HANDS UP FOR HAITI
Hands Up for Haiti (HUFH) has been a steadfast resource for the health of individuals and families living in Northern Haiti for many years. Their unique programs have proven even more important and of great benefit to residents particularly since the pandemic has struck the country and most traveling care practitioners had to vacate the country. HUFH team members provide us some insights:
From Executive Director, Karen Schecter
“At Hands Up for Haiti, we deliver lifesaving health care to the sickest and most impoverished people of Northern Haiti. We do it by ‘Sante Kominotè’ - Community Based Health Care delivered by hands on the ground, in collaboration with helping hands from neighbors to the north. With Positive Legacy’s help, we are achieving truly life-saving results as we realize our vision: Haitian Run + Haitian Led = Lifesaving Programs that Build a Better Future. A true Positive Legacy.
In essence, with the help of Positive Legacy, we have been able not just to keep our core programs up and running in the face of the current pandemic, continued civil unrest caused by a continuing shortage of fuel and geopolitical upheavals, and skyrocketing costs in Haiti, but to expand them to meet increasing need even as we achieve our mission and see our vision become a reality. Because of your help, we are able to remain unshakable and unmovable in our commitment to some of the most vulnerable children and their families in Haiti. Your financial support is critical to our success; your partnership energizes us. Together, we can and do make a positive impact - we save lives.”
From Fritznel Jean, the HUFH in-country Assistant Executive Director:
“Together with your support, we made Hands Up for Haiti become our own on the ground and that brought many positive changes. During the unrest and now because of the travel bans, many organizations couldn’t follow up because they rely on people from the USA or Canada. These people had to leave the country or couldn’t get there. But at Hands Up for Haiti, because we have done so much EDUCATION and TRAINING with your support, our ground staff could take over. Our Hands up for Haiti staff did not give up. We created strategies to get to the communities we are serving, especially in some sites we did door to door to deliver the Medika Mamba to the malnourished kids because they needed immediate assistance, otherwise the situation would get worse for them.
At HUFH we make the difference: Haitian Staff plus our Donors make a positive impact. We would like to thank, congratulate and encourage our donors at Positive Legacy because without them we wouldn’t be able to achieve our goals.”
In 2019 and 2020 Positive Legacy continued our support of the life changing services that Hands up for Haiti provides by granting $31,995 in general funding to provide core operating support to continue the successful expansion of the successful programs we helped to fund in 2018.
Supporting Healthy Communities in Northern Haiti:
Hands Up For Haiti Clinic
Haiti remains the poorest country in the western hemisphere. As one of Positive Legacy’s most enduring partnerships, your dollars have helped to create healthy outcomes for some 50,000 individuals in Northern Haiti.
To support the community’s healthcare needs, Positive Legacy provided a $10,000 grant to expand core direct care, public health and education programs including:
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Saving Mothers and Babies
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Program Statistics from July 2017 through May 2018:
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i. 71 Births, 6 in hospital and 65 at home by matrone
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ii. 2 women abandoned the program; no deaths
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Cervical Cancer
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Program Statistics past 2017- 2018, 12 months:
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i. 1189 women were screened
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ii. 10 with advanced cancer and 4 deaths
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iii. The youngest age for screening is 20
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Fighting Malnutrition
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Program Statistics from July 2017 through May 2018 for all sites:
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i. Number of children enrolled: 533
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ii. Number of current active children: 99, including 48 new
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Supporting Shada Low-Cost Community Clinic
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Youth Leadership program
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Hypertension
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Program Statistics:
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we currently have 170 patients enrolled, and the compliance rate remains at 95%.
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Hospital Surgery Fund
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Program Statistics from September 2017 through May 2018:
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i. 137 children referred
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ii. 127 completed treatment
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iii. 10 active cases
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The Clean Water Project
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Newest well in Robillard (#12) was completed it 2017
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Well #13 is being planned for Dondon and will be completed in 2018.
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Access to quality, local care has helped to reduce children mortality, reduce deaths due to cancer and improved access to prenatal care enabling healthy outcomes for the people of Haiti today and for years to come!
To learn more please visit www.handsupforhaiti.org
In October of 2015, Positive Legacy Awarded Hands Up For Haiti a $18,350 Grant.
Hands Up For Haiti is a medical humanitarian organization committed to making a sustainable and positive impact on the health of the people of northern Haiti. They do this by collaborating with and supporting the Haitian medical community, by delivering direct care and educational programs to the communities that they serve, and by partnering with allied organizations.
The $18,350 Grant awarded to Hands Up for Haiti was for the renovation the existing solar electric system at the Haiti Village Health Compound (HVH) and for the installation of a new electrical system in the the Sante Pou Yo Health Clinic, in Bod-me-Limbe, a fishing village in the Bas Limbe region of Northern Haiti. This clinic services 16 Communities, a population of approximately 25000-30000, half of whom are children.
Impact Report:
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Broad Scope: Since the renovation and installation of the solar power system at the Haiti Village Health (HVH) guest house and clinic, both made possible in large part to the generous assistance of Project Legacy, HUFH has achieved safer and more efficient delivery of health care services, we have increased the number of global health teams that we send to the region, we have effectively used the compound for evening educational meetings and community sessions, and we have launched the community charging station and trained a local resident to run the program and another to maintain the entire system. Without power, none of this would be possible.
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Data & Records: We are now able to keep an adequate charge on our computers,
enabling us to use them efficiently to ensure the safety of our patients, improve accurate data collection and reporting, and enhance the ability of the medical staff to communicate problems.
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Clinic Lights: We are no longer dependent on natural light. Using the available 24/7 power to the clinic building (or solar power stored in the back-up batteries) our medical staff is able to see patients and deliver babies with adequate light even at night. ‘
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Laboratory: A small laboratory can now function with the electricity for centrifuge and the safe storage of lab materials.
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Accurate Measurements and Evaluations: We are now able to use a more accurate electronic scale for our malnutrition program and well child visits.
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Vaccination Program: At the request of the ministry of health (MSSP), vaccinations can now be given at the clinic and during outreach missions. Their stipulation had been that we needed a reliable refrigerator for the vaccines to avoid breaking the “cold chain,” something we were unable to guarantee under the old electric system. With 24/7 power, this is now possible and we purchased a small refrigerator for vaccination storage.
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Community Charging Station & Local Employment: Thanks to a surge protected power station and other necessary equipment provided with the installation, Johnny Louis, a young member of the local community, has started charging village resident’s phones and other small devices for a few gouds each. Not only is this providing residents with electric power to use their devices, a rare commodity, but community residents are no longer trying to gain entry into the compound just to use the electricity.
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Another young man from the community, Walky Osirus, went through a vigorous one-week training program in November with the team from Ayiti Sole (the social enterprise that installed the system) and visiting experts, assisting in installations in the Cap Haitien area, during which time he learned how to recognize and forestall problems with the system in general and the community charging system as well. Walky now can enjoy a career as a solar electric technician and is charged with the maintenance of our system.
The Guest House
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Global Health Missions: Having adequate power has allowed us to use the Guest House to much greater capacity. Since October and through this coming June, we have 8 medical teams staying at HVH. We have a dental mission coming up that is the first dental team to visit the region in several years.
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Food Safety and Conditions at Guest House: Having 24/7 power has allowed consistent and regulated use of the refrigerator and freezer used to store food for the teams.
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Fans: Power has also helped with fans that can now run efficiently and cool down staff in daytime and nighttime heat. The fans provide a virtual mosquito net as well, particularly important now that the Zika virus is prevalent in Haiti.
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Education: Adequate light, fans and food storage and the ability to use computers have all enabled us to hold vigorous evening meetings with team members and local health care providers, record data, and otherwise engage in a vigorous exchange of ideas.
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Community Education: Electricity has allowed public health and education films to be shown with a projector on the outside wall of the clinic. During a recent potential outbreak of cholera in the village, the staff immediately began this education program using Global Health Media videos. To help with continuing education for the medical staff, we are now able to use teaching videos on pregnancy, delivery and infant care.
Current Beneficiaries
Hands Up For Haiti
Past Beneficiaries
American Children’s Orchestras for Peace · Asheville GreenWorks · Bahamas Children's Emergency Hostel · The Brooklyn New School ·
CBS Women's Conservation Group · Camp Southern Ground · Carbonless Ocean Cargo · Central Vallarta Medical Clinic · COVID-19 Crew Relief Fund · Cultural Enrichment Center of Fort Collins · Deer Dance · Dreams for Mayan Children · ECOSUR & Colegio de Bachilleres · Fuentes de Vida · KM55 – Kinder School · Looking Out Foundation · Menos Plástico es Fantástico · Punta Cana Ecological Foundation · Rural Retreat · SOL (School of Life) · Soles 4 Souls · Son of a Saint · Tulum School – Onda Encantada (previously Phoenix School) · Tunes For Tots · Two Wheels One Love · Winter Wishes Gift Drive · Wyatt Academy K-5 · Xcacel Sea Turtle Sanctuary