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Inisyasyon prekòs ak bay ti moun tété /
Early initiation and breastfeeding

Early initiation and breastfeeding message

Lave men timoun yo / Wash the children's hands

Food for your children

Manje pou timoun yo / Food for the children

Rann gaz ti moun / Burping the Baby

Importance of Burping the Baby radio message

Trete dlo pou bwè / Treat the water you drink

Save the Children communicates lifesaving health messages to Haitian mothers

Port-au-Prince, HAITI (16 February, 2010) In anticipation of the dangers presented by the upcoming rainy season on the heels of the devastating 7.0 earthquake and multiple aftershocks that struck this already impoverished nation during January, Save the Children is providing broadcast-quality Creole songs to radio stations to spread lifesaving health and nutrition messages.

The songs provide Haitian mothers with simple tips and hints about breastfeeding, feeding and hand washing to enable them to better protect their newborn babies and children against preventable diseases and malnutrition.

The project, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development, produced Creole songs and public service announcements before the earthquake, working with local communities and children. The songs will be aired on local radio stations and Creole services provided by international broadcasters.

"The rainy season is approaching in Haiti. And we know that stagnant water and poor sanitation provide a fertile breeding ground for malaria and diarrhoea, which are among the biggest killers of babies and young children," said Kathryn Bolles, Save the Children's Director of Emergency Health and Nutrition. "These diseases are easily preventable and treatable. So it is crucial for people in the camps to have access to accurate information in their language so they have the tools to protect their children.

"Few people have television or electricity, but they are accessing information by radio. Plus, music is natural entry point," said Bolles. "When people hear a song they like, they are likely to remember the tune and the message. This is an effective way to better save the life of newborns and babies. Action taken today could save a baby's life tomorrow."

The rainy season, which begins mid- to late March, increases the threat of waterborne disease and of disease-spreading mosquitoes, especially in the crowded camps that have sprung up throughout Haiti’s capital city since the recent quakes. Save the Children's mobile clinics and medical teams are already seeing cases of diarrhoea, malaria and respiratory infections. The organisation's staff is monitoring illnesses in camps, assessing the status of pregnant women and vulnerable children, and pre-positioning specific medications and supplies in preparation for a possible spike in disease when the rains come. About 170 health workers, including midwives and auxiliary nurses, are working with communities to encourage exclusive breastfeeding and to provide hygiene, nutrition and other health information.

Save the Children also is working hard to improve sanitation and bring clean water to families in temporary encampments. It has recently scaled up the distribution of shelter items with a plan to reach 70,000 families over the coming weeks. About 12,000 displaced children and adults now have access to latrines, water points and bathing areas installed by Save the Children.

To complement the health programmes and as part of its ongoing livelihoods work, Save the Children is hiring labourers to help clear or dig drainage ditches in and near camps where it works.

Save the Children has been assisting children and families in Haiti for three decades. It has reached more than 470,000 people affected by the recent earthquakes.