In healthcare, much as in life, nobody functions as an island. Collaboration and teamwork are an essential part of what gets Medika Mamba from our production factory into the mouths of malnourished children around Haiti – and around the world. I’ve come to learn and admire so much about the amazing health agents (agents de santé) that work in and around the many malnutrition programs MFK supports.
Accessibility is a challenge in Haiti. Due to poor infrastructure, among other reasons, there are children living in rural Haiti who are in need of Medika Mamba, but remain untreated by our malnutrition partners. These health agents are often tasked with doing the foot work of going to find them. They spend hours traveling by foot, moto, tap tap (taxi), or even donkey to reach hard-to-access areas.
They complete a basic malnutrition screening and talk to families about where and when different malnutrition clinics are running. They are often the ones who guide some of the sickest babies and children to our Medika Mamba treatment programs.
At many of our partnering programs, such as the one at CHIDA Hospital, they can frequently be found supporting the nurses by helping with paperwork, and helping weigh, measure and entertain the children. For all of this we are so grateful.
