The 5-year AKSYON program will provide malnutrition screening and referral services to 2 million people, with a special emphasis on women and children under 5.
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (September 19, 2016)— The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announces a new 5-year, USD 18 million, nutrition program entitled AKSYON, which stands for Aksyon Kominote nan Sante pou Ogmante Nitrisyon. AKSYON aims to decrease the number of women and children under the age of 5 who suffer from malnutrition by building on the FONKOZE Foundation’s network of community health stores (boutik sante) to establish a network of 1,800 community health entrepreneurs, who will become key health and nutrition resources for their community.
These community health entrepreneurs will document moderate and severe malnutrition cases with a practical and sustainable Malnutrition Management Information System (MMIS), and do registration, screening, referral and follow up in their community though their own boutik sante. The boutik sante model addresses the lack of reliable access to quality over-the-counter health products and services, while the profits from the sale of health and hygiene products ensures their sustainability.
They will also promote the inclusion of vulnerable households in FONKOZE’s “Ti Kredi” microfinance program, while its partner – Makouti AgroEntreprise – will offer training and technical assistance for home gardening and livestock rearing activities. AKSYON aims to reach up to 2 million people nationwide over the life of the project.
FONKOZE Foundation will lead a consortium of partners to implement AKSYON, including FONKOZE Financial Service, whose 44 branches and 2000 credit centers will ensure AKSYON’s nation-wide reach, and Healthy Entrepreneurs which will manage the supply chain. AKSYON will be implemented in partnership with the Haitian Ministry of Health and UNICEF.
AKSYON complements other USAID Haiti initiatives such as Kore Lavi, Feed the Future and Service Santé de Qualité pour Haïti, and expands our efforts to improve access to food and nutrition for vulnerable households, provide essential health services, and promote sustainable agricultural development and economic growth in Haiti.
Jene Thomas, USAID Mission Director, says: “We are very pleased to partner with FONKOZE, which has done so much to empower Haitians over the past 20 years. AKSYON represents USAID Haiti’s largest direct grant to a Haitian organization, and we look forward to its ambitious results being realized in a sustainable way, relying on local expertise.”
About FONKOZE Foundation
Since it was founded in 1994, FONKOZE Foundation has provided critical services to clients, including health, education, and support to the ultra-poor. With over 60,000 clients in some of the most remote areas of Haiti, a majority of them women, FONKOZE continues to fulfill its mission of providing financial and non-financial services to empower Haitians to lift their families out of poverty. http://www.fonkoze.org/
About USAID
The U.S. Agency for International Development is the U.S. Government’s international development agency and has worked in Haiti for over 50 years on behalf of the American people, helping to mitigate the impact of natural disasters and periods of political instability while promoting health and education and increasing long-term economic growth and good governance for the well-being of the Haitian people and the advancement of the country. http://www.usaid.gov/haiti
