Dekabès!
(Dekabès: Haitian Creole – A double win)
The Newsletter of Maison de Naissance – February 2017
Global Birthing Home Foundation (GBHF) is a US 501(c)3 nonprofit charity that supports Maison de Naissance (MN, “Home of Birth”), a maternity center in an impoverished community of rural SW Haiti.
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From the Executive Director’s Desk
2016 was a memorable year at Maison de Naissance, from the resumption of deliveries in early June to the shock of Hurricane Matthew and its aftermath in October. While only 131 babies were delivered at the center in 2016, the monthly numbers are growing steadily, and by mid-2017 we expect to be back to full capacity at 50-75 deliveries per month. We launched our first (and hopefully last) community relief operation after the hurricane, providing food, hygiene supplies and temporary housing to almost 700 local families, from October through December and into January.
At home in the USA, Global Birthing Home Foundation welcomed Janice Taylor to the board of directors, and as our volunteer Development Director, a much needed addition. We also celebrated Maison de Naissance becoming the first independent maternal health center to receive a permanent license from Haiti’s Ministry of Health and Population in March, and we had our 12th anniversary party in September. Finally, with your support, we weathered and recovered from the worst hurricane to hit Haiti in over 50 years.
Looking ahead in 2017, we have the following goals:
Program goals:
- Add IUDs to the Family Planning program
- Train the Community Health Workers to provide in-home vaccinations
Capital projects:
- Replace the vehicle currently used for all transportation needs
- Add a second vehicle strictly for emergency use, transporting mothers to Maison de Naissance for their deliveries, and those requiring surgical intervention to the public hospital
- Postpartum facility expansion
- Construct a combination education, community, and worship center, capable for use as an emergency shelter in times of natural disasters
From all of us to all of you, thank you for making all of this possible!
Jim Grant, Executive Director
Global Birthing Home Foundation
Hurricane Matthew and Maison de Naissance
When a relief team of three set out for Maison de Naissance after Hurricane Matthew, (Jim Grant, Executive Director; Dr. Abbey Masonbrink, board member; and Andy Smith, Solar Power Engineer), they had no idea how complete and overwhelming the destruction would be. Hurricane Matthew was classified as a category 4 storm, just shy of category 5, the worst possible in modern meteorological terms. After witnessing the destruction first hand, our team could not reconcile the near complete devastation of an entire region with that single digit number. Amazingly, in typical Haitian fashion, it seemed everyone had picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, and gotten on with the business of living. Farmers were working in their fields, women were doing laundry and hauling water, and children going to school. Families had strung tarps, sheets, and blankets over the ruins of their homes and were picking up the pieces
of their lives that could be salvaged.
When our team arrived at Maison de Naissance, they were dismayed by the destruction. Every one of the tall, beautiful trees on the property had been blown down, with the result that the power and water were off, and every building on the campus had sustained moderate to severe damage. (Photo at right.)
The good news was that no one at Maison de Naissance or in the local community lost their life or suffered serious injury, and the 48 panel solar array on the roof was incredibly intact and unscathed.
We are very glad to report that, as of the completion of the fourth relief and recovery visit in mid-January, the center is back to 100% operability, and functioning at peak efficiency again, with thanks to you, our donors and supporters. Efforts to restore housing in the community are ongoing, with a sense of hope now instead of futility. Day by day, progress is measured by the smiles we see on the faces of the patients, and the happy results – healthy mothers and healthy babies!
Staff Profile: Janice Taylor, Development Director
“I’ve been connected with ministries in Haiti since 2004. I knew when I retired from a 40-year career in IT that I wanted to serve in the nonprofit area, and I knew Global Birthing Home Foundation did good work in Haiti. I also loved their midwifery based model of care. I joined the Global Birthing Home Foundation board in January 2016, and volunteered to be the Development Director in April. In January 2017, I was hired as a paid, part-time staff member. I will miss being on the board, but I will continue to help advance their mission in my new position, and support our donors, who give so much to make possible the vision of Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies in Torbeck, Haiti!”
Join Us for an Immersion Trip – ‘Haiti 101’!
Experience the strength, beauty and resilience of Haiti and its people on a one week immersion trip with an
experienced guide. Your eight day journey will take you through the capital city, Port-au-Prince, down to the southwestern peninsula and the towns of Jacmel and Les Cayes, where you will explore this lesser known but most beautiful region of Haiti.
Your guide will take you to visit Olive Tree Projects’ birth center; Maison de Naissance maternity center; the Bishop Tharp Business and Technology Institute (BTI, a local community college); the Les Cayes Botanical Gardens; and Gelee Beach, for a delicious beachfront meal.
The next trip is scheduled for June 4 – 10, 2017. To request trip itinerary details and cost per person, or to sign up, please email: info@gbhf.noukod.net.
Upcoming Global Birthing Home Foundation Events:
- (Kansas City) We are proud to partner with the Kansas City Crusaders in the Tickets Fore Charity program. You can give the gift of golf to someone, and 100% of your ticket cost to this professional golf tournament will benefit Maison de Naissance! Click the link below to purchase tickets. During the ticketing process, look for “Other Information”, and select Global Birthing Home Foundation from the drop down list of recipients. Thank you for your support!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/webcom-tour-digital-ally-open-tickets-29484675458?aff=website
(Photo credits: Daphnee Boncoeur)
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Global Birthing Home Foundation
5000 West 134th Street
Leawood, Kansas 66209
913.402.6800 Ext. 650
Working to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates in impoverished communities.
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