Run a Maternity and Neonatal Unit in Haiti

2022 has been a year of mixed emotions for HHA.  On the one hand it’s been a time of celebration as we marked our 15 year anniversary. On the other hand, the regions we work in have faced unimaginable hardships this year, with Haiti being on the edge of a humanitarian catastrophe.  

As we write this report, Haiti is facing some of its darkest days, with ongoing gang violence and subsequent fuel shortages leaving the country struggling for survival.  The crisis has forced many health facilities to reduce services or close, which could mean as many as 28,000 newborns are denied essential healthcare over the coming months. 

Our partner hospital, HCBH, is currently one of the only hospitals that has been able to remain fully functional in northern Haiti and is busier than ever. In the first week of October, HCBH saw 137 patients. In the last week of October, it was nearly 400. 

Amongst those patients, was Sallia and her mother. Her mother was suffering from pre-eclampsia - a potentially life-threatening condition for mothers in Haiti and Sallia was born prematurely via c-section. 

The midwives in the maternity unit noticed she had developed a fever so she was quickly transferred to the Neonatal Care Unit where she received antibiotics and loving care whilst her mother recovered in maternity. 

Thanks to the dedicated care of this incredible medical team, baby Sallia and her mother both survived and we were able to go home. The NICU and maternity staff deal with emergencies like this every day but rely on your donations to continue this life-saving work.

On average, 120 babies are born every month at HCBH, many by emergency caesarean section, supporting some of the most high risk births. Your donations continue help ensure mothers and their babies receive the best possible care at this critical moment. 

Despite the current challenges in Haiti, we remain passionate about supporting mothers and babies this Christmas and beyond.

We’d like to express our deep thanks for all your support on the journey so far and hope that you will continue to support us as we continue this live saving work. 

On behalf of the Hope Health Action team around the world, thank you for your ongoing support of our work, including for our Neonatal Care Unit, which recently celebrated it's 10th Anniversary.

Reaching this milestone, particularly in Haiti which struggles with the highest rate of infant mortality in the western hemisphere, is nothing short of incredible and could only be achieved with the support our donors like you. Thank you. 

Earlier this year, our team of long-term volunteers in Haiti were joined by Hannah, a paediatric Nurse from the UK who is volunteering with us for 6 months. She has spent the majority of her time supporting the NICU team and shared this story;

"This baby boy was born at HCBH via c-section. He was premature at just 32 weeks. He had a low birth weight of 4lb (1.85kg) He received care for just over 2 weeks after suffering respiratory distress at birth and being transferred straight to the NICU to receive oxygen therapy and be cared for in an incubator to help maintain his temperature. He received vitamin K, IV fluids and antibiotics. His breathing improved, he was weaned off oxygen and began breathing by himself. The Nurses also fed him through a nasogastric tube (a special tube that carries food and medicine to the stomach through the nose) but he soon progressed to successful bottle feeding!" 

Alongside this little one, the NICU has treated babies with high bilirubin levels (jaundice), fever and poor feeding and a number born prematurely who struggled with breathing immediately after birth. We are happy to report that the majority of these infants have recovered and have since been discharged to return home. 

Over the years, the NICU at our partner hospital has become one of Northern Haiti's leading facilities, caring for babies with a range of needs from moderate to severe. The unit has become a victim of it's own success and regularly cares for over 20 babies, despite only having capacity for 8. 

As mentioned in our last report, our goal is to expand this unit to provide high quality, life-saving care to more babies and we are making steady progress towards this. We are now actively fundraising towards this project and hope that you will join us in our journey to dramatically improve care for new-borns in northern Haiti and help save the lives of thousands of babies in the years to come.

For more details on this project, please visit;

www.globalgiving.org/projects/new-neonatal-care-unit

Thank you once again for your ongoing support. Lives are saved everyday thanks to your support. 

Links:

• New Neonatal Care Unit