Board President Hugh Tozer kicks off Konbit Sante’s annual appeal by pointing out to donors just some the ways your dollars have strengthened the health system in northern Haiti in 2012.

Konbit Sante made important progress this year in our mission to improve the health system for our neighbors in northern Haiti.  We are grateful to you for the work you have enabled. 

Here are just a few examples of what your support helped achieve this year:

• Over 700 women and children who wouldn’t otherwise have access to care have benefited from mobile outreach clinics that we initiated with our partners. 
• Almost 50 women experiencing complications in childbirth received emergency transportation through an innovative program that uses community volunteers to drive the women to a health facility.
• New video conferencing technology (VSAT) has improved communications between US personnel and our Haitien colleagues.  Medical volunteers will now able to conduct training without having to travel, allowing more frequent exchanges of ideas at a lower cost. 
• Acting on the recommendations of our engineering study of the Justinian Hospital’s electrical system, USAID plans to replace the distribution system, which should substantially reduce the electrical problems that have plagued medical equipment and care.

Please read our annual report for more stories on how your financial support has strengthened the building blocks of the health system so that Haitians can live longer and more productive lives. 

For over a decade, Konbit Sante has worked to improve the health system in Cap-Haitien through partnerships with our Haitian colleagues, the Ministry of Health and other organizations. These long-term relationships built on mutual respect have led to an effective model of joint problem solving. Though this approach sometimes seems slower, it leads to sustainable improvements supported by those involved. There are no quick fixes.

We need your continued support now more than ever.  A decline in donations this past year has required us to dip into our reserves.  As we look to the future we are concerned that core programs may be at risk if our revenues continue to decline. We at Konbit Sante are in it for the long haul and hope we can depend on your continued support as we all work together in this konbit. 

By Hugh Tozer, PE,President, Board President and volunteer