Building a Stronger Healthcare System

At Konbit Sante, we believe the key to improving health care in northern Haiti involves making sustainable improvements to strengthen the healthcare system. To that end, Konbit Sante staff and volunteers work in collaboration with the Haitian Ministry of Health and other partners to build local capacity in all aspects of the health system - from door-to-door community outreach programs, to strengthening community health centers, to improving care at the regional referral hospital.

We focus on areas where our Haitian partners are committed to improvement and where we believe we can bring sufficient financial and non-financial resources to help make a real difference. One of the most successful strategies we've employed to create change is hiring and supporting supplemental clinical and non-clinical workers to build human capacity at all levels. Konbit Sante currently sponsors 23 Haitian health workers (doctors, nurses, community outreach workers) and 4 non-clinical support staff, who are embedded in the Ministry of Health institutions with whom we partner, to help implement and manage initiatives. To further support these staff members, we utilize volunteers from the U.S. to assist with identifying needs, brainstorming feasible solutions, providing continued education, and supplying material resources that help our Haitian partners do their jobs effectively. Another key role volunteers play is being a source for advice, moral support and encouragement for their colleagues.

Staff member learns more about what data is being collected by a community health worker during a rally post.Building relationships, trust, and understanding over time is a key component of Konbit Sante's approach. In accordance with our values, we recognize that we are guests in Haiti with a lot to learn. We aim to work together - as a konbit - to help our partners accomplish their goals of improving the quality and quantity of care that people in the community receive. Over the years as our understanding of the needs deepened and as new opportunities arose we have broadened our involvement to the present where Konbit Sante supports specialized clinical initiatives in child health, internal medicine, women's health, community outreach/public health, nursing, emergency medicine, surgery, radiology, and mental health. In addition, we support infrastructure projects including improvement of water, electrical systems, and communications technology. We are also establishing a sustainable, well-managed supply-chain for medical equipment and supplies.

In addition to implementing and managing our own intiatives, Konbit Sante strives to collaborate and coordinate with other organizations whenever possible. There are many NGOs and charitable organizations working in Haiti in various capacities, and we believe in the importance of leveraging these resources and good will to accomplish shared goals. Increasingly, other groups that bring significant resources to the area rely on our capacity to assist them on the ground. Additionally, we help to facilitate and encourage coordination between NGO groups and the Ministry of Health.

Konbit Sante is a non-sectarian, non-political not-for-profit organization. We are a 501(c)3 organization in the U.S. and are a legally recognized nonprofit organization in Haiti.