20th container of supplies shipped to partner facilities in Cap-Haitien, Haiti

On August 15, Konbit Sante reached a milestone—our 20^th shipping container was loaded with more than $100,000 worth of supplies and equipment for delivery to our healthcare partners in Cap-Haitien. As usual, the 40-foot-long container was packed with a vast array of materials, from ultrasound machines, exam tables, and birthing kits to file cabinets, oxygen concentrators and bottles, exercise equipment, office tables and chairs, and much more. The following is just a fraction of what’s inside the container:

• 4 ultrasound machines
• 25 oxygen concentrators
• 4 EKG machines
• 1 washing machine
• 2 exam tables
• 5 physical therapy machines
• 22 oxygen bottles
• 11,700 pairs of exam gloves
• 10,000 vaccination record cards
• Hundreds of clean birthing kits
• 2 dental chairs
• 3 Stryker stretchers
• 5 office tables
• 6 file cabinets
• More than 500 boxes of medical supplies (IVs, oxygen tubing, wound care dressing, catheters, sutures, etc.)

A group of volunteers graciously dedicated their time (and muscle) on loading day as they helped Konbit Sante staff pack the container with as many items as possible. The container was then taken by a semi tractor-trailer to New York, where it will be loaded onto a ship en route to Cap-Haitien. Once it arrives, staff from Konbit Sante and our partner facilities will unload and transport the materials to their destinations.

While it only takes a few hours to load a container, the preparation time is much longer. All year long, we procure contents via donations or by buying them at the lowest possible cost, enter them into our database, and prepare them for shipping. Volunteers aid staff in sorting, packing, and labeling materials—everything from 6-foot-long exam tables to 1.5-inch-long syringes. All the while, we are in contact with our partners to determine what is needed, and where.

In fact, it’s safe to say that we begin planning for the next container almost as soon as the truck with the previous container has left the warehouse.

Konbit Sante has been sending one or more containers per year to Cap-Haitien since 2002—a cumulative value of $2.5 million to $3.5 million worth of supplies and equipment. None of it would have been possible without your financial support, or without the warehouse space donated by J.B. Brown & Sons of Portland. Please click here to donate and continue to walk side-by-side with us on this konbit to strengthen capacity for a healthier Haiti.