Pillars of Haiti

1. Pillars of Haiti • Eradicating Cervical Cancer - Saving Women, Preserving Families, Stabilizing a Country

2. The Republic of Haiti is a Caribbean country roughly the size of Maryland. It shares the island Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic and is situated just southeast of Cuba. The capital is Port-Au-Prince. French and Creole are the official language. 90% of its 10.3 million people live in poverty; 66% have no jobs.

3. Poto Mitan In Haiti, women are known as ‘poto mitan,’ or central pillars. They hold together their families, their communities, and, in fact, the entire nation. But Haiti’s women face debilitating poverty, political instability, and bleak futures.

4. And, yet, the women of Haiti find ways to create opportunities to forge better lives for their children, grandchildren, and those who come behind them.

5. Sadly, Haiti has the highest incidence of cervical cancer in the world - an annual rate of 93 new cases per 100,000 people - and no cancer treatment facilities. Pap smears and Pathologists are limited in a country this poor. The disease strikes females of all ages, but a majority are in their 30’s and 40‘s, many with young children.

6. When women and mothers die from cervical cancer, they leave behind orphans, and a void so great and so vast, that it wreaks havoc on already fragile social and economic systems.

7. Women’s Global Cancer Alliance (WGCA) is working to help promote education, screening, and cervical cancer treatment, as well as to provide general wellness services to help save women, preserve families, and stabilize the country of Haiti.

8. What is WGCA? Women’s Global Cancer Alliance (WGCA) is a 501c3 organization based in Louisville, Kentucky. Its mission is to bring together partners that link global strategies with local cultures to advance women’s health in developing countries with a focus on cancer. WGCA was founded by Robert D. Hilgers, MD. Affectionately known as Dr. Bob, he has given his life to working with women as an Ob/Gyn specializing in oncology. He knows the advantages of the “See & Treat” method of diagnosing cervical cancer, and he is leading the charge to bring it to Haiti. Dr. Robert Hilgers talks with a patient.

9. Swab patient’s cervix with vinegar Pre-cancerous lesions turn white and are readily visible Freeze lesions with carbon dioxide or liquid nitrogen What’s the “See & Treat” Testing Method? The “See and Treat” method was developed in the 1990‘s, and uses ordinary household vinegar to detect precancerous and cancerous lesions. It’s the equivalent of a pap smear, and the success of this technique has been well documented in Africa and India. WGCA wants to bring this method of cervical cancer screening and treatment to Haiti.

10. What’s so great about the “See and Treat” method? • It’s cheap, quick, efficient, and accurate. No pap smears necessary. No expensive lab equipment needed. • In-country community healthcare workers can be trained in about a week to provide information and perform the procedure. • Easily accessible carbon dioxide or liquid nitrogen can be used to freeze precancerous lesions. Cryotherapy results in a minimally invasive and less painful removal of lesions. • Instant results and treatment, so women don’t have to make another trip to the clinic. • With less disruptions to their families and work, women are more inclined to seek and receive necessary life-saving interventions.

11. VINEGAR EQUALS LIFE for the women of Haiti. One gallon of vinegar will screen 250 women potentially resulting in 250 lives saved.

12. The clinics can be run by a well-trained Haitian nurses or midwives with experience in women's health. The procedure is ideally suited for resource-poor countries such as Haiti.

13. Why Haiti? Why Now? • Haiti has the highest incidence of cervical cancer in the world - 93/100,000 cases each year. • Cancer facilities do not exist in Haiti. Prevention, then, becomes key to halting cancer where unchecked it becomes a death sentence. • The “See and Treat” method is a cost-effective solution with a high ROI. A small amount of money can help keep families intact. • We have the infrastructure and partnerships in place right now to start the process of eradicating cervical cancer in Haiti. • We live in a global economy; stabilizing Haiti will impact us all. And it is the right thing to do.

14. What’s the Vision? • Implement “See and Treat” testing and treatment methods in clinics throughout Haiti. • We’ll do that by first establishing a model clinic where we can train providers, collect data, and demonstrate sustainability. • Then we’ll implement what we’ve learned and establish clinics throughout Haiti to serve the entire country.

15. PORT-DE-PAIX NORD-OUEST CAP-HAÏTIEN FORT-LIBERTÉ NORD NORD-EST GONAÏVES ARTIBONITE HINCHE CENTRE JÉRÉMIE PORT-AU-PRINCE MIRAGOÂNE GRAND'ANSE OUEST NIPPES SUD JACMEL SUD-EST LES CAYES Goal 1: Establish Model Clinic in Gonaives, Haiti • Finish clinic construction in Gonaives • Outfit clinic with equipment/supplies • Hire and train personnel to test and treat • Provide services and measure results • Demonstrate sustainability for first 5 years • Use the clinic as a training center

16. Goal 2: Develop National Cervical Cancer Screening Program Partner with the Haitian Minister of Health to duplicate the Gonaives Clinic’s process of educating, screening, and treating cervical cancer throughout the country. Strive to vaccinate preteens against HPV, the virus which causes cervical cancer. Use “See & Treat” clinics as hubs of wellness and prevention.

17. How Do We Start? Goal 1 • Immediate, Short-Term Fund-Raising Goal: Raise $25,000 to finish the Gonaives Clinic. • Long-Term Fund-Raising Goal: Raise $1 Million during the next 5 years to support a budget of approximately $180,000.00 per year. • On Going: Continue to develop and establish partnerships with local, national and international Organizations including Haitian Organizations and the Haitian Ministry of Health who share our vision.

18. Partnerships in Place... International Aid Organizations Supplies Over Seas - Louisville, Kentucky-based nonprofit organization that meets critical health care needs in medically impoverished communities around the world. They put together a pallet of supplies, including a colposcope, that is in storage in Gonaives ready to be used. Project C.U.R.E. - Based in Denver, this group moved SOS pallets from US to Haiti. Rotary International – Prospect/Goshen Rotary Club donated 2 laptops and is working with the Rotary Club in Port Au Prince to create a Global Project, involving numerous Rotary Clubs worldwide to help provide funding and awareness. Family Health Ministries – FHM, headquartered in Durham, NC has been instrumental in bringing HPV testing to Haiti. Health 4 Haiti - Founded by Jim Smith MD, a general surgeon from Colorado, this group is partnering with WGCA to match the funds raised by WGCA to complete the second floor of the Gonaives clinic. Partners in Health - PIH was founded in 1987 to deliver health care to the residents of Haiti. WGCA worked with PIH to sponsor the First Haitian Congress on Cervical Cancer.

19. Partnerships in Place... Haiti Ministry of Health WGCA, in conjunction with the Kentucky Cancer Registry, is collaborating with the Haiti Health Ministry of the Public and the Population (MSPP) to create a comprehensive cancer program, including a national cancer treatment center, a national cancer registry, plus a national screening and educational outreach effort.

20. Partnerships in Place... Haitian Organizations 20 Women of Gonaives - Community health workers who have committed to help support WGCA and its efforts in Gonaives and throughout Haiti. St. Basils Anglican Church – Houses and operates the first floor of the Gonaives clinic and helped WGCA to secure the space needed for the second floor where the first dedicated “See and Treat” screening and treatment clinic will be housed. Committee of 6 - Six Haitian physicians (along with Dr. Bob) who planned the first Haitian Congress on Cervical Cancer held in 2012, and are committed to the cause. Alma Mater Hospital (Gros Morne) - WGCA acted as the catalyst in establishing their “See and Treat” screening clinic, which has served more than 2000 women to date. MSPP Hospital (Port au Prince) - Working with WGCA and the University of Haiti to establish a teaching program.

21. Physical Space We’ve got the committed space on the Second Floor. We’re ready to finish it off.

22. What will the process look like? We’ve got our first clinic space. Supporters are ready to act. We are in need of financial and in-kind donations.

23. PORT-DE-PAIX NORD-OUEST CAP-HAÏTIEN FORT-LIBERTÉ NORD NORD-EST GONAÏVES ARTIBONITE HINCHE CENTRE JÉRÉMIE PORT-AU-PRINCE MIRAGOÂNE GRAND'ANSE OUEST NIPPES SUD JACMEL SUD-EST LES CAYES Then What? Goal 2: • Establish “See and Treat” clinics in all 10 departments to serve the women and families of Haiti. • Strive to vaccinate preteens against HPV. • Use “See & Treat” clinics as hubs of wellness and prevention services.

24. Poto Mitanin action... • Remember how women are known as Poto Mitan, or central pillars of • Haitian society?

25. Despite their poverty, a group of local women in Gonaives created the Haitian Batik project to design and sell Batik scarves to raise money to establish the WGCA clinic there.

26. 90% of Haitians live in poverty... They are trying to help themselves. Can’t we help, too?

27. With your help, a future Poto Mitan... • Eradicating Cervical Cancer - Saving Women, Preserving Families, Stabilizing a Country

28. How Can I Help? • Donate Your Money: We need to raise $25,000 by January 1, 2014 to get matching funds. • Donate Your Time: We need help putting together grants to raise the sustaining funds to keep the clinics open. • Spread the Word: Invite us into your home, invite us to speak at your organizations, tell your friends how they can be a part of the beginning of the end of cervical cancer.