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Dr. Bette Gebrian
Recipient of the Award for Best Practices in Global Health
Haitian Health Foundation
Thank you, Dr. Foege.
In 1980, Dr. Carl Taylor inspired a classroom of MPH students at Johns Hopkins during his introductory lecture on international health. He challenged us to walk together with the people toward the Alma Ata goal of health for all. I, too, was inspired by his life-long commitment, practical solutions and community-based approach. What Dr. Taylor did not tell us THEN was that this would not be a job, but a life, and indeed, it is.
It is a privilege to be here tonight to represent the Haitian Health Foundation, village health workers, support staff and nurses, health committees, mothers and fathers’ clubs, and youth and children’s groups to celebrate this honor.
The Haitian Health Foundation is known for its flexibility in directing its work where it is most needed:
- Combating infant and child pneumonia and diarrhea;
- Constructing a maternal waiting home to support hospital births;
- Engaging fathers in family health;
- Making breast feeding one of the most important of our activities.
And although there is much to be done, much has been accomplished.
We kept our promises and did not leave during political unrest, natural disasters or economic embargo but stayed and regrouped to serve the most fragile communities across the rivers and up the mountains.
The staff members have asked me to share with you the most important things that support our work:
- Partnership between the communities and donors;
- Integration and phasing-in of health and development activities;
- A computerized family census-based program that uses health information for feedback, planning and demonstrating impact;
- Building capacity from within…we have women leaders who are now health agents, nurses who are attorneys and health agents who are now nurse managers!
There are many to thank:
USAID (Mike White) and our partnership with the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population, private foundations, churches of all denominations, individual donors, UNICEF, PAHO, the University of Connecticut, masters and doctoral students who have helped us to examine problems and insure quality care, school children across America for their heart felt and generous donations, Dr. Nils Daulaire and the Global Health Council Leadership for providing this forum each year – for getting us out of the field to share our successes and failures and learn from each other.
There are mentors whose wisdom guided the way for the last 20 years – Sister Maryanne Berard, our director and my colleague and friend, a Franciscan Sister, who balances relief and development every day, Drs. Warren and Gretchen Berggren, the parents of CBPHC in Haiti, Dr Bert Pelto, who taught me about applied medical anthropology in international health, Professor Judy Lewis, (UCHC) who has guided students with us since 1987, Dr. Miriam Labbok, my MPH classmate, teacher and colleague, and Dr. Jerry Lowney, the president and founder of HHF, who answered the request of Mother Teresa, when she asked him personally to go to this part of Haiti to work.
Without a strong foundation, this work would not be possible – so to my family, represented here by my brother Peter, for their support, my ever patient and loving husband, Edwin Magloire and my two beautiful daughters Danielle and Michelle, colleagues and friends I can only say thanks for your unwavering love.
Thank you again.
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