Helping to grow an educated and healthy population in order to cultivate sound economic development in Grand Boulage and the surrounding region
An Update from Grand Boulage – July 2024
Dear Friends,
Despite Haiti's tragic violence and political upheaval, our twinning relationship with Our Lady of Sorrows in Grand Boulage remains strong. As you may be aware, we learned in February that the village’s peacefulness was shattered when gang members entered the area with automatic weapons, causing casualties and many villagers to flee. With the help of police, the gang members were repelled, and several of them were killed. Hope is not lost. Grand Boulage is returning to some sense of normalcy with the school and clinic reopening. But life remains difficult, and there is fear that gangs will return.
Most villagers are subsistence farmers, and this year’s crops have suffered from severe weather. So, hunger and malnutrition are a constant concern. This makes support for the clinic’s child nutrition program and the school’s lunch canteen especially important. Our ministry to Haiti provides major funding for both programs. The school has reopened, and most teachers and students have returned, but not all.
We got an update on the clinic in a June 25th Zoom conference with Medicines for Humanity, which operates it. Due to security concerns, it operates only four days a week and sees 12-15 patients daily. The community’s Health Committee provides the clinic staff valuable feedback. They very much appreciate the work of 12 Community Health Workers (CHWs) who are “highly regarded” by villagers. CHWs are a trained extension of the clinic’s reach. CHWs emphasize preventative health measures at the household level to ensure families can continue healthy behaviors, and they teach families to recognize signs of illness that need treatment early on. CHWs are also vital in the communication between the Health Committee, clinic staff, and the Medicines for Humanity team.
Our Haiti Ministry, Seeds of Hope for Haiti, Inc., remains a vibrant part of our parish. Our mission is to work with our partners to plant the seeds of hope to grow a healthy, educated, and self-reliant community in Grand Boulage, always nurtured by faith. Thanks to the generous support of so many Midd-South Catholic parishioners, we can continue to be in solidarity with our Haitian sisters and brothers.
Despite Haiti's tragic violence and political upheaval, our twinning relationship with Our Lady of Sorrows in Grand Boulage remains strong. As you may be aware, we learned in February that the village’s peacefulness was shattered when gang members entered the area with automatic weapons, causing casualties and many villagers to flee. With the help of police, the gang members were repelled, and several of them were killed. Hope is not lost. Grand Boulage is returning to some sense of normalcy with the school and clinic reopening. But life remains difficult, and there is fear that gangs will return.
Most villagers are subsistence farmers, and this year’s crops have suffered from severe weather. So, hunger and malnutrition are a constant concern. This makes support for the clinic’s child nutrition program and the school’s lunch canteen especially important. Our ministry to Haiti provides major funding for both programs. The school has reopened, and most teachers and students have returned, but not all.
We got an update on the clinic in a June 25th Zoom conference with Medicines for Humanity, which operates it. Due to security concerns, it operates only four days a week and sees 12-15 patients daily. The community’s Health Committee provides the clinic staff valuable feedback. They very much appreciate the work of 12 Community Health Workers (CHWs) who are “highly regarded” by villagers. CHWs are a trained extension of the clinic’s reach. CHWs emphasize preventative health measures at the household level to ensure families can continue healthy behaviors, and they teach families to recognize signs of illness that need treatment early on. CHWs are also vital in the communication between the Health Committee, clinic staff, and the Medicines for Humanity team.
Our Haiti Ministry, Seeds of Hope for Haiti, Inc., remains a vibrant part of our parish. Our mission is to work with our partners to plant the seeds of hope to grow a healthy, educated, and self-reliant community in Grand Boulage, always nurtured by faith. Thanks to the generous support of so many Midd-South Catholic parishioners, we can continue to be in solidarity with our Haitian sisters and brothers.
Grand Boulage Community Health Project
For the past six years, the Grand Boulage Community Health Project has been improving the health and wellbeing of vulnerable families living in the Grand Boulage area of Haiti. The successful partnership between Medicines for Humanity (MFH), Seeds of Hope for Haiti , and the Grand Boulage community has led to increased access to health services, community outreach, and nutrition services for local residents. Click below for the most updated report of project results which provides an overview of activities completed from August 2023 to April 2024.
Click Here To Read Full Report
For the past six years, the Grand Boulage Community Health Project has been improving the health and wellbeing of vulnerable families living in the Grand Boulage area of Haiti. The successful partnership between Medicines for Humanity (MFH), Seeds of Hope for Haiti , and the Grand Boulage community has led to increased access to health services, community outreach, and nutrition services for local residents. Click below for the most updated report of project results which provides an overview of activities completed from August 2023 to April 2024.
Click Here To Read Full Report
