Hurricane Matthew Relief in Haiti

As you know, Hurricane Matthew devastated Southern Haiti in October, 2016. In a region already plagued with food insecurity, in the aftermath of the hurricane, with 75% of crops destroyed around St. Boniface Hospital just weeks before the harvest and western areas even more severely affected, the looming threat of increased malnutrition propelled the staff at SBHF into action.

SBHF’s nutrition program includes several critical components: a fleet of mobile clinics, active monitoring for malnutrition in children around Fond des Blancs, and a partnership to help improve inpatient treatment for childhood malnutrition at the public hospital in Les Cayes. Currently St. Boniface Hospital is home to the only accessible inpatient treatment for severely malnourished children in the South Department of Haiti.

SBHF’s Community Health team has been working tirelessly to reach even the most remote communities in Fond des Blancs to screen children for the early warning signs of malnutrition, and our Mobile Clinic teams are working in collaboration with the Haitian Ministry of Health and UNICEF to identify and treat children who are malnourished in two communes that were hit hardest by Hurricane Matthew, Tiburon and Maniche. They are providing fortified peanut butter and education for families whose children are showing signs of malnutrition.

Without SBHF’s efforts, children who are malnourished in these three communes would almost certainly go untreated, leading to severe sickness and lifelong struggles, and in some cases even death. Your support helps ensure we can reach as many remote communities, and the children living in them, as possible.