Help De-worm and Nourish Haiti's Children

It has been well documented by many public health experts, including Dr. Dean Karlan (faculty at Yale University and author of More than Good Intentions), that protecting children and families from intestinal worms is one of the most effective ways of reducing diarrhea and improving school attendance rates. All it takes is 2 doses of albendazole a year to protect children from intestinal worms, just two. As a result of the success of our de-worming campaign, we have decided to increase its reach. 

In partnership with AmeriCares, we will help treat 140,000 children -- at thirteen different clinics and hospitals -- who are afflicted with intestinal worms. 140,000 children will be healthy enough to attend and thrive in school. Health, education, and jobs are three of the most important sectors in Haiti that need improvement. Our De-worming Campaign helps improve all three.

International Action, in collaboration with the Digicel Foundation, has launched a Haiti-wide school-based deworming program in 67 schools, all of which were built by Digicel. The project will improve the health of more than 30,000 Haitian students and their immediate families. The project entails hosting deworming education workshops with teachers and school directors and distributing more than 200,000 Albendzole deworming pills.

A simple Albendazole pill can rid a child or adult of intestinal worms. The World Bank recommends giving these intestinal worm treatment pills to all children attending schools in high-risk areas.

The first workshop and distribution, attended by 20 teachers and directors, was recently held with much success. The attendees received more than 30,000 pills to help combat intestinal worms in their students’ families.

International Action and the Digicel Foundation, both members of the Clinton Global Initiative Haiti Action Network, are strongly committed to improving and empowering Haitians through different initiatives in the education sector.