Haitian Health Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Haitian Health Foundation (aka HHF) is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides relief services to residents of rural southwest Haiti
. It has four major areas of focus: health care, development, relief, and education.
The HHF is supported by contributions from private donors, USAID, other NGOs, in-kind donations, and volunteer services. Headquartered in Norwich, Connecticut
, HHF's current president is Jeremiah J. Lowney, DDS, MS, MPH, KM, who also founded the organization. Its current executive director is E. Marilyn Lowney, MS. Bette Gebrian, PhD, serves as its director of public health.
by Dr. Jeremiah J. Lowney, a Connecticut orthodontist, who traveled to Haiti to provide free dental care to the poor.
In 1985—after working for three years in Port-au-Prince
and other areas of Haiti
with Mother Teresa's Sisters of Charity
—Mother Teresa
requested that Dr. Lowney move his small group's outreach to the rural city of Jérémie. Haiti ranked 146th of 177 countries on the United Nations Development Programme 2007 Human Development Index; 76 percent of Haitians live with less than US$2 per day and 56 percent on less than US$1 per day, below the poverty line.
This volunteer effort developed into outpatient health care, public health outreach to mountain villages, house and latrine construction for the poorest villagers, feeding facilities, education support, animal distribution, and other programs.
The stated mission of the foundation is to improve the health and well being of the poor, sick, and the infirm of the greater Jérémie
area, with a focus on women and children.
(population: 60,000) and to over 100 rural and mountain villages in the Grand'Anse Department
of Haiti.
malnutrition (Center of Hope). HHF periodically facilitates specialized surgeries (e.g., cleft lip) performed in Jérémie as well as other areas of Haiti. Children under the foundation's care are also brought to the US for specialized surgeries not available in Haiti.
HHF's maternal health program was featured on the PBS "NOW" program on January 29, 2010, in a story entitled "Saving Haiti's Mothers" (which was filmed in Haiti at the time of the January 12, 2010, earthquake).
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
. It has four major areas of focus: health care, development, relief, and education.
The HHF is supported by contributions from private donors, USAID, other NGOs, in-kind donations, and volunteer services. Headquartered in Norwich, Connecticut
Norwich, Connecticut
Regular steamship service between New York and Boston helped Norwich to prosper as a shipping center through the early part of the 20th century. During the Civil War, Norwich once again rallied and saw the growth of its textile, armaments, and specialty item manufacturing...
, HHF's current president is Jeremiah J. Lowney, DDS, MS, MPH, KM, who also founded the organization. Its current executive director is E. Marilyn Lowney, MS. Bette Gebrian, PhD, serves as its director of public health.
History and background
HHF began in 1982 with a trip to Port-au-PrincePort-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
by Dr. Jeremiah J. Lowney, a Connecticut orthodontist, who traveled to Haiti to provide free dental care to the poor.
In 1985—after working for three years in Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
and other areas of Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
with Mother Teresa's Sisters of Charity
Missionaries of Charity
Missionaries of Charity is a Roman Catholic religious congregation established in 1950 by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, which consists of over 4,500 sisters and is active in 133 countries...
—Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
requested that Dr. Lowney move his small group's outreach to the rural city of Jérémie. Haiti ranked 146th of 177 countries on the United Nations Development Programme 2007 Human Development Index; 76 percent of Haitians live with less than US$2 per day and 56 percent on less than US$1 per day, below the poverty line.
This volunteer effort developed into outpatient health care, public health outreach to mountain villages, house and latrine construction for the poorest villagers, feeding facilities, education support, animal distribution, and other programs.
The stated mission of the foundation is to improve the health and well being of the poor, sick, and the infirm of the greater Jérémie
Jérémie
Jérémie is the capital city of the department of Grand'Anse, in Haiti, with a population of about 31,000 . It is almost isolated from the rest of the country...
area, with a focus on women and children.
Geographic areas served
HHF provides services to the rural poor within the city of JérémieJérémie
Jérémie is the capital city of the department of Grand'Anse, in Haiti, with a population of about 31,000 . It is almost isolated from the rest of the country...
(population: 60,000) and to over 100 rural and mountain villages in the Grand'Anse Department
Grand'Anse Department
Grand'Anse is one of the ten administrative departments of Haiti. Its capital is Jérémie.-History:...
of Haiti.
Health Care
HHF operates an outpatient clinic (Klinik Pep Bondye-a), extensive public health outreach programs to over 100 rural and mountain villages, and a residential facility for women in high-risk pregnancies and children with KwashiorkorKwashiorkor
Kwashiorkor is an acute form of childhood protein-energy malnutrition characterized by edema, irritability, anorexia, ulcerating dermatoses, and an enlarged liver with fatty infiltrates. The presence of edema caused by poor nutrition defines kwashiorkor...
malnutrition (Center of Hope). HHF periodically facilitates specialized surgeries (e.g., cleft lip) performed in Jérémie as well as other areas of Haiti. Children under the foundation's care are also brought to the US for specialized surgeries not available in Haiti.
HHF's maternal health program was featured on the PBS "NOW" program on January 29, 2010, in a story entitled "Saving Haiti's Mothers" (which was filmed in Haiti at the time of the January 12, 2010, earthquake).