As a country that has been through a long and formidable list of problems, many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as ITIAH Angels of Learning have been working locally to support long-term development projects relating to education, healthcare, infrastructure, clean water, and economic opportunity. This month let’s get to know some of the “angels” that have been reportedly doing great work and have received high-performance reviews from Charity Navigator. 1
- Haitian Health Foundation
Founded in 1982 by a Connecticut orthodontist, Dr. Jeremiah Lowney. After over 40 years, HHF now has two main physical structures in Jérémie and one in Dayer, along with three satellite clinics in Moron, Bigarade and Castillon. The organization intervenes in the fields of health, education, community development, and assistance to poor families and is working intensely to bring about an improvement in the health and wellbeing of the population it serves. 2 Since its
beginnings, HHF has been offering an integrated package of essential health services to over 250,000 people in the Grand’Anse Department of Haiti and assisting with the tuition for over 3,000 children per school year. Its Community Development Program has also helped in delivering more than 13,000 goats to families, 550+ composting toilets, and more than 4000 homes built.
- Haiti Outreach Pwoje Espwa
Operating in Borgne, Haiti for 25 years, H.O.P.E (Haiti Outreach Pwoje Espwa) is a community development organization with a Haitian staff servicing the major priorities of Health, Education, Economic Development, and Community Outreach. H.O.P.E’s model is based on a 4-tiered system. Tier 4 is consisting of embedded health agents in rural northern Haiti that provide basic health assessments and also engage with communities on health topics such as pre-and post-natal health. Tier 3 consists of mobile health clinics that service remote areas with day-long
clinics that typically serve 200-400 people. Tier 2 is the TiBouk clinic which offers families who live too far from the village of Borgne access to testing, treatment, and vaccines as well as maternal care and nutrition. Tier 1 is the Alyans Sante Borgne Hospital which is a high-capacity, expertly staffed hospital just outside the town of Borgne that H.O.P.E. has built and assumes high levels of responsibility for funding, in partnership with the Haitian government. 3
- Hope For Haiti
Founded by a humanitarian and philanthropist named JoAnne M. Kuehner more than 30 years ago. Hope for Haiti offers a different path from short-term humanitarian aid by instead focusing on holistic development. With the goal of empowering the people within the country, Hope for Haiti works with community members to invest in a range of projects. For example, they support
more than 6,000 students and direct funds toward school supplies and teacher salaries. The NGO has also improved water systems for more than 39,090 students, thereby pushing to improve public health. Due to its successes in combating poverty and high standards for accountability, Hope for Haiti has become one of the best-regarded NGOs in the country, receiving a 100/100 review for overall performance from Charity Navigator. 4
- Diocese of Norwich Outreach to Haiti
The organization was officially formed in December 2010, from the merger of two sister organizations within the Diocese of Norwich: Hospice St. Joseph, and Haitian Ministries. Both groups started in the 1980s with missions to provide educational opportunities and access to health care. Today, the organization offers support for 2 orphanages and scholarship programs for more than 200 children, teenagers, and young adults. Additionally, the organization operates an onsite primary care clinic—with pharmacy and laboratory—and a nutrition program at our
Christ Roi campus. Over the years, they have also collaborated with MATH (Medical Aid to Haiti), a non-profit based in Connecticut. Its medical teams visit Haiti four times a year to help in mobile clinics that they sponsor and that serve three communities in and near Port-au-Prince throughout the year. 5
- Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti Inc.
CNP/Kore Timoun was founded in 1998 by Dr. Mitchell L. Mutter, a cardiologist from Chattanooga, Tennessee. The organization envisions a Haiti where children grow up healthy in empowered communities that raise them to attain their full human potential and bring lasting progress and prosperity to Haiti. Their programs revolve around fighting malnutrition and creating sustainable communities for families. They work alongside their communities and in collaboration with the local health system and their partnering non-profits, to prevent and treat
malnutrition by focusing on its root causes. To date, they have assisted over 10,498 families and conducted over 3000 monthly screenings for acute malnutrition. 6
- Friends of the Children of Haiti
For nearly 30 years, Friends of the Children of Haiti (FOTCOH, pronounced “fot-co”) has provided healthcare and hope to the people of Haiti. FOTCOH provides year-round medical services as well as community education and hygiene programs at their clinic in Cyvadier, Haiti. FOTCOH’s programs bring to life our mission of providing healthcare and hope to the people of Haiti. At their 6,000 square-foot clinics in Cyvadier, as well as out in the community, FOTCOH’s devoted team of medical professionals, administrative staff, and volunteers provide critical
health and education services to more than 15,000 Haitians each year. Their programs include Vital Health Clinics, Urgent Care, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), Dental, Surgical, Women’s Health Initiative, and Medika Mamba, which provides acute malnutrition support. 7
Since the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the proliferation of foreign-run NGOs has provided an estimated 80% of public services in Haiti, including much of education and health. 8 Amid the country’s continuous struggles, NGOs in Haiti can work to empower the local population by creating training, education, healthcare, and physical infrastructures as pathways to achieving long-lasting change.
References
1. https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=8658
2. https://www.haitianhealthfoundation.org/our-history/
3. https://www.hopehaiti.org/investor-tank
4. https://hopeforhaiti.com/founders-story/
5. https://outreachtohaiti.org/
6. https://www.cnphaiti.org/
7. https://fotcoh.org/programs/
8. https://www.borgenmagazine.com/ngos-in-haiti/
Written by Jennifer ShuPing Chen