Hands Up for Haiti delivers lifesaving health care to the sickest and most impoverished families in Northern Haiti through community-based clinical programs.
Our Vision
Haitian Run + Haitian Led = Lifesaving Programs that Build a Healthier Future.
We believe that the best way to deliver health care is to empower our Haitian staff to determine how to most effectively manage Hands Up For Haiti programs in their own communities. We support a Haitian staff of more than 50 medical and other professionals, community health workers and lay staff. We provide ongoing support with education, consultation and funding for medication and supplies to enable our health care workers to lead these programs
Brave little Saskia has lost her battle with brain cancer. She died peacefully surrounded by her loving family. Hands Up for Haiti will continue to help children like Saskia who need emergency care or surgery.
Haitian Run Haitian Led ProgramsImproving the life and health of the Haitian people through community based programs that are run by our Haitian staff.
Haiti has the highest maternal mortality rate in the Western hemisphere. An estimated 1 in 285 births will result in a woman’s death, about 16 times higher than in the United States.
HUFH hosts pre- and postnatal care, nutrition and education programs, provides obstetrical training and supports prenatal outreach and maternity centers.
In Haiti, for every 1,000 births, 60 babies will die in the first month of life; 30 will die directly after birth. Others suffer brain damage and are permanently impaired. In Haiti, only 37% of births are attended by a doctor, nurse, or midwife.
HUFH has trained more than 850 matrones, traditional birth attendants, and 350 medical professionals in the life-saving skills of Helping Babies Breathe and continues to "train the trainer," increasing the ripple effect of this training exponentially.
For every 1,000 babies born in Haiti, 45 will die before reaching their first birthday and 58 will not live past 5 years of age.
At our Kairam Well Child Clinic, babies from our prenatal program are seen for regular visits and receive vaccinations. Our hospitalization and surgery fund helps children who need emergency or specialty care.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. 25% of Haiti’s population lives in extreme poverty. Many communities lack access to clean water and adequate sanitation, and struggle to fight pollution.
HUFH has built 16 water wells in communities without any access to clean water, providing more than 55,000 Haitians access to clean water and regularly providing community education programs in water safety and disease prevention.
In Kreyol, Travaye Sante Kominote (TSK). HUFH trains local residents as TSKs to improve health outcomes in the communities we serve. TSKs reinforce treatment plans, reduce barriers to treatment, and bridge cultural understanding. TSKs have become an essential tool to ensure program efficacy.