At Zanmi Lasante, caring doesn’t stop at the walls of the consulting room. It also means listening, accompanying, and opening paths to dignity. In Haiti, where over 35% of adults cannot read or write, illiteracy is a silent but powerful obstacle to autonomy. That’s why, for several years now, we’ve chosen to act on this front too.
On Monday, June 23, 2025, at the Pavillon Thomas J. White of Hôpital Bon Sauveur de Cange, we launched the second cohort of the literacy program for patients living with special health conditions, including HIV and tuberculosis. Carried out by the Office of Social Work in collaboration with the Infectious Diseases Department, this program embodies our vision of an integrated approach: one that heals the body without forgetting the mind.
Many patients have been living for years with a treatment they barely understand, simply because they never had access to school. Not knowing how to read a prescription, not being able to sign a document, not understanding their own rights: these are all silent violence that we want to repair.
The initiative, actively supported by Zanmi Lasante, enables participants to learn to read, write, sign their names. But above all, it offers them a chance to regain their self-confidence. Because learning means getting back on their feet. It’s about taking back your place in the world.
“M’ap aprann li ak ekri pou m vanse.”
These words from one participant sum up the spirit of this program. She is one of dozens of learners who, each week, sit down in a simple, yet hope-filled room to trace letters as one traces a new beginning.
During the launch ceremony, several team members took the floor to reaffirm the importance of this approach. Nurse Farah Jean warmly hosted the event. Dr Myriame Michel, head of the HIV program, reminded us that literacy is a question of justice: “It’s not a luxury, it’s a right.” Dr Gamarly Leblanc Jacques, from TB/HIV coordination, stressed that this program reflects the very essence of our mission: to put people at the center, by linking health, education and social justice.
The testimony of Judith Montperousse, program teacher, deeply moved the assembly. She spoke of the participants’ pride in writing their names for the first time, the laughter, the hesitations, the daily victories.
This project is a reminder: at Zanmi Lasante, we don’t just treat. We lift, we accompany, we educate. Because a dignified healthcare system cannot exist without also tackling the root causes of exclusion.
Your support enables us to go beyond care, to also offer tools for living. Help us to continue this work. Make a donation to strengthen education, dignity, autonomy.