Dear Ones,
Our Spring campaign is just over a week old and together we have raised $15,000 of our $50,000 goal. Thank you!
Last week we chatted about our flagship program, the Nadene Brunk Eads School, and the impact our graduates are having all over Haiti. This week, welcome to our primary clinical training site, Ste Therese Hospital. St. Therese has grown so much since MFH first arrived in Hinche. Once a sleepy little small town hospital, it has expanded exponentially with 19 MFH funded midwives providing full spectrum reproductive health care. And last year 3119 babies were delivered into their mothers’ arms, welcomed into the world safely and gently.
“I feel good coming here,” one young mother shared. She had travelled over two hours to come to Ste Therese from a small outlying village. “People are kind and I feel safe. My baby is safe.”
Our prenatal clinic conducted almost 5000 visits, and our newly expanded family planning program is in full force. Thanks to a workshop by Zamni Lasante, the Haitian branch of Partners in Health, our clinical staff is now fully trained in implant insertion, increasing women’s contraceptive options. Each woman is offered their choice of family planning methods before they even leave the hospital, and in 2020, 437 woman accepted. These implants last up to five years, and fertility quickly returns to pre-implant level.
Of course, 2020 brought with it a whole host of unforeseen issues with the advent of Covid-19. However, even during a global pandemic, the infant mortality rate at Ste. Therese fell from 6.1% to 5.3%! This is a stunning achievement at any time, but particularly in these challenging times.
Ste Therese and MFH have grown up together, and with your financial help we can continue to improve and grow. Won’t you consider a donation to keep mothers and babies safe? Ste. Therese is a vital part of life in Hinche, and we want you to be part of it!
Love always,
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| Jane Drichta Executive Director Midwives for Haiti |