These three statistics are just a snap shot of what life is like in Haiti. One of the goals of World Wide Village is to work toward changing these statistics as we serve the Haitian people. As we strive forward, our vision is to provide access to healthcare through the City on a Hill project.
In rural parts of Haiti such as Williamson and Luly, hospitals are not accessible by the general population and only those with ample income can afford a midwife, when available. Women often receive no prenatal care leading up to delivery.
If a woman living in rural Haiti encounters a problem during delivery she must travel for miles for help. Sadly, the mother and baby often die during labor while seeking medical attention.
Unlike women in America, there are very few options for maternal care for women in Haiti. Even as I write this, hospitals in Port-au-Prince are just re-opening after ongoing physician strikes. Just last year a pregnant woman died in labor on the steps of a hospital in Haiti because there were no physicians available to help and the hospital was closed. These women deserve better.
Many of the health problems that plague Haitian women and infants have a solution – better access to quality healthcare. World Wide Village is striving to change these statistics by building a permanent medical clinic in the rural village of Williamson. The vision of WWV is to build a clinic that can offer prenatal care to pregnant women and provide midwives for safer deliveries. Together, this vision can become a reality.