Haiti’s Mirebalais Hospital receives shipment of 1,800 solar panels
May 1, 2012 - Since 2010, Haiti has been struggling to recover from the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck on January 12. A part of the country’s rehabilitation is the construction of the Mirebalais Hospital, a soon to be finished 320-bed hospital, which is stated to offer a new level of care not previously available at a public facility. The hospital’s roof is being outfitted with 1,800 solar panels, delivered by Solectria Renewables, which will provide 400kVA of electricity.
It is expected that based on current energy prices in Haiti, the panels will pay for themselves in less than three years. This solar installation is one of several in the country that was made possible through a partnership with Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF). Once the system is completed and running, the public will be able to track the production of solar power for the project’s 25-year lifespan.
Partners in Health co-founder Paul Farmer said, "You can't do this without electricity. Because you're not going to have an operating room. You're not going to have a laboratory. You're not going to see people at night… So it's one of two things - either generate your own electricity with a diesel generator or go solar."
Source: PV Tech Website
In Search of Young Haitian Entrepreneurs
Mirebalais March 4, 2012 - Through a unique collaboration between FATEM and Fondation ETRE Ayisyen ("ETRE" stands for Espace de Travail pour la Réussite de l'Etre), over 200 youth from the Mirebalais area participated on Sunday March 4th in a conference where several key principles of business development were presented by Mathias Pierre, President of GaMa/KayTech and Fondation ETRE Ayisyen and Mentor of the Foundation's young and energetic management team.
“A la Découverte des Jeunes Entrepreneurs” (In Search of Young Entrepreneurs) is a new program through which Fondation ETRE Ayisyen seeks to identify young people who possess the drive and the gut to pursue their dreams of becoming successful entrepreneurs, through periodic competitions in all 10 departments of Haiti. At the end of these competitions, 50 finalists will receive each a loan of $5,000 US to launch their own business.
Next month, ETRE Ayisyen will return to Mirebalais for the start of the women's competition. Please visit us often to learn more about this exciting new initiative.
For more information about ETRE Ayisyen please visit www.mathiaspierre.ht/etre/
Partners In Health/Zanmi Lasante to open IHRC-facilitated public hospital in early 2012
MIREBALAIS, Haiti, May 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The PIH/ZL-MSPP Teaching Hospital of Mirebalais, a major public health services and medical training facility in Haiti's Central Plateau approved by the Board of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC) in August 2010, is quickly moving toward completion, having passed the 50 percent completion point this May.
The project was approved in response to a Haitian Ministry of Public Health's (MSPP) request, and its development is being led by international NGO Partners In Health (PIH) and their Haitian sister organization, Zanmi Lasante (ZL). Situated in the town of Mirebalais, which sits at an important crossroads some 30 miles north of Port-au-Prince, the 200,000 square foot, seven-building facility will have upon completion -- a 320-bed capacity, six operating rooms and an intensive care unit.Construction Progress at Mirebalais new PIH Hospital
Posted on 03/28/11
By Kathryn Mahoney, PIH Haiti Communications Coordinator
At dusk on March 19th, just as the “supermoon” was rising, PIH doctor David Walton took me on tour of the site of the future Mirebalais Hospital. Normally, it’s bustling with more than 100 Haitian construction workers who work around the clock, even over the weekend. But on the eve of the second round of presidential elections, they had all returned to their homes to vote on Sunday, offering us a rare and quiet opportunity to explore the site.
Zafèn Microfinance Program for Haitian Entrepreneurs Marks First Anniversary
In a year when microfinance has been scrutinized like never before, a new interpretation of the concept has experienced great success. Zafèn, an online microfinance initiative that defines interest not in financial terms, but in human terms has raised $350,000 in its inaugural year to fund business and social projects that generate sustainable economic development in Haiti.
More than 500 projects across Haiti received an interest-free loan or a donation from funders worldwide in the past year, enabling people living in poverty to help themselves with an infusion of capital for ventures that do not qualify for funding from banks.
Inveneo Wireless Network - Second Phase to Begin Soon
Inveneo completed its BATI training in Mirebalais, from which they graduated 15 technicians who will be working on the new wireless network. The second phase of this project - which consists in the implementation of the network - will begin soon.
Ecole Communautaire de Nicolas - Construction in Progress
March 7, 2011 - YCF Group, the engineering firm tapped by FATEM for the construction of Ecole de Choix (EDC) and Ecole Communautaire de Nicolas (ECN), began its grading work at both sites last week.
Help Support Mirebalais Youth Filmmaking Learning Center
The post-Haitian earthquake period is a challenging time for the youth and young adults in every Haitian community. The Mirebalais Youth Filmmaking Learning Center is being developed to address some of the issues being experienced by the poor youth and young adults in the Mirebalais community in Haiti. There is a fertile and active community of videographers and filmmakers in Mirebalais, who have numerous needs that cannot be addressed by existing organizations in the community.
"Haitian Kids Return to School" (article about new elementary school being built by FATEM)
Education Returns to Haiti, by Gabriela Brubaker, Washington International School.
January 2011 - One year after the earthquake in Haiti killed 230,000, left 300,000 injured and 1.5 million homeless, hundreds of thousands of children are back in school, a small but significant step in the rebuilding of the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
FATEM School Survey
In an effort to continue to provide quality education to children from Mirebalais and surrounding communities, FATEM began on November 15, 2010 a survey of all primary schools located inside the city and its four communal districts. With assistance from principals and teachers from our 14 partner schools and from several youth from the city we hope to complete the survey by December 15th, and thus have access to useful and relevant information (total number of primary and secondary institutions, total number of teachers and their training level, total student population broken by age range, etc.) which will inform our intervention in the field of education in the region and allow us to take effective steps in contributing toward its improvement.
We are grateful to FAMILY and Ecole Normale de Liancourt for their assistance with the survey questionnaire and their expertise in processing the results. Please come back soon to learn about the results.