HAC-Haiti visits Petit Goâve
On Saturday 7 July, HAC-Haiti staff and interns visited the HAC site in Petit-Goâve for a day of demonstrations, discussions, and evaluations with HAC program participants and the entire community.
Dental health
The local children attended a talk on dental hygiene where interns explained how to brush your teeth effectively and why dental hygiene is so important to general health. They handed out toothbrushes to all the local children and families.
Women's health
Forty-eight women answered our health survey about pregnancy, birthing, and post-natal health, developed by HAC to better understand the community and its needs. Our public health interns talked to the women about the advantages of breast-feeding and answered their questions on this and other issues. Pregnant and breast-feeding women received pre-natal vitamins for their health and that of their infants.
MicroFinance - Goat Husbandry
Petit Goâve is a poor, rural population and more so than in Croix-des-Bouquets, our microfinance program serves to get some money circulating in the community so that its development can take off. Fifteen goats were distributed to local families in January in order to seed a goat husbandry program for both nutritional and economic purposes.
The HAC Microfinance director had a long discussion with the people of Petit Goâve on how these programs are working. He listened to their suggestions for improving them in the future and on the priority needs of the community.
Men's group
Mo Baptist, a Haitian American volunteer with HAC-Haiti, met with the men of Petit Goâve to listen to their needs and hopes for the future. He encouraged them to better form and organize their own community committee in order to increase their influence and ability to bring about positive change. The most pressing needs expressed by the men were better access to water, both for drinking and irrigation, a basketball court, and more readily available health care and schooling.
Children
The HAC interns and school staff provided hours of support and diversion to a host of local children, starved for something new to do, as well as much appreciated hot lunch.
