De-worming Project

The Problem

A significant part of Haiti's population is infected with intestinal worms. Many of the infected are children and these worms may consume as much as 20% of a child's daily nutritional intake. Since Haiti already is the second hungriest country, for many children being dewormed is the difference between life or death. Other symptoms of intestinal worms are the expanded stomachs of young children, orange hair due to malnutrition, thirsty mouths, and diarrhea. In most cases individuals are infected by worms because of the presence of raw sewage, the lack of potable water, and the lack of access to health care.

The Solution

While there are many treatments that are claimed to rid patients of worms there seems to be one that works better than the rest. A simple dose of an Albendazole pill can rid a child or adult of intestinal worms. According to the World Bank, these pills should be given out to all children attending schools in high risk areas. With broad scale deworming, the World Bank argues the chances of reinfection diminish. The treatment is so cheap that it costs a penny per person to give one dose of the Albendazole pill to one child.

Achievements

At International Action we devote ourselves to providing access to clean potable water. Through our work in several communities in Haiti, we have begun to provide Albendazole pills. International Action has received 500,000 doses of the deworming medicine through Aaron Jackson, whose non-profit Planting Peace has worked in Haiti since 2005. We have given these pills to our water boards and several schools in Port-au-Prince to distribute. So far almost 200,000 doses have been handed out.

Testimonials

Since we started handing out the Albendazole Pills, we have received an abundance of positive feedback from the communities.

"I am a lawyer and sociologist. I was born and have lived in Trou-Sable for 28 years. Being responsible for the Health Center of Trou-Sable, I received 500 pills from my president, Tarel Calixte. I have handed out the pills to many of the children for free and have received a lot of positive feedback both from the kids and their mothers. They noticed that the kids do not gain excess weight, they do not need to drink water constantly through the night, and that this free treatment has worked better than any of the other expensive alternatives available."

Mme Myriana Elvariste

"I am a sixteen year old living in Cité Soleil. I took the treatment and it helped me a lot. I can now eat well, where before I had difficulty eating healthy; I am also starting to gain weight. Thank you so much International Action, may God bless you."

Sonia Augustin

"I have three children, the first one is 12, the second is 9, and the youngest is 4. My two youngest had diarrhea very often. I visited a lot of hospitals but was unable to find a cure. Finally I visited a pediatrician; he examined all three, and revealed that the kids have worms.The treatments prescribed did not give good results whereas the Albendazole pills distributed by International Action... have been taken by all my children and now they do not have diarrhea anymore. Many of my neighbors make the same observation.I have no words to express my gratitude towards International Action/Dlo Pwop. Their intervention changed the lives of my children."

Mme Madeleine Joseph

Video: Promised Land in Cité Soleil

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