Violene walks through the slums of Port-au-Prince offering women and their children valuable care and medical attention. Carrying bags full of vaccines, vitamin A, and rehydration pills, Violene is well known in the community. Most of the children she works with, many who have experienced much healthier childhoods than they otherwise would have, know her as Miss Elima and by her ever present smile.
For the last seven years, Violene has walked through relatively dangerous streets during insecure times delivering a tangible message of hope to those she comes across. Because of her work along with two other World Relief health care workers, thousands of lives have been transformed. Over 7,000 women and children have been vaccinated. Over 16,000 children have been weighed and monitored to ensure proper growth and nutrition. Over 3,000 children have taken Vitamin A pills - ensuring protection against blindness and bolstering the ability of a child's immune system to fight off disease. More than 2,000 children suffering from diarrhea have received oral salt packages to protect them from dehydration, which can be fatal if not treated. Over 1,500 pre- and post-natal mothers have received necessary care and vitamin supplementation to recover and properly care for their babies in the crucial times immediately before and after their baby's birth.
Violene has walked to training sessions at churches across Port-au-Prince. More than sixty volunteers and thirty health committees and pastors have been trained, increasing the scope of the program, giving more children and women of child-bearing age access to life-changing health and nutrition education. Her training as Licensed Nurse Practitioner, her specialization in community health, and her certification as a birth attendant uniquely equip her for her role on World Relief's health staff
Violene walks to care for her four children as well as thousands of others scattered throughout the neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince. As she walks, she communicates hope through the knowledge she imparts to young mothers and their children. She empowers entire communities to take control of their own health as she embodies the compassion of Christ to everyone she comes in contact with.
For more information on Haiti click here.
Haiti Population Density: 295 people per square kilometer
Infant Mortality Rate: 73.45 deaths for 1000 live births
Average Daily wage: about $1/day
Those 15 and over who can read and write: 52.9%
Religion: 16% of the population is Protestant
Population below the poverty line: 80%
Prayer Request
- Pray for Violene's safety as she ministers in some insecure neighborhoods.
- Pray for the women and children Violene cares for, that her care and compassion would move them to respond to Christ's love.
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