This is part of a short summary on Haiti by the UNFPA:
"Located in the heart of the Caribbean, Haiti faced many challenges prior to the devastating January 2010
earthquake, including political turmoil, natural disasters and food insecurity. With a population of 10 million, Haiti
is the poorest — and the only least developed — country in Latin America. Maternal mortality is declining, at
300 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2008, compared to 670 per 100,000 in 1990. The nursing-midwifery
workforce was decimated by the earthquake and significant emigration that followed and this has created a
major challenge. Only 26% of births are attended by skilled health personnel."
As Dina, Susan, Courtney and I prepare for our trip to Haiti, I will be offering up information about this incredible country. We leave on July 30 and will work with Midwives for Haiti for 2 weeks. I am excited to return, hoping to deepen my own appreciation of the power of midwifery in rural Haiti and hoping to reconnect with the midwives that we met last year. I am curious to hear about their year: successes, frustrations, goals for the future. Hearing that only 26% of births are attending by skilled personnel tells me that there is still lots of work to do.
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