On Tuesday May 26 at 5:00am GMT, Jean Romulus, HEAL Haiti Executive Director, appeared on BBC World News for an Interview with Maryam Moshiri. It was a part of a report that confirmed cases in Haiti had recently doubled. As of May 23rd, Haiti has 958 confirmed cases and 27 deceased. Maryam reported on the work of two organizations fighting Coronavirus in Haiti; Hope Health Action and Health Education Action League for Haiti.
From Monday May 10 to Friday May 15, HEAL Haiti launched the COVID-19 Response Education and Immediate Needs project to promote public health precautions and procedures in response to COVID-19. With support from MADRE and the Haitian Women’s Collective, HEAL Haiti implemented an awareness campaign known in Haiti as a ‘Sensibilizacion’. We used World Health Organization risk communication and community engagement guidelines, information from the Haitian Ministry of Public Health, and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Interim Guidance on camp-like settings. HEAL Haiti disseminated life-saving information to the people of bas-Artibonite, Haiti through social media, tutorials, and sound-trucks (vehicles with loudspeakers).
Solution – We delivered critical information for preparedness, prevention, and control of COVID 19 through:
1) Sound-trucks to reach rural areas
2) Brochure distribution and tutorials in mass-gathering prone sites
3) Social media (WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram)
HEAL Haiti was the implementing partner and responsible for mobilizing local staff and partners in Haiti. Jean Romulus, MPA served as Project Director, responsible for facilitation of all program outcomes. He worked closely with local volunteer, Emmlyne Emmanuel MD, MPH, local Project Administrator Pastor Daniel Augustave. Emmlyne recruited and Pastor Daniel will supervised, evaluated, and support the project. 5 St. Marc based HEAL Haiti young women volunteers distributed educational materials to nearby sites.
Outcomes
● 6 motivational and wise infographics were be produced and disseminated
● 20,000 Haitians were exposed to information from HEAL Haiti
● 5 mass-gathering prone sites received 7,000 brochures with vital information
There is still much to be done!