The SPRING/Haiti program closed out on October 13, 2015, after three years of nutrition programming work in-country. Participants at the closing ceremony in Port-au-Prince applauded the SPRING/Haiti team for its efforts, which were focused primarily on training health care workers, and integrating nutrition assessments, counseling and support (NACS) and infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices into the national health care platform.
“This really was an exciting project, and the small Haiti team can truly be proud of its accomplishments, which were designed to last,” said Nathalie Albrow, SPRING/Haiti country support team lead.
At the closing ceremony, 60 participants discussed SPRING/Haiti’s results, celebrating the progress made in strengthening nutrition capacity among the country’s health workforce. Many were impressed by the ongoing launch of a national NACS/IYCF package and expressed hope to see further results.
“Of all the big projects that I have seen come and go, SPRING/Haiti’s legacy will be the most lasting, for it will not need money to be sustained,” said Ms. Rhudnie Angrand, Nutrition Focal Point/North, adding, “It is leaving a pool of trainers and complete NACS and IYCF packages that the health department trainers and health facility staff will have on hand to help maintain quality in the continuum of care.”
Information has spread from the health facilities to health centers and on to local health workers. During FY2015, SPRING/Haiti met 100 percent of its training target for nutrition counseling, training 260 health workers in NACS Assessment and Referral Trainings and NACS Counseling Trainings. A total of 8,962 people were reached through SPRING/Haiti’s work during FY15. Such trainings are crucial in Haiti, whose population faces one of the world’s highest rates of hunger and a critical shortage of doctors, nurses, and midwives.
“I thank SPRING/Haiti for a job well done,” said Dr. Julio Désormeaux, representative of the Director General, Haiti, expressing his hope for a SPRING/Haiti 2.