Leche para Haiti
Leche para Haiti is a non-profit organization dedicated to treating malnutrition in children from 6 months to 5 years old in Haiti by providing medical and social intervention. They have more than 10 years of experience working in Haiti with local and international partnerships, bringing medical expertise, treatment protocols, and nutritional products to children dealing with severe malnutrition.
How do they make this happen?
- They partner with local health centers, and they train their medical personnel.
- Once they admit children from 6 months to 5 years old, who present moderate to severe malnutrition, their team in Haiti works with them.
- Their program includes weekly medical checkups, delivery of RUTF*, medical exams, educational programs for caregivers (breastfeeding, hygiene, and nutrition), and treatment for anemia.
- Suppose the children don't reach the goal after 12 weeks of treatment. The program includes other medical exams to allow the medical team to better assist the child.
Where they are today?
- They are currently serving families in Balan, Dargout, Jerusalem, and Thomazeau in the commune of Croix-des-Bouquets in the Oest department.
- They have a professional team hired in Haiti (4), two ongoing partnerships with local medical centers, and a +12 volunteer team in Chile that works with their Executive Director and Board.
- They are currently serving +100 families, and on 2022 they plan to reach more than 200.
- In 2022 they have partnered with “Water for Life”, launching an initiative that will allow access to clean water in the communities we serve, and with “Liga de la Lactancia Materna”, implementing an educational program for Haitian’s pregnant moms focusing on the “how to” and the benefits of breastfeeding while providing a better nutrition for their child.
*RUTF stands for ready-to-use therapeutic food, and it gives malnourished children the vital nutrients they need to recover. "Leche para Haiti" has partnered with "Meds and Food for Kids," an Organization that makes therapeutic foods in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, using local peanuts sourced from smallholder farmers. They collaborate with organizations like thirs that provide malnutrition treatment, prenatal supplementation, and school snacks.