Healthcare

Our school, the Centre de Formation Educative of Bois Tombé, represents the first line of defense against illness and communicable infection in the region of Terre Froide, Haiti. The classroom allows staff and teachers to see a child regularly, and are often the first to notice when a student is ill. As such the classroom is frequently the first place that health issues are identified and are begun to be dealt with.

In 2011, a community health clinic was built on school grounds in Bois Tombé to attend to our students, their families, and the surrounding 9 villages. Many of the ailments seen at the clinic were preventable through proper hygiene, nutrition, and access to clean water. The clinic provides health education workshops as well as primary care, prescribed medications, and has supported the community through cholera and the covid epidemic.

In a region where women have on average 6 -7 children, our goal is to equip adolescent girls and women with the knowledge and resources to make informed decisions about their bodies and families. Our programs in menstrual and reproductive health education, family planning, and prevention of malnutrition in infants and nursing mothers, address gaps in healthcare access in rural Haiti. These efforts empower women to lead healthier lives .

Friends of Haiti in NY has collaborated with international medical professionals to deliver essential services on a large scale to the surrounding 9 villages. Throughout the years we’ve partnered with a dental team from Minnesota and medical specialists from Spain. They come equipped with their own medicine, equipment and instruments, and donate them to our clinic. They are specialists in their fields: gynecology, obstetrics, pediatrics, pediatric surgery, internal medicine, pathology, ophthalmology, and pediatric dentistry. On one such visit they treated 773 patients in the span of a week.

  • It’s Vaccination Day! The health clinic facilitates the yearly vaccination of our students to prevent the spread of deadly diseases.

  • The local health professional administers the vaccine to students ages 3 to 15 to protect them against diptheria and tetanus.

  • Visiting Minnesota dentists, assisted by Haitian dentist Dr. Nené, provide dental care to our students and the community.

  • K - 2nd graders received flouride treatments. All students and adults treated received oral hygiene education, a toothbrush, and toothpaste.

  • Nurses assist, as well as receive training from visiting specialists from Spain. Meetings are held to prepare health workshops for the community.

  • Members of the community attend a workshop on preventable diseases through access to clean water and simple hygienic practices.