How The Cloud Foundation Medical Makes A Difference

Haiti has a long history of instability and is currently in economic decline. It has been ranked by the United Nations as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The United Nations Development Program estimates that nearly 54 percent of Haitians live on less than $2 per day and more than 45% of the total population lives under $1.25 per day. Human resources for health services are very limited, with 1 doctor and 5.5 nurses or nurse auxiliaries for every 12,000 people. \ Government expenditures on health care account for only 4.5% of the government’s overall budget, and 79% of health expenditures are out-of-pocket. Underlying factors of Haiti’s recent cholera epidemic include 74.3% of the population without adequate sanitation, 35% without potable water and 46% without access to health care. Haiti has an infant mortality rate of 47 per 1000 live births. 11.6% of children under the age of 5 are underweight and 29% are stunted. According to 2010 WHO data (post-earthquake), common causes of death for children under age 5 include: injury (56%), pneumonia (10%), and diarrhea (7%). The maternal mortality rate is 630/100,000.

With a death toll in the hundreds of thousands and millions of Haitians left homeless, injured and struggling to survive, the 2010 earthquake was the worst disaster to hit the country in 200 years.

Since the 2010 earthquake, Haiti has continued to experience a series of lesser known disasters: Hurricanes, flooding, droughts, cholera epidemic, and food shortages. Man-made disasters have been linked to the political and economic instability that has marked much of Haiti’s history. The Cloud Foundation is currently focusing its efforts to provide the necessary medical supplies and medicines for people affected by the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew and the latest cholera outbreak.