The Health Program

Making health services and education accessible to rural Haitian communities.

Fonkoze’s award-winning health program provides our clients access to crucial health support as they continue climbing our Staircase Out of Poverty. We offer health resources to clients and community members including procuring/selling health care products, vitamin distribution, screenings for child malnutrition and therapeutic feeding treatment, hypertension screenings for cardiovascular disease, and preventative healthcare trainings.

Fonkoze’s award-winning health program provides our clients access to crucial health support as they continue climbing our Staircase Out of Poverty.

We offer health resources to clients and community members including procuring/selling health care products, vitamin distribution, screenings for child malnutrition and therapeutic feeding treatment, hypertension screenings for cardiovascular disease, and different types of preventative healthcare training.

In 2023:

Boutik Sante (community health store)

Boutik Sante is Fonkoze’s social franchising initiative that brings health products, education, and services to rural Haiti. Fonkoze’s team of registered nurses trains microfinance clients to become Community Health Entrepreneurs (CHEs). They learn to conduct basic health screenings, deliver health education sessions and procure health products from Fonkoze that they resell in their communities. 40% of Haitians lack access to health products and services, particularly those living in rural and hard-to-reach areas. Often, by the time they are able to reach a clinic, they suffer acute symptoms from illnesses that could otherwise have been treated with preventive health care and over-the-counter medicine. Boutik Sante is Fonkoze’s response. In areas where CHEs serve, 66% of people have reportedly benefited from Boutik Sante. That is an estimated 3.7 million people with increased access to health resources since the program’s inception in 2014.

Boutik Sante’s IMPACT: Note: The following data will be updated upon the release of our most recent annual report.

• 449 Active Community Health Entrepreneurs
• More than 28,000 children screened for malnutrition in 2023.
• More than 673,000 Haitians have improved access to health education & services.
• Over 94,000 women received prenatal vitamins in 2021.
• Over 5,581 people participated in health education sessions in 2023.

Boutik Sante Services Although the provision of many health services requires highly trained professionals, there is consensus that the delivery of a number of basic, essential health services can be shifted to community members who receive rapid, skills-based training with close supervision. Child Malnutrition Screenings

Last year, more than 28,000 children under the age of 5 were screened for malnutrition by Fonkoze’s CHEs. Of the children found to be “moderately” to “severely” malnourished, 85% were able to be medically treated to full recovery.

Cardiovascular Disease Prevention As part of CHE’s prevention education, community health stores provide access to hypertension screenings via digital blood pressure monitors. Of the people diagnosed with high blood pressure from these screenings, 62% have no previous knowledge of their condition. The participants diagnosed with hypertension are then referred to health facilities for appropriate treatment. The medical intervention provided to participants can add years to their lives and significantly increase their quality of living.

Mental Health Initiative Fonkoze has partnered with local psychiatric professionals to train Fonkoze health agents and CHEs on hosting group and individual counseling sessions in their respective communities. The sessions will focus on emotional stress management, especially stress caused by traumatic events such as earthquakes, political instability, and other systemic issues affecting the broader population in Haiti.

COVID-19 Response Since the onset of COVID-19 in Haiti, CHEs have been trained to sensitize clients on preventive measures and protective strategies in their respective towns. Additionally, CHE-owned community health stores throughout many parts of Haiti provided people increased access to hand-washing stations, masks and hand sanitizer.

Boutik Sante is Fonkoze’s social franchising initiative that brings health products, education, and services to rural Haiti. Fonkoze’s team of registered nurses trains microfinance clients to become Community Health Entrepreneurs (CHEs). They learn to conduct basic health screenings, deliver health education sessions and procure health products from Fonkoze that they resell in their communities.

40% of Haitians lack access to health products and services, particularly those living in rural and hard-to-reach areas.

Often, by the time they are able to reach a clinic, they suffer acute symptoms from illnesses that could otherwise have been treated with preventive health care and over-the-counter medicine. Boutik Sante is Fonkoze’s response. In areas where CHEs serve, 66% of people have reportedly benefited from Boutik Sante. That is an estimated 3.7 million people with increased access to health resources since the program’s inception in 2014.

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Boutik Sante’s IMPACT:

Note: The following data will be updated upon the release of our most recent annual report.

Boutik Sante Services

Although the provision of many health services requires highly trained professionals, there is consensus that the delivery of a number of basic, essential health services can be shifted to community members who receive rapid, skills-based training with close supervision.

Child Malnutrition Screenings

Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

As part of CHE’s prevention education, community health stores provide access to hypertension screenings via digital blood pressure monitors. Of the people diagnosed with high blood pressure from these screenings, 62% have no previous knowledge of their condition. The participants diagnosed with hypertension are then referred to health facilities for appropriate treatment. The medical intervention provided to participants can add years to their lives and significantly increase their quality of living.

Mental Health Initiative

Fonkoze has partnered with local psychiatric professionals to train Fonkoze health agents and CHEs on hosting group and individual counseling sessions in their respective communities. The sessions will focus on emotional stress management, especially stress caused by traumatic events such as earthquakes, political instability, and other systemic issues affecting the broader population in Haiti.

COVID-19 Response

Since the onset of COVID-19 in Haiti, CHEs have been trained to sensitize clients on preventive measures and protective strategies in their respective towns. Additionally, CHE-owned community health stores throughout many parts of Haiti provided people increased access to hand-washing stations, masks and hand sanitizer.

When asked about her motivation in life, she says, “I am not married, but I work hard for my eight-year-old daughter. I want to see her succeed in life.”

– Odette Midy