Hey Friends, it’s nice to be back with you.

This week, we have someone we’d like you to meet: a spunky, healthy, pre-schooler named Christy!

Christy and her mother Wislande spent time at both our maternity center and nutrition center in 2019.

Initially, Wislande received prenatal care at Second Mile Haiti, but when she went into labor at 33 weeks, she was referred to a local hospital to be monitored during her early delivery.

Wislande and newborn Christy were hospitalized for thirteen days before returning to our Cap Haitien Maternity Center where our Midwives taught her the importance of Kangaroo Care for a premature baby and worked with the duo around the clock.

Once their postpartum needs were met, the pair jumped over to our nutrition center where they stayed with us for six weeks.

Christy grew from 1.35 kg to 2.98 kg.

But that’s not the best part.

From there, we got to watch Christy grow under her mother’s doting care as the pair returned to Second Mile Haiti for follow-up visits a few times each year.

Their most recent visit? Today!

Today, Christy is a bright-eyed, curious, 4-year-old with no shortage of personality!

Wislande and Christy’s story can’t help but remind us of a family that we worked with in 2015, a mother named Beigemanie and her daughter named Beige-landine.

Both youthful mothers went into labor prematurely with their first child and both mothers ended up at Second Mile Haiti for malnutrition treatment.

The difference?

Before Second Mile was available, an orphanage seemed like the only way for some families to keep their children alive.

In 2015, Beigemanie and her 30-day-old infant were referred to Second Mile by an orphanage that Beigemanie had found herself at as a last effort to save her daughter. Her baby weighed only 1.4 kg (3lbs), and had already spent her first month of life in the NICU, which drained the family of finances.

In 2019, Wislande and her family got to skip the orphanage trauma completely; she didn’t even have to consider it. She was already being monitored by our prenatal specialists when we determined that she would need to be transferred to the hospital because the baby was coming early.

Wislande knew that she had somewhere to go after the hospital that would help her take care of her small baby. She never had to contemplate surrendering her daughter.

We started offering Prenatal Care at our first Maternity Center in 2018 to give mothers the kind of prenatal & postpartum support that would give infants and young families a strong start.

We also hoped to replace orphanages as a place families felt compelled to turn to when their babies were unwell.

We are happy to report that both the Second Mile Haiti Maternity Center and Nutrition Centers are serving their purpose.

Families are staying together and children like Christy are thriving in their mother’s care.

Thank you for helping us make this a reality for families in Haiti.

Be sure to join us on Facebook and Instagram for more inspiring stories like this one.

❤️ love from happy, healthy families in Haiti

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Hello friend,

It’s been two weeks since the last Sixty Seconds was published, and well, we’ve missed you!

In 10 years, our organization has grown and evolved tremendously.

As we perpetually look for new ways to improve health and alleviate poverty we’ve started countless new program and enjoyed many “firsts” along the way.

In fact, it feels like yesterday that we were telling you about the first birth at both births centers, the first trash day, and the first solar lamp installation.

Today was another “first” and we wish you could have been there to see it!

Second Mile Haiti’s first savings group completed their first cycle of savings and had a party to commemorate their achievements.

The group—which attracted 21 interested individuals at the first meeting— and ended with 16 committed members, is made up entirely of female entrepreneurs.

All 16 participants spent time at one of our Malnutrition Treatment Centers with sick children—and all 16 would go on to launch a business through our Business Program when their children recovered.

Each person made a commitment at the group’s opening to save a specific sum of money at each meeting. Even if they desired to save a little more or maybe a little less, the commitment was binding for the entire six month period.

The group had strict rules which they created themselves and enforced through a committee of five leaders.

Isneydor (left) is the group President and proud owner/operator of one of the areas most highly-frequented hot dog stand.

When no one immediately volunteered for the position, Dacheline—the Second Mile staff member who supports the Savings Group—had looked at Isneydor and said:

“I think you can do it.”

Isneyder was fearful of the position at first and really didn’t want it.

But she took it and excelled at the role.

Their bi-monthly meetings weren’t just for putting away a portion of their business earnings. They were also a time for exchanging ideas and providing moral support.

At each meeting they discussed their successes and challenges and encouraged each other to remember the “why” propelling their efforts.

Each person knew intimately what the other members were saving for and they often brainstormed together how to make their goals a reality.

A few people had to leave the group after missing more than the permitted number of meetings.

But in the end, these 16 entrepreneurs were left standing on their own two feet, arm in arm with each other.

From a distance, I eavesdropped on the party as it moved from entertainment— including singing performances, jokes, and a game of musical chairs—to business.

Finally, it was time for the main event: withdrawing their saved funds.

Every member of the savings group received an envelope.

Each enveloped contained the full amount saved, with interest added by Second Mile.

They didn’t announce their plans money in their envelopes as this was something they’d done repeatedly over the past six months.

Instead, I learned from Dacheline what a few of the participants had in store.

One participant plans to grow her business—selling food—by adding fresh juice to her menu.

Another participant, who’s business is sandal resale, also plans to expand her offerings.

Where she used to purchase just three pairs of sandals at a time, the money in her envelope will allow her to purchase a dozen pairs in one bulk purchase—which means she can earn even more money with each pair she sells.