Social Service Residency

Before receiving their state medical license in Haiti, the Ministry of Health requires medical practitioners to spend one year in an underserved area of the country. These sites are pre-selected by the Secretary of Health and are barely modified over time. Clinique Esperance et Vie has been fortunate enough to be one of the selected clinics for the past 10 years. Most recently, two general practitioners have been serving in the clinic and a small monthly stipend is paid to them by the State. This program, called the Social Service Residency, has been such a blessing to the Clinic and the people of northeast Haiti.

Dr. Jean-Baptiste Loubents, Social Service Resident from the Ministry of Health (Left)

& Dr. Bendson Louima, Clinic Medical Director (Right)

So how does all this work?

All selections are made in a single day. Based on the order of school performance, candidates are called to pick a site on the spot. Since the government stipend is very low (and often late in arriving), most candidates will select a clinic where they know by word of mouth that they will be able to moonlight at a second job in order to have enough money to live on. The stipend they receive is not enough to pay for room and board and food.

Bethlehem Ministry Board member, Dr. Jean-Luc Franck, a nephrologist now living in Florida, served his year in 2003-2004. At that time, he was making around $60 a month. It is very difficult to survive in a new place on that salary so he opted for Grand Goave to be close to his family in Port Au Prince, but candidates pick their sites based on multiple factors.

As a result of his own experience, Dr. Franck had the idea of developing something similar to a job fair, where we could clearly present advantages such as the beauty of the Terrier Rouge community, a supplemental stipend, and perhaps arrangement for lodging. In doing this, we could attract the best doctors to serve Clinique Esperance et Vie for an entire year.  With the right incentives, he feels we will have a great deal of interest. We are asking for your help in providing this incentive.

Choose to become a Clinic Sustainer at $200 a month, and we can entice young doctors, specialists, and nurses graduating at the top of their class to make Terrier Rouge and Clinique Esperance et Vie their home for a year, bringing the very best medical care to northeast Haiti! Imagine, just $2,400 a year to bring quality doctors to the Clinique. This is what is possible when we work together - we can make a difference in Haiti!

Jatrofa Projenou's Work in 2020

People in the area we serve are experiencing greater food and economic insecurity than usual, due to factors beyond their control, including massive crop loss from a year-long drought, 38% inflation, the political meltdown and the extreme income inequality that is related to it. In the face of this Jatrofa Projenou’s (JP) work in 2020 is centered on four programs.

Food Development Program

The bruising yearlong drought of 2019 showed us just how fragile Haiti’s food supply is. There is not enough to eat, families are hungry, and malnutrition is up. The situation has worsened due to steadily rising prices of imported food. Food is the ultimate economic asset. It is dependent on the land and farmers, and in turn, has foundational value to the local economy. Farm to table should be a short reach. By increasing crop diversity and improving farming methods, the Food Development Program is increasing the reliability and resiliency of the food supply, enriching the diet, and increasing farm income.

Land Conservation Program

The Land Conservation Program protects and rehabilitates the ecological and economic value of small farms, which are the dominant land use in Haiti but are ecologically degrading and under-achieving their potential to grow food and produce wealth. Unlike many reforestation programs, JP’s land conservation program works because it is based on the economic interests of farmers and the ecological reality of their land. Its methods are simple and easily understood by farmers and the success of one farm inspires others.

Livelihood Development Program

This program facilitates ways

that farmers in a community can work together for mutual economic benefit, such as setting up a manioc flour mill or making soap. JP is fostering a new attitude about what a small farm (10 -25 acres) and the communities made up of those farms can achieve by pulling together and building on their strengths, which includes a strong connection to and knowledge of the land, strong multi-generational families, and strong communities. Key parts of our approach are brainstorming ideas with farmers, testing their feasibility, facilitating cooperative arrangements, acquisition of equipment, setting up operational protocols, and finding markets.

Community Information Program

Listen, talk, share, have fun, help out, join in. This is the foundation of everything JP does in a community. This is the most human of things and when you do them right, projects succeed and communities come together to accomplish things that individuals cannot. In the small communities between Gran Basin and Perches we have regular meetings, occasional parties, connection to young people in the classroom and after school, and we hike up long paths to visit households to get acquainted. JP is trusted here, and as a result, has been recently able to trigger community cooperation on several projects: work on seven farms (175+- acres), a system of conservation belts on steep land, a model pole-production woodlot, a yam plantation/nursery, a pineapple nursery, a group exploring the idea of making guava into products, and an engaged youth group.

Rob Fisher

Director, Partner for People and Place

Your Donations at Work!

Because of your generosity we were able to feed 550 families in the Haitian towns of Terrier Rouge, Grand Bassin, Phaeton, and Paulette, communities deeply affected by the social and economic crisis in Haiti. Our partner NGO, Espérance et Vie, purchased bags of rice and containers of cooking oil and students from St. Barthélémy packed the food and helped to distribute it to families within these communities.

“We will continue to alleviate the suffering of our people as more funds are available. We count on your prayers and generosity to support this ministry in this difficult time of our history.” -Father Bruno