Global Health

Imagine if you or someone you love died in childbirth because the hospital was unaffordable. While this might be hard to imagine for some, it’s a terrifying reality for many women in Haiti. Due to insufficient services and resources, Haitian women die in childbirth at a higher rate than anywhere else in the western hemisphere.

This is why dōTERRA Wellness Advocate Jennifer Gallardo started MamaBaby Haiti, an organization that provides a safe place for Haitian women to receive compassionate and attentive care from skilled midwives. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic and following closure of Dominican Republic borders has made things even more difficult for expectant mothers and for everyone in Haiti, as food is more expensive, and jobs are scarcer.

Now more than ever, MamaBaby Haiti has been working tirelessly to support the brave women of Haiti, who are doing their best to bring healthy babies into the world. Thanks to a grant from the dōTERRA Healing Hands Foundation®, a U.S. Foundation, MamaBaby Haiti brought some much-needed resources to their birthing centers. Previously, they were using a dilapidated 1999 truck as an “ambulance” for the birthing center, as it was the best they could get their hands on. The Foundation grant provided funding for an updated mobile clinic vehicle and ambulance to transport expecting mothers. The birthing center was also in desperate need for a generator to provide adequate power.

dōTERRA proudly facilitated these updates for MamaBaby Haiti, an organization that’s literally saving lives with their work. For women who are expected to deliver their babies during a pandemic—in a country where resources are limited—having necessities such as an ambulance, proper power, and caring midwives can make all the difference.