Six hundred (600) mothers and children who have been part of the program for over a year, from different towns across the country, gathered at the Mirebalais University Hospital (HUM) to mark this memorable event.
Nothing was left to chance to ensure that this event, so eagerly awaited by beneficiaries, was a success. The ceremony was artfully prepared by the J9 program team and hosted by the excellent Wilby Descartes, social worker at HUM, who chose the right words, responding to the atmosphere that morning, with a well-measured sense of humor.
Taking the floor at the opening of the ceremony, J9 program coordinator Thamar Julmiste, in an impromptu speech, began by thanking the accompanying nurses who assisted pregnant women during their prenatal visits to HUM, the mothers who entrusted her with their children, the colleagues who encouraged her in the early stages of the program, the resident doctors and nurse-midwives who collaborated with her and especially Marc Julmisse, the executive director of Zanmi Lasante, who had the brilliant idea of initiating this program.
Each year, the program team organizes a graduation to allow the first groups of women-children to leave in style and integrate other pregnant women and their newborns into the J9 program. After 4 years (2018 -2021), 219 groups of women and 179 groups of children have graduated. In September 2021, the J9 program was extended to Hôpital Sainte-Thérèse de Hinche (HSTH). Over a hundred pregnant women from HSTH are already part of it.
“Once graduated, program beneficiaries can only re-enter the program two years after their passage,” informs program coordinator Thamar Julmiste. “This allows us to offer the opportunity to other pregnant women,” she says, “so that they can have the chance to give birth in a health center and in better conditions.”
Some mothers took the opportunity to share their testimonies with the audience. Carline, who gave birth to a baby girl with deformed knees, was happy to show off her baby to the audience, who was walking normally after receiving medical care from the HUM medical staff and the J9 program. She was so happy she had tears in her eyes.
Continuing the ceremony, Mr. Wilby Descartes and Thamar Julmiste, took turns calling the recipients for the presentation of certificates and children’s accessory kits. This was the heart of the ceremony, and one of the most eagerly awaited moments. Each one climbed to the podium to collect her certificate.
Applause erupted, and photographer Amos Sampeur’s flashbulbs crackled to capture the mothers and their babies separately in a souvenir photo, immortalizing this moment in life with certificate in hand and a big smile on their lips.
“We’ve become very close, and it’s very joyful today. Everyone is very happy to share this moment with their children, friends and family,” says Guerline Joseph, all smiles, with her baby on her arms.