Haiti has one of the world’s highest cervical cancer rates because it has no way to screen and treat rural, poor women.​ The Pap smear that we take for granted is costly and logistically difficult here. HHP's solution is VIA/Cryo, or see and treat.

       

All it takes is vinegar, a headlamp and a trained eye to detect precancerous cervical tissue that can be treated with cryotherapy at the same visit.

       

When we started doing this in 2013, 99% of the women had never been screened. Over 7% had positive results. Thanks to HHP, nurses across Southeast Haiti have been trained in the VIA/Cryo technique at four Ministry of Health clinics in the Arrondissement of Belle-Anse.   

       

Ede Tèt Nou  HHP staff launched this program in 2018 to teach women self-exams for breast cancer and bring cervical cancer detection and treatment to women in the most remote corners of our region. Using state-of-the-art HPV self-testing and thermocoagulation as well as self-breast exams with ultrasound backup, HHP has screened and treated 1,600 women across the Southeast Department, with a 23% positivity rate.

       

Fanm Vanyan connects HHP with the international HIV/AIDS PEPFAR services. Using village health workers who work with women receiving antiretroviral therapy, this liaison connects vulnerable women in the district to the vital cancer prevention services of HHP. ​

       

Ann Bay Lavi Jaret (ABLJ)   HHP midwife Ruth Lefleur heads this program that has trained 18 traditional birth-attendants (matwòn) and community health workers in three remote regions in our zone over a period of 24 months. Groups of six matwòn attended a five-month course that meets once a week and covers the basic principles of hygiene, safe birth practices, and recognition of high-risk conditions in pregnancy. Community health workers representing the three regions attend trainings on promoting family planning among their constituents.

       

Our current phase supports midwife Ruth and 18 matwòn as they make prenatal and postnatal home visits to each pregnant woman who are unable to travel to the clinic. Often this entails hours of travel by motorcycle and on foot. Together they observe the pregnancy’s progression, initiate a treatment plan and collect data for evaluating outcomes. They monitor an average of 15 births per month in the countryside.