With 16 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Haiti, including one in the Artibonite, HAS’ team has sprung into action, preparing our former Cholera Treatment Center to receive coronavirus patients. We are also ready with tents for coronavirus patient care if needed.
One of the biggest challenges facing our hospital right now is a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, masks, and scrubs.
To address the shortage in Haiti, over a thousand local tailors and sewing groups have come together to sew fabric masks. The consortium organizing the production is called Koud Konbit, which loosely translates as “sew together.” It started with a mask sewing initiative by the Scouts of Haiti. They were soon joined by Caribbean Craft, 2nd Story Goods, and the Small Farmers Alliance. The group’s first task was to provide sample masks to HAS for review. With a few modifications, production is scheduled to start next week. Samples of Koud Konbit scrubs are currently being reviewed and production is scheduled to begin within a week.
Yet gloves remain in short supply. Medical supply vendors around the world are overwhelmed with orders; our best option right now is to purchase gloves locally in Haiti. There is limited stock, so we need to act quickly.
If you can spare a donation today, just $5.16 will enable us to buy one box of 100 gloves.
There is power in collaboration and community. You prove that to us over and over. Thank you for staying connected during this critical time. We hope you and your loved ones are healthy.