Partners in Health (PIH), advancing rural family planning in Haiti.
PIH and their sister, in-country partner, Zanmi Lasante (ZL), have over 30 years of experience delivering integrated primary healthcare in Central Haiti. Providing access to comprehensive family planning services, including access to various contraceptives, and family planning education and counseling services, enables PIH/ZL to ensure that some of the most vulnerable people are empowered to make the best decisions about their health and to plan for their family's needs - and ensure that children have the best start to life.
In 2018, EPSCF agreed to continue a key work stream of an expiring Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Zika grant to ensure continuity and growth for PIH/ZL's family planning work. The investment was made over three years with the understanding that our funding commitment decreased each year. Additionally, EPSCF challenged PIH to match its donation on a 1:1 ratio to fully fund the family planning work by expanding the base of funders supporting this important program. A 2018 online grant match campaign allowed PIH to exceed the challenge, bringing in an additional $205,000 to support women's health services in Haiti. The EPSCF and PIH match challenge partnership proves just how effective matching challenges are for overall fundraising. PIH's development team continues to leverage this match model as they approach other donors who might be interested in catalyzing their investments to further strengthen this important work.
The first year of our investment made significant impact with 25,646 individuals served and 9,046 women using contraceptives for the first time. ZL's education and outreach was remarkable with 2,219 family planning education sessions attracting an estimated 47,000 people. Over the course of three years, PIH/ZL provided family planning services to 55,934 individuals, provided long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) to16,195 women, and conducted 6,569 family planning education sessions at the community and facility levels. EPSCF funding for this initiative concluded in 2020.
“PIH/ZL cannot overstate our gratitude to the Elsa & Peter Soderberg Charitable Foundation for their partnership in helping us prioritize and grow our family planning work. Family planning continues to serve as a catalyst among all our work in Haiti - when we do this well, we know the cascading positive impact it has on the lives of our patients. From its power to change outcomes in maternal mortality, to the fundamental ways it empowers women to control their own future, to the ripple effects it has in families’ livelihoods and financial circumstances, family planning proves to be one of the most powerful interventions to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable populations everywhere.”
VALENCIA BRUNY (center), family planning nurse at University Hospital in Mirebalais, places a Jadelle implant in arm of MIRLENE DORCIUS at her home. CHILET MONDESIR (right), social worker at University Hospital, observes the day's home visits. Photo courtesy of MEREDITH CASELLA JEAN-BAPTISTE/PIH