With 74% of births taking place at home, women in Haiti have a 1 in 37 chance of dying during birth, and the country has the highest rate of infant and maternal mortality in the Western hemisphere with 35% of all child deaths in Haiti taking place during the neonatal stage.

One year ago we opened one of the main maternity facilities in Northern Haiti with 22 beds, two natural delivery suites, a surgical department for obstetrical emergencies, and consultation rooms which provide a range of services including ultrasound. During its first year the unit was able to support over 2,500 women, saving many lives through the provision of quality care.

Laura said, “I’m thrilled to support HHA because their work is so inspiring. They put their money into the hands of people who need it the most and are doing fantastic work building a hospital and children’s homes that will last for generations. HHA is a small charity that is doing vital work and I am so proud to support them.”

Co-founder and CEO of HHA, Carwyn Hill said, “We’re absolutely delighted that Laura has chosen to support out work. We hope it will raise awareness of the health issues facing those who live in Haiti, as well as helping us raise money so we can continue to provide essential health services and save lives.”

If you’d like to join Laura’s lead and get more involved in the work, please contact us today: anthony@haitihospitalappeal.org

One of the most common statements our Haiti field workers face when they return home and meet with supporters interested in HHA, is… ‘I just wish I could help more and come to Haiti, but it’s just not possible at the moment.’  The reality is, that for most people, the biggest difference they can make isn’t in Haiti.  The period of large investment in Haiti post earthquake and amidst the cholera epidemic is now truly over.  Whilst we’re privileged to have some fantastic long term funding partnerships, the survival for most of our services once again relies entirely upon the individual fundraising efforts of our supporters.  So…if you’re one of those people who have never been quite sure how to help, here’s a few exciting ideas for you this Easter:

Haiti Hospital Appeal Dinner Dance:

It’s fast approaching, and on 26th April we’ll be holding our Annual Dinner Dance.  It’s always a great night, with fantastic food, live music, an auction, raffle and presentation.  Come with a group, or on your own, but don’t miss this wonderful celebration as we raise money for our Maternity and Paediatric Unit.  Tickets need to be purchased in advance.  Contact us today: Michelle@haitihospitalappeal.org

Something fun and crazy:

One of our loyal supporters called Colin, has dyed his beard red to raise money for HHA!  Colin has been to Haiti several times, but makes sure that when he’s home, the battle for those we serve continues!

Could you follow Colin’s example and do something a little crazy for HHA?

Perhaps even more crazy – HHA TOUGH MUDDER CHALLENGE:

On 8th June, we’ll be participating in the first HHA Tough Mudder Challenge.  Not for the faint-hearted, this 12 mile, army obstacle course is as you can imagine…very hard, and very muddy!  Never the less, we have a team of about 8 people signed up so far, and we’re looking for more!  Want to know more, then visit the latest blog to see the video, visit The Tough Mudder Website, or contact:  Carwyn@haitihospitalappeal.org

Run Run Run – LONDON MARATHON and LONDON 10K RUN:

The London Marathon is fast approaching, and this year one of our supporters will be running it for our Maternity Unit.  If 26 miles is too much for you, worry not!  On 14th July we’ll be having a team take part in the British 10k London Run!  We’re looking for people to join our team, so please get in touch today.  For more information check out the official website, or contact: Carwyn@haitihospitalappeal.org

Please get in touch today if you’d like to join any of the above teams, or set up your own fundraising event!

If you’ve been inspired by what you’ve watched, why not share it with a friend, become a regular donor, or make a donation today.

Or, on 26th April 2013, we’ll also be holding our Annual Charity Dinner Dance, at The Warren, Kent, kicking off at 7pm.  With great food, live music, an auction, raffle, and presentation from some of the team, it’s going to be another fantastic night.  For the last few years this has been our biggest fundraiser, and with tickets at only £45 per head, it’s well worth coming to.  Whether you’d like just a few tickets, or a whole table, we’d love to welcome you.  Be sure to book your tickets soon.  For more information contact: michelle@haitihospitalappeal.org

Even in the last week as many of you may have read, countless lives have been saved or transformed!  One young lady called Marie came for a consultation at our hospital, and was informed that she needed urgent, life saving surgery.  Despite initially declining due to the fear of surgery, through the love and support of our team, she changed her mind, was successfully operated on, and returned home last week! 

Just a few days ago, another lady came into the hospital giving birth.  When her baby was born, he wasn’t breathing, but was quickly resuscitated thanks to the quick and professional care of our doctors.  The baby is now recovering well in our neonatal unit.

These are just two stories from the last week.  In 2012 we supported over 2,500 women through our Women’s Health work, and the numbers keep increasing!

As many of our supporters have done in the past, we’re asking people this week to make a one off donation towards our Women’s Health work, to celebrate International Women’s Day and Mothering Sunday!  It could be in honor of a mum, grandmum, aunt or another special woman, or perhaps in memory of someone you’d like to remember this week.  Chocolates will quickly be eaten, and flowers will last a few days, but a ‘Gift in kind’ towards our Maternity work will leave a life long impact!  Please consider making a gift today, in honor of that someone special.

You could also help us this week, by using these two wonderful occassions to spread the word of HHA Women’s Health activities.  Tell your friends and family, tweet, facebook, engage your school, church or business!  Lets do our part to celebrate this special week, and support some of the most vulnerable women and mothers in Haiti.

Since 2011, USAID funding has helped us provide the hospital with state of the art solar systems, a security perimeter wall, a major cholera prevention programme which provided care for over 360,000 beneficiaries in 3 months, and some critical building refurbishments.  It was the second significant visit in the last 3 months, following on from the inauguration of our Inclusive Sports Centre, which was formally opened by the head of Haiti’s UN peacekeeping mission, SRSG Mariano Fernández Amunátegui.

The US Ambassador visited all projects at the hospital, including our maternity and paediatric unit, our respite home for children with disabilities, and our rehabilitation unit.  Patients and staff proudly welcomed the delegation, and were left enthused at their opportunity to personally share their vision and thanks.  Some of our spinal patients even had the opportunity to sell some of their jewelry!

One area of success they stated, is the impact HHA has made on the maternity situation across North Haiti in the last few years.  It was one of the long-term needs that the Haitian Government identified as requiring critical attention after the devastating earthquake, and it’s one we’re committed to tackling.  Maternal health within Haiti, is just one example of a weakened health system, which was critically impacted post January 12^th 2010.

Whilst our teams thoughts in the UK and Haiti reflect back on that tragic day three years ago, we’re also encouraged by the difference you’ve helped us make in Haiti since then.

For instance, last month our Maternity Unit supported 66 deliveries, the most in one month since we opened.  The unit is truly making a significant impact, as the local communities trust in our services steadily increase month by month.  All of our key maternity services saw significant growth rates last year.  In April 2012 when we first opened the unit, we only carried out 3 deliveries, but in December we did 66, and we weren’t far off in November either (62).  The trend points to a busy next year, as more and more women come month by month.  In total the hospital provided 263 deliveries between April and December last year.  Of these 36% (94 deliveries) were C-Sections, and 64% (169 deliveries) natural deliveries. 

However, we’re not just offering deliveries.  We also carried out 629 ultra sound exams, provided over 670 prenatal consultations (not including our community outreach team), and supported many other obstetrical and gynecological needs and emergencies.  We’ve also recognised that the unit is attracting patients from many different communities across the North, which is also hugely encouraging!

For all of you who supported our Christmas appeal to keep the Maternity and Paediatric Unit’s going, thank you for your kind support.  Despite there being more negative news questioning the aid response in Haiti on this third anniversary, our services continue to help more and more people.  What is true though in many of the reports, is that the needs in Haiti do currently far outweigh the resources available.  Please continue to help us tackle the monthly growth of the Maternity Unit in 2013, as the growing need is certainly outweighing our current capacity.

Please support our Maternity work, and DONATE TODAY or contact us if you’d like to be more regularly involved.

2012 was an incredible year for us, fulfilling our ultimate dream of being able to provide specialist maternity and paediatric care through the opening of our two units last April.  They’ve provided an incredible support for so many women, children and babies, and one of our main goals for 2013 is to keep those services going.  The Units cost over $25,000US to run a month, so as you can see, there’s plenty of fundraising still needed.  We’ve already been busy pulling together a calendar of fundraising events for 2013, which should be available in the coming week.

One date for your diary which many of you will want to pencil in now though, is our Annual Haiti Hospital Appeal Dinner Dance.  It’ll be at The Metropolitan Police Sports Club, Hayes, on 26th April from 7pm.  Tickets will be on sale soon!

Aside from the ball, as you look forward to 2013, could you make a new years commitment and pencil in your own fundraising activity to support our work.  We’ve already got some keen runners doing several marathons for us, schools committed to doing own clothes days, churches who’ve made us their charity for the year.  There’s all sorts of exciting possibilities.  If you’d like to find out more, and get inspired, contact us today!

Together, lets make 2013 count for something! 

Opened by the United Nation’s Head of Mission in Haiti, and attended by over 400 people, including USAID representatives, the local community, Government officials, and NGOs, the inauguration was a fantastic success!  Showcasing a range of activities which powerfully showed what people with disabilities in Haiti can achieve, the opening came to life with break dancing, singing, basket ball demonstrations, comedy performances and much more. 

Mariano Fernández Amunátegui, Head of the UN in Haiti commented in the final speech of the event that, “We believe in the revaluation of the most despised and the most vulnerable in society, because they all contribute to the stabilization of the country.”  This belief was shared by all guest speakers, including Carol Mucadin, the Departmental Director for North Haiti, from the Secretary of State for the Department of the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities; “Such infrastructures are beneficial for the integration and the welfare of the disabled.”  Chief Executive of HHA declared that the opening marked a significant step forward in Haiti, ‘allowing people with disabilities to not only have the right to rehabilitation, but also the right to dream, to compete, and to truly live.’

Whilst we hope this opening will inspire a new generation of eager sports enthusiasts in Haiti, we’d also hope that this opening would inspire some of our supporters abroad, to mark the occasion and sign up for some sponsored marathons, half marathons, cycles, or fun runs etc in 2013.  We’re currently looking into a range of exciting fundraising opportunities for next year, and would love your support.  If you’d like to get behind our heart to bring support to some of Haiti’s ‘most despised and most vulnerable’, then please do get in touch!  The opening of this new centre was our London 2012 legacy.  What legacy can you leave?

First up, for all those churches who’ve supported us over the years, we’d love you to join with us on 2nd December, and take part in our Christmas Church Campaign.

Every Christmas, churches around the world reflect on the birth of Jesus, with thoughts of an almost picturesque nativity scene.  The reality was probably very different, and across the world there are thousands of women every day who give birth in the same conditions as Mary did 2000 years ago.  Young women, with no health care, and no hospitals.  In Haiti, 74% of births take place at home without any medical support, and women still face a 1 in 37 chance of dying during labor.

This Christmas as churches remember the humble birth of Jesus, we’re asking individuals to also remember the humble births of babies in Haiti, many put under great risk, because of the lack of care available.  For one Sunday in the build up to Christmas, we’d love you to join with us, by showing this short video in your church, taking a donation, and praying for maternity care in Haiti. 

In the last 6 months we’ve cared for over 3,500 women, children and babies, and our neo-natal unit is already over capacity due to the large numbers being referred to us.  We need your support to help keep this critical work open in 2013. 

Please sign up today, and use this Christmas to bring about happy birth days for some of the most vulnerable women and children in the world.   We’ll send you a DVD, poster, and offer the opportunity for one of our team to come and share a personal thanks with your congregation.

CONTACT:  Barry@haitihospitalappeal.org to get involved.

Even in the last few days, thanks to the support of USAID, a new solar system has been installed at the sports centre, including four solar floodlights for our outside court.

After seeing the inspiring scenes of Leon competing at London 2012, we hope this new centre will continue in our fight against the stigma of disability.  77% of the families we support who have children with disabilities face abuse or discrimination, 93% on a daily basis, often being called ‘worthless.’

The needs for children with disabilities in Haiti are great.  Even this week, Bedjener, a baby born with hydrocephalus at our facility 3 months ago, whom we stabilised and rushed for emergency surgery in Port au Prince, returned to our hospital for on-going care.  Had Bedjener been born at home, or unable to receive care in our neo-natal unit, it’s almost certain she wouldn’t have survived.

98% of children with disabilities in the developing world don’t have any access to education or rehabilitation.  With that reality true in Haiti, our work is critical in supporting children like Bedjener.  

This summer we launched our Maison de Benediction Sponsorship scheme.  With the designated funding which has supported this centre drawing to an end, the future of this work rests in our supporters’ hands.

We urgently need our supporters to come on board and become Maison de Benediction sponsors, so we can continue this critical work.  Through a small monthly donation, you’ll have the privilege to develop a unique personal relationship with one of the children, receiving regular updates.  More importantly, you’ll also have the chance to contribute to this significant life saving work, which now supports over 120 children.

Please contact us today, and ensure we can continue serving these families in 2013. Email us at info@haitihospitalappeal.org or you can donate here.

Thank you for your kindness and compassion.

With love, all at HHA