The Haiti Health Network (HHN) hosts bi-monthly online roundtable meetings with healthcare leaders and professionals, which have been essential to our growth and success. These meetings not only foster collaboration and unity but have also been instrumental in helping us collect data and advocate for improved healthcare across Haiti.
It was during these roundtable discussions that we first became aware of the insulin crisis, hearing directly from the network about the devastating effects it was having across the country. Stories of children in diabetic comas, patients dying needlessly due to a lack of insulin, and the overwhelming stress placed on healthcare providers and families became a recurring theme. We simply couldn’t listen to these stories of suffering without taking action.
Thanks to our longstanding partnership with Direct Relief, we were able to respond quickly to the urgent need for insulin. This began with a pilot shipment of insulin through Cap-Haïtien to test both the cold chain and customs processes. After a successful first test, we expanded our efforts with a second, larger shipment. With two successful shipments under our belt, we proceeded with a third, significantly larger shipment.
This collaborative effort has made a tangible impact on healthcare access in Haiti. Learn more about the success and impact of this project here.
Building on the success of the insulin project, Direct Relief generously provided us with additional medical supplies for distribution. In the last quarter alone, we shipped over two tons of essential supplies via MFI. These included insulin administration materials, 100 blood glucose monitors complete with lancets and test strips, oral rehydration salts, water purification tablets, medications, and more.
To ensure these supplies reached the areas most in need, our team assembled specialized kits tailored to the needs of rural clinics in the northern region. Over a 10-day period, we successfully distributed these life-saving materials to 37 clinics, helping to bolster healthcare services in some of the most underserved areas.
Among the donations we received were hygiene kits, thoughtfully curated with essential supplies for families in disaster. While our leadership team was in Cap-Haïtien this September, they had the opportunity to distribute these kits to a group of internally displaced individuals from the Cabaret area—people they had come to know personally through their previous work in Haiti.
The kits contained a variety of basic hygiene items, including shampoo, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, hair care products, bandages, feminine hygiene pads, a solar-powered reading light, and more. These essentials are invaluable for those who have been forced to flee their homes and arrived in Cap-Haïtien with nothing.
It was a privilege to be able to support this group of familiar faces during such a challenging time, providing them with a small comfort and relief in the midst of their hardships.
