Haiti has been trying recover from political confrontations and climate hazards for many years, in particular after the disastrous effects of the earthquake in 2010 and more recently hurricane Matthew in 2016. PSI, through its local member OHMaSS (Organisation haïtienne de marketing social sur la Santé), focuses its interventions on serving the most vulnerable groups within the Haitian population by leveraging over 20 years of expertise in social marketing and program management in Haiti. Currently, OHMaSS has programs in HIV/TB, Malaria, Home Water Treatment, Family Planning, and Gender Based Violence.
OHMaSS focuses on applying Market Development Approaches to health programs, identifying the key players, key bottlenecks, roles and incentives, and addressing these challenges with market-driven approaches. Furthermore, OHMaSS has focused its current efforts towards leveraging technology innovations such as Cyber Education, app-driven Closed Loop Marketing systems, and mobile solutions, as well as embracing Human Centered Design approaches to deliver meaningful results to Sara (the name given to our archetype).
PSI/Haiti estimates that in 2015, its products and services helped avert 42,670 DALYs, including, by health area:
- 1,996 Malaria DALYs
- 7,681 HIV DALYs
- 26,820 FP DALYs
- 6,077 MNCH DALYs
- 92 WASH DALYs
- 3 NCD DALYs
PSI/Haiti’s family planning programs also provided 101,953 couple-years of protection.
HIV/TB
OHMaSS is the prime recipient of Global Fund-supported HIV and tuberculosis (TB) programs in Haiti. The Investing for Impact against HIV and Tuberculosis program focuses on three components: HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and health system strengthening. HIV services include diagnosis, treatment and psychosocial care. As of December 31, 2015, a total of 18, 976 people living with HIV received antiretroviral treatment (ART) thanks to the Global Fund’s support through OHMaSS programming. TB services are focused on activities concerning the diagnosis and care of tuberculosis and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. The health system strengthening component co-finances infrastructure and system improvements for the Ministry of Health and Population (MSPP).
By the end of 2017, the objectives include: stabilizing the HIV prevalence at 2% among adults between the ages of 15 and 49; reducing to 2% the proportion of infants infected with HIV and whose mothers are living with HIV; and increasing from 76% to 95% the survival rate of adults and children living with HIV undergoing antiretroviral (ARV) therapy at 12 months after the introduction of ART.
Haiti has the highest incidence of positive pulmonary cases in the Americas. OHMaSS, in collaboration with partners, seeks to reduce the tuberculosis morbidity and mortality rates to 10% and 15% respectively. They also aim to keep the therapeutic success rate of the topiramate TPM+ and TPM- at 85%. By the end of 2019, OHMaSS will have worked to increase the proportion of diagnosed and treated cases of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) from 58% to 85%.
Malaria
Haiti is one of the countries of the Caribbean Basin where malaria has not been eradicated. This disease is prevalent in Haiti, with occasional endemic outbreaks after the rainy seasons.
In order to reduce malaria mortality to zero, eliminate local transmission by 2020, and maintain the achieved progress until 2022, OHMaSS supports the Programme national de contrôle de la malaria (PNCM), an entity of the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP). These projects include offering a training to public/private sector providers and 1,500 community agents to improve institutional and community-based care. In addition, OHMaSS is involved in evaluating vector control strategies by notifying and evaluating malaria cases; strengthening the capacities of communication campaigns that promote behavior change with educational seminars in the communes; and meeting with community and religious leaders, local elected representatives, and the media.
In addition to the Global Fund, OHMaSS is also conducting research for the Malaria Zero initiative with funds from The CDC Foundation. OHMaSS works alongside the CDC team to identify areas with the highest malaria transmission, develop a framework to identify malaria foci, and collect malaria exposure samples to contribute to malaria eradication.
Home Water Treatment
Towards the end of 2016, OHMaSS began collaborating as a sub recipient with Abt Associates under the Sustaining Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) Plus program in Haiti to develop a robust market for home water treatment (HTW) to the Haitian population. At the core of its mandate, OHMaSS must apply Market Development Approaches to identify key barriers, increase demand for HWT products through mass media campaigns, and partner with private sector distributors to motivate ownership and sustainability of the program.
After the Hurricane Matthew in Cotober 2016, OHMaSS also facilitated donations of Home Water Treatment tablets from the Sandals Foundation. Donations were channeled through OHMaSS partners (FOSREF and Médecins du Monde France) to affected population in the Southern departments of Haïti.
Contraception
In 2016, OHMaSS implemented the Ignite project targeted at urban girls of reproductive age. The program focuses in broadening the basket of contraceptive products and services available to young girls by introducing new formulations and innovative products, sensitizing doctors to provide youth-friendly services, and leveraging mobile health technologies to promote and track uptake of these products, as well as pioneering in the introduction of an app-enabled Closed Loop Marketing system to assist medical detailers in their medical visits. Applying a market-driven approach, OHMaSS partnered up with the private sector in a public-private commercial model to ensure the continuity and sustainability of the products beyond the life of the project. This new public-private business model is used to distribute USAID-funded family planning products under the SHOPS Plus project.
Gender Based Violence
Beginning in 2015, OHMaSS partnered with Kim Agnew, Philanthropist and Maverick Collective Member, to address Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Haiti, with a specific focus on addressing youth under domestic service (colloquially known as restaveks). As OHMaSS debut program in this field and the first 100% Human Centered Design driven program in OHMaSS’ history, the program operates as a learning pilot for the organization and its partner Kim in understanding the complex phenomena and environment surrounding youth under domestic service. The program objective is to develop a clear picture of the current environment surrounding this phenomenon, mapping out all relevant stakeholders, and promoting coordination amongst the plethora of initiatives currently available.
Donors
- The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
- Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
- U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Abt Associates
- Maverick Collective
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation
- The Sandals Foundation
Partners
- Family Health International
- Management Sciences for Health
- Haitian Ministry of Health
- Haitian National Police
- Programmes nationaux de malaria et filariose lymphatique
- Unité de coordination et planification
- Catholic Relief Services
- Association of Evangelical Relief and Development Organizations (AERDO)
- Plan International
- CARE
- Hôpital Albert Schweitzer
- Association des oeuvres privées de Santé
- CARITAS Haiti
- Management and Resources for Community Health
- Volontariat pour le Développement
- Foundation for Reproductive Health and Family Education
- Haiti Red Cross Society
- Centres pour le Développement et de la Santé
- Haitian Group for the Study of Kaposi’s Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections (GHESKIO)
- More local agencies
- Ignite 2017 Annual Report
Project ignite looks further at the total market – informed by rigorous market assessments – and the various actors influencing the end user – to improve and correct underperforming aspects of the market and access to contraception and safe abortion services. This is the 2017 Annual Report that summarizes the key findings, successes, and lessons learned from PSI’s country operations in Haiti, Mozambique, and Cote d’Ivoire, as well as Triggerise’s innovations testing in India and Kenya. - Ignite 2016 Annual Report
Project ignite looks further at the total market – informed by rigorous market assessments – and the various actors influencing the end user – to improve and correct underperforming aspects of the market and access to contraception and safe abortion services. This is the 2016 Annual Report that summarizes the key findings, successes, and lessons learned from PSI’s country operations in Haiti, Mozambique, and Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as Triggerise’s innovations testing in India and Kenya. - Shaping the Family Planning Market by Strengthening the Public Sector
PSI considers total market approaches to be critical for achieving universal health coverage, especially when it comes to contraception. This program brief presents cases, supported by several different donors, which take into consideration the total family planning market. - Establishing a Sustainable Supply Chain for Young People in Haiti
OHMaSS has brokered a unique partnership with commercial distributor DISPROPHAR to incentive the private sector to take responsibility for the FP product category and drive it to scale. Meanwhile, providers are being trained by medical detailers to counsel young clients on contraceptive methods using a Closed Loop Marketing Tool, which strengthens DISPROPHAR’s sales force and helps the program monitor and improve providers’ engagement with their clients. This brief summarizes the key findings, successes, and lessons learned from ignite’s supply-side innovations in Haiti. - Ignite: Sparking Innovation in Youth-Empowered Healthcare
Project ignite is testing two distinct market approaches as it seeks to break down barriers to access and use of voluntary, modern contraception among girls and young women (ages 15-24). This infographic visually showcases the complementary partnership between PSI and Triggerise. - 2012 Mid Year Region and Country Dashboards, Latin America and the Caribbean
Mid-year Latin America and the Caribbean region and country impact dashboards for 2012 - Violence Against Intimate Partners and Associations with Inconsistent Condom Use Among Clients of Female Sex Workers in Haiti
The results of this study support previous findings suggesting that men perpetrating intimate partner violence (IPV) engage in sexual behaviors that increase the risk of STI and HIV for intimate partners, in particular, non-condom use. As a result, abusive men may put their intimate partners at higher risk of contracting HIV/STIs. - 2011 Region and Country Dashboards, Latin America and the Caribbean
Latin America and the Caribbean region and country impact dashboards for 2011 - COMING OF AGE IN THE DIGITAL ERA: REACHING YOUTH WITH TECHNOLOGY
With today’s rapid advances in technology, people all over the world are more connected than ever. These technologies impact everyone, yet one group of people is always up to date with the most cutting-edge technology available: youth. While the country context may differ, young people know what the newest technology is and how to use it.
- Determinants of Intention to Use Condoms Among Clients of Female Sex Workers in Haiti
A cross-sectional survey was conducted to examine factors influencing intention of condom use among clients of female sex workers (FSWs) visiting commercial sex sites in St-Marc and Gonaives, Haiti. The findings provide evidence for designing interventions targeted at reducing risky sex behaviors in this population.