It has been a busy start to the year for CCH in Haiti. We are still seeing very high numbers of patients at our Primary Care and PT/OT Rehab Clinics in Jacmel (on pace for 22,000+ patient visits in 2025). Gang activity remains high across Haiti and is displacing thousands of Haitians from their homes into surrounding areas, including Jacmel and the south east (Sud Est department). And some of our partner schools have high enrollment numbers never before reached.
Costs continue to rise for food, medicine, and most basic supplies in Haiti, and we remain extremely thankful for your generosity as we work to keep up with the demand for our services.
Please continue to think of and pray for our staff in Haiti as they care for the very real physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the community.
Thank you for being part of the Coalition!
– Vince Caperelli (CCH Executive Director)
CCH Vaccination Program
Vaccines Now Offered at the Primary Care Clinic; Vaccination Nurses Also Visited CCH Partner Schools
On January 20, CCH began offering vaccines at our Primary Care Clinic. This has been a lengthy process of accreditation through the MSPP (Haitian Ministry of Health), which provides the vaccines and oversees this service. Word of mouth and radio advertisements have increased the number of patients we’re seeing for vaccinations as the program gains momentum. In the first 10 weeks, more than 150 vaccinations were given.
Lourdemie Eugene, our Clinic Coordinator, also facilitated three vaccine clinics in April at partner schools. Our vaccination staff worked with the school nurses to make it easier for parents to have their children get vaccinated. In total, 48 students were vaccinated, with all 48 receiving Vitamin A injections and 27 of those also receiving DTP (diptheria/tetanus/pertussis) vaccines.
Teacher Trainings
Inside and Outside the Classroom
In January and February, CCH held training sessions for our partner school teachers to work through common classroom challenges. We are delighted that the same cohort of principals that we’ve been working with for a few years is leading these trainings.
Throughout the rest of this year, our teacher training program will focus on classroom observation and one-on-one feedback for teachers. This will help ensure they are able to implement all of the training they have received over the past 18 months through the large group trainings, including those earlier this year.
Community Development
Leadership Training and Agriculture Day Event
In February and March, CCH led trainings for 25-30 community leaders to discuss the importance of community organizations and how to measure project impacts. These facilitated seminars allow community leaders to learn—both from the trainer and from one another—and to share their challenges and problems while they workshop solutions together.
On May 1—Agriculture/Labor Day in Haiti—CCH will hold a tool and nursery plant distribution event for local farmers, farming co-ops, and community members who farm/garden. Many communities have “loan a tool” programs, which CCH will help restock as part of the distribution of pickaxes machetes, starter plants, and seeds. Local food production can meet a critical need while relieving some of the burden of hyperinflation and food scarcity.
Supply Shipment
Ministry Partner Sea Hope Enables Shipment of Supplies to CCH
Thanks to a new ministry partnership with Sea Hope, CCH was able to send a large shipment of supplies to our Clinics and Program Center in Jacmel in early March.
Shipping costs have risen over the past 1-2 years, and logistics have become so complicated due to the gang activity in Port-au-Prince. Shipping goods and supplies to Haiti ground to a halt in the second half of 2024. We are thrilled to now have a new way to get vital materials from the U.S. to Haiti at least a couple of times each year. THANK YOU to our many donors who supplied over-the-counter medicines, school classroom materials, sports gear, and PT/OT equipment that will now be available to help our clinics, schools, and partner communities in Haiti.
Days for Girls
Education and Hygiene Kits for Girls at CCH Partner Schools
Thanks to materials provided by Vienna Presbyterian Church quilters and Days for Girls International, CCH staff recently led trainings for girls aged 10+ at our three main partner schools. These trainings provided vital information in how to care for their developing bodies. Female teachers and cooks at these schools also participated. We distributed washable, reusable menstrual hygiene kits for 80 students and adults working at the schools. Looking ahead, CCH is expanding our Days for Girls partnership to add their Men Who Know program for boys. CCH male staff will be trained in the materials within the next month, and we hope to provide one session of school trainings for program-aged boys before the school year ends in June.
Mental Health Resources for Haitians
CCH Partners with a Jacmel Mental Health Nonprofit
Compounding traumas are impacting everyone in Haiti. Everyone has a friend or family member who has been displaced or affected by the gang violence in Haiti. CCH is responding to this critical issue by partnering with Source of Life (Sous Lavi)—a mental health nonprofit in Jacmel. Through our partnership, Sous is working with CCH staff, partner schools, and communities through individual and group therapy sessions, education and trainings, and outreach events. These opportunities have been very well received, and Sous has seen substantial decreases in depression and anxiety symptoms among participants.
Spring Walk a Tremendous Success
March “Hike 4 Haiti” Was a Wonderful Day
On March 29th, 78 walkers gathered on a beautiful morning at Lake Accotink in Springfield, Virginia, to walk in solidarity with our Haitian brothers and sisters and to raise funds to further CCH’s mission in Jacmel. Those in person were joined by 16 virtual walkers participating from their own location.
The event was a tremendous success, raising more than $26,000! Many thanks to the planning committee, the CCH board, all participants, the event sponsors, and everyone who donated! We can’t wait to for next year!
