Mission: To support the development of a sustainable health care system to meet the needs of the Cap-Haitien community with maximum local direction and support.
About our name: In Haitian Creole, a konbit is a traditional Haitian method of working together to till your friends’ fields as well as your own – a cooperative effort. Sante means health. So the name means working together for health. We have chosen a Creole name to show our respect for and friendship with the people of Haiti and the dedicated local professionals who serve them.
ABOUT US
Started in 2000, Konbit Sante Cap-Haitien Health Partnership is a Maine-based volunteer partnership to save lives and improve health care in northern Haiti. Rather than developing a second, parallel health system, Konbit Sante works with the Haitian Ministry of Health and with Haitian colleagues to build capacity within the public system for Haitians to care for Haitians.
So far we’ve developed specialized programs to improve care in pediatrics, internal medicine, infection control, neighborhood outreach, and women’s health.
We have ongoing teaching efforts in nursing, pediatrics, internal medicine, psychiatry, OB/GYN, urology, family medicine, and public health.
We’ve installed a satellite-based internet system and have begun to make major improvements in water and electrical systems at Justinian Hospital, the area’s major public teaching hospital.
We’ve also delivered nine full containers of badly-needed, mostly donated, medical equipment and supplies. The containers include basic supplies like bandages and sutures, and also highly-specialized items such as x-ray machines, operating and exam tables, computers, and teaching supplies.
Konbit Sante has a small U.S. staff and supports 19 Haitian doctors, nurses, health workers, and administrators to support our work in Haiti. A group of highly-skilled volunteers work in the U.S. and also in Haiti to develop programs, teach, collect and deliver equipment and supplies, and to make infrastructure improvements.
Health Conditions in Haiti
Today, the people of Haiti endure some of the worst health conditions in the world. Haiti is the poorest country in this hemisphere. Two-thirds of all Haitians are malnourished and do not have access to the most basic healthcare. There is no public sanitation system anywhere in Haiti and little potable water.
- Haiti is rated last in the world on the Water Poverty Index.
- Haiti has the highest maternal mortality ratio in our hemisphere.
- One in twelve children does not survive to age five.
- Leading causes of death among Haitien children include diarrheal diseases, acute respiratory infections, and malnutrition.
- HIV, TB, malaria and dengue fever rates are the worst in this hemisphere and contribute to the low life expectancy and misery of the people of Haiti.