easily preventable illnesses. Upon hearing this, Odile's neighbor, a patient at Hope for Haiti's Infirmary St. Etienne, recommended that she bring Josué in for a patient consultation and vaccinations.?
Josué was vaccinated against rubella and measles, and received his first deworming medication and a dose of vitamin A during his visit to the Infirmary St. Etienne. He will need additional vaccinations to be fully immune and protected, but this is an important first step.
Odile said to the team, “I am so happy about the healthcare services that you provided and that my son received his first vaccinations. I didn't think this would be possible.”
Josué and Odile's story is similar to that of many patients we meet – families who are in need of quality healthcare, but often lack the resources to afford it. At Hope for Haiti, we believe access to quality healthcare is a human right. Your support of our programs enables us to provide care for hundreds of thousands of people like Josué and Odile.
Vaccination By the Numbers
At the Infirmary St. Etienne and our mobile clinics in the rural south, our team vaccinates patients against a variety of diseases, including polio, meningitis, pneumonia, rotavirus, COVID-19, and many more.?
Early vaccination is especially important, as infants and young children are more susceptible to illnesses. 69% of the vaccines administered by our team from July 2023 - April 2024 have been for children 0-11 months old, while 21% have been administered to children 12-59 months old, and the remaining 9% have been to adults who are 18 years and older.
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Raising Awareness About Vaccination
So what else can we do to ensure children receive these vital vaccines? Raising awareness about the importance of vaccination, as well as decreasing the negative stigma that some hold against vaccination, are important aspects of this work.
During World Immunization Week 2024, from April 24-30, our team hosted educational discussions about how vaccines work to help the body fight disease and stressed the importance of taking this step to help protect the health of our loved ones. This programming was done alongside our team's routine vaccination distribution for patients at the Infirmary St. Etienne and mobile clinics.?
Our team also works to make vaccination more accessible by traveling outside of Les Cayes to rural communities and conducting mass vaccination events based on the Ministry of Health's guidelines.
Finally, the Healthcare team calls parents to remind them of their child's vaccination schedule and follows up on missed appointments.
You can help support this work by making a gift today. Just $17 provides one comprehensive patient consultation.
Read our new Quarterly Program Impact Report here .
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