HIV

Before coming to Haiti, I’d read quite a bit about the prevalence of HIV here. It is estimated that the numbers of people living with HIV in Haiti are the highest in the Western Hemisphere. So I came here anxious to learn about what that meant for the lives of people in Source Chaudes. A month ago, I sat down to chat with Jennifer (the director of the health project) about it. I anticipated that we’d have lots to talk about, so was shocked when our conversation about HIV in rural, Northwest Haiti took about a minute.

There are only two testing sites in the entire commune.
And none of the rural clinics here have any HIV medication.

Two testing sites.
No medication.
One month later, I’m still reeling.