Haiti's public health infrastructure has been left in tatters by chronic unrest and only 40% of children have regular access to even the most basic health care services. UCT seeks to ensure that Haiti's children have the best start in life through a holistic approach to health care. This includes support for routine immunization, nutrition, and providing essential health support to minimize the effects of childhood illnesses for the first five years.

1 of 6 hungry people in the slums of Haiti are giving new meaning to the phrase "dirt poor." As food prices soar, many desperate people are eating mud cookies to stave off their hunger pangs. In Haiti children are able to shoe dirt-streaked tongues after eating mud cookies. Click to enlarge. < Read more >

Infant and child health is poor. In Haiti the infant mortality rate was 84 per 1,000 live births in 2005. A quarter of all registered deaths occurred among infants who were younger than one year old; half of all deaths occurred among children under five. Most of these deaths resulted from infectious diseases, especially diarrhea illnesses. Malnutrition and acute respiratory illness also presented serious problems for infants and children.

For adults, malaria was among the more serious problems; some 85 percent of the population lived in malarial areas. Tuberculosis and parasitic infections continued to be serious health hazards, and typhoid fever was endemic. Poor sanitation contributed to poor health indicators. In 1984 less than 20 percent of the population had toilets or latrines. Only 25% of the rural population had access to potable water.

Based on this aspect UCT seeks International funding to assist child health in Haiti and to provide quality health care to the children and adults living within the Jacmel community.

How can you help? UCT has already started trying to address the health issue by introducing a Child Sponsorship Feeding Program.

1. The first 1/3rd of the donation will go to the school to cover school fees, uniform, shoes, books and pencils etc.
2. The next 1/3rd will be invested into a Family Empowerment Programme enabling the family to purchase livestocks such as goats, chickens, pigs or a cow. Enabling some families to establish a vending business or a sewing business using the small interest free load facility made available by the sponsorship program.
3. The last 1/3rd will go towards funding the After School Club which is being established at the local Restoration Ministries Haiti church in Morne Oge in Jacmel. This will include an afternoon feeding programme and a child educational, character building evangelical teaching programme.

United Caribbean Trust (UCT) as part of our Imagine me... school child awareness program seeks to partner with Clean Water for Haiti (CWH)

The US $1 saved will be collected and donated to the UCT's Child Sponsorship Program established within the country being featured that month. UCT is committed to investing US $30 to purchase a Biosand filter from CWH for every family in our Child Sponsorship Program within Haiti. UCT Founder will, God willing, be traveling to Haiti in December to look at the feasibility of extending this project into Honduras and even as far afield as Africa.

Permission requested to use information from www.cleanwaterforhaiti.org

Clean Water for Haiti(CWH) is a volunteer run, faith based missions and humanitarian aide organization started in 2001. As a registered non-profit organization in Canada and the US, CWH works to provide sustainable solutions to the water crisis in Haiti. < Read more >

UCT seeks to establish a Child Health Care Centre in Jacmel and aims to be a centre of excellence supporting and empowering communities to continually improve the health, well-being and quality of life of children and their families, now and for the future.

The centre will promote good health practices, preventive action, early detection and early intervention.

It considers that:
• The early years of children's lives have a significant impact on their physical, behavioral and social development later in life.
• Many conditions and common problems faced by children are preventable or can be improved if they are recognized and managed early.
• The best results are achieved where professionals work in close partnership with parents who are supported and empowered to make the best choices for their children.
• Supporting and strengthening community-based professionals and organizations ensures the best chance of good outcomes for children and their families.
• Academic institutions can play a major role in contributing to public policy, as well as facilitating integration and continuity between preventive and curative health care, and between hospitals and community-based services.

Our philosophy includes:

• Providing a continuum of quality care.
• A caring and friendly, family centered environment.
• An atmosphere for optimal adjustment, growth, and development of the children and their families.
• Respect for all families, traditional and non-traditional, as families are the stabilizing unit of society.
• Primary Nursing - coordinating care through collaboration.
• Outreach to the community.
• Health education and maintenance, to our clients, their families, our community, and professional health colleagues.
• A fiscally responsible environment.
• Care that meets the individual cultural and spiritual needs of clients and their families.

PRENATAL MEDICAL CARE CENTRE

This program will compliment the Early Childhood Music Prenatal ‘Give Them the Best Start’ program. All ‘Sponsored Expectant Mums’ involved in this program will be entitled to regular weekly prenatal medical care:

• Every month from the 1st week through the 28th week
• Every two weeks from the 29th week through the 36th week
• Weekly from the 37th week until delivery

This schedule may vary depending on their personal medical condition. Additional prenatal care may be necessary if there are any preexisting medical conditions (i.e., diabetes) present in the mother and/or if complications arise while carrying the baby to term.

The goal of prenatal care is not only to provide the best care for the pregnant woman and the unborn child, but also to prepare the mother-to-be for the delivery of a healthy baby. During prenatal visits, tests are performed on both the mother and the baby to assess any potential risks, to treat any maternal or fetal complications, and to monitor the growth and development of the fetus. In addition, counseling and guidance are provided regarding various aspects of pregnancy, including weight gain, exercise, nutrition, and overall health.