Men Nan Men
WHO WE SERVE
Nord-Ouest is one of the ten Departments of Haiti and its capital is Port-de- Paix. With a population of 306,149 habitants (Census 2009), the Northwest is mostly arid and barren. According to CNSA, 43% of households in the northwestern department of Haiti are food insecure, against a national average of 30%. A rate of 4.9% from acute malnutrition is also noted in some commune. Recently, local agricultural production in the North / Northeast, Central and Lower North West of Haiti has been less abundant following a decrease in the volume of rainfall between May and June. In several parts of the Northeast, the region usually received an average of 900 mm of rain per year, but in 2014 did not even received 80 mm during the last six months . 50% to 70% of rice and sorghum crops are damaged in some of these areas. The water deficit has greatly compromised the spring crop that usually accounts for 60% of annual production. The decline in production leads to higher prices in local markets, much higher grain prices in the international market, are factors that affect the living conditions and render many food unsecured (especially children under 5 and pregnant and lactating women).
Three sectors are in charge of the healthcare delivery system in Haiti:
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The public sector that is represented by an ensemble of organization within the state
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The private sector that is divided in 2 separate sectors:
- The non-profit private sector that is mainly composed of NGO and missionaries
- The lucrative private sector encompasses a set of institutions and professionals that is exclusively based on profitability.
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The traditional care sector is comprised of traditional health practitioners also known as primary health care workers (e.g. Bokor, Hougan, healers, etc.). Traditional health practitioners use eaves, tree bark and other plants to treat a variety of ailments. This sector occupies a major place in the care delivery system for many use it as a first recourse, regardless of social and religious affiliation, or level of education.
Bassin-Bleu is a commune in the Port-de-Paix Arrondissement, in the Nord-Ouest Department and it has 57,697 Inhabitants (census 2009). Bassin-Bleu is a key city to work in for not only does it have a high prevalence rate of malnutrition but this commune also has the least access to the available healthcare delivery systems. What happens when the primary care delivery system is in danger? The drought is destroying the livelihoods of communities in Bassin-Bleu, among them primary health care workers and medicine men who are helpless and do not know how to respond and provide basic care to the people of Bassin-Bleu. The land is not producing and when it does, it is providing poor quality first resort remedies.
According to The World Food Programme (WFP), nearly a third of the population is considered food insecure; of these 17% need external food assistance to survive. Currently, one in every 5 children suffers from chronic malnutrition, 6.5% from acute malnutrition, while more than half of women and children suffer from anemia (WFP, 2014). Poverty is a major determinant of malnutrition, as poor families lack the economic, environmental, and social resources to afford or produce enough food. Nearly 60% of the population is undernourished, with a nutritional energy intake below what is needed in order to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. High food cost, drought, barren land, limited access to healthcare, unsanitary environment, and unmet caring practices for young children contributes to alarming rates of malnutrition in Haiti.
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30% of children under 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition (shortness)
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10% of children under 5 suffer from acute malnutrition (thinness)
The combination of malnutrition and infectious disease can become dangerous:
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73% of children 6-24 months and 60% of pregnant women are anemic.
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59% of school-aged children are iodine deficient. An estimated 29,000 children are born mentally impaired due to iodine deficiency annually
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32% of preschool aged children are deficient in vitamin A. An estimated 3,200 deaths are precipitated by this deficiency annually (World Bank, 2010).
