Health-Related Projects

Four projects launched to address underlying conditions that lead to health problems in Thomassique, Haiti, are progressing.

A pilot water purification project to compare the effectiveness of two types of water purification (a chlorine-based solution and a solar disinfection process) has been completed and a final report has been issued. Both systems have been well received by the population and the training materials developed to introduce the systems have been effective.
A pilot nutrition project to study the effectiveness of Medika Mamba in overcoming childhood malnutrition is nearing completion. Initial results indicate that the treatment is highly effective over a four to six week period.
A salt project to substitute iodized salt for the salt currently used throughout the region has been launched in the outlying village of Baranque. This project is intended to eradicate filariasis (also known as Elephantiasis) and delayed brain development in children.
A pilot Jatropha project to study the conditions under which this oil producing tree can be grown is in the early stages. Seeds were first grown in nurseries, then planted in the ground early in the rainy season (April to July). This is a five-year project, the length of time needed for the trees to be producing their oil-laden seeds in sufficient quantity to begin to create products.