Maison de Naissance

Maternal and newborn mortality rates in Haiti are the highest in the western hemisphere and among the highest in the world. Mothers and babies die because of the restrictions of poverty. Most deliveries must occur at home without the benefits of prenatal care, education, or a trained birth attendant. Hospitals are far away, ill equipped, and costly.

Maison de Naissance is a maternity center designed as a birthing home. Our mission is to provide preferential care for mothers and babies in extreme poverty in Haiti. The services of a modern maternity center are offered in the hospitality of a safe, culturally appropriate, welcoming, and friendly home - a house of birth - Maison de Naissance.

View a birth (0:39 sec)

The Healthy Mothers - Healthy Babies Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to improve healthcare for mothers and babies in impoverished communities. In Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, Healthy Mothers-Healthy Babies Foundation is sponsor of Maison de Naissance. The activities of Maison de Naissance, which reach a population of more than 10,000 Haitians, are featured in this website. Thanks to generous support by visionary donors, plans are now under way to extend our zone of service in Haiti to as many as 100,000 rural inhabitants of the Port Salut Peninsula who lack access to healthcare. Please examine the compelling examples of success at Maison de Naissance contained in this website and consider making a contribution by clicking below or please feel free to contact Steve Bornemeier at steve@hm-hb.org or 816.812.0820 for assistance or questions. And please visit our website again for updates on our expansion plans as they go forward. Thanks for your interest!

Byenvenu - Welcome
Pictured above is Kethia Vilfranche and her Ti Gason (baby boy). Kethia is from the village of Labattre. Her maternity care and safe delivery at Maison de Naissance were sponsored by St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Kansas City, Missouri, and a matching gift from the MDG committee of the Diocese of West Missouri. Felisitasyon! Congratulations!

Updates

An Evening in Provence - Celebration Event !
Maison de Naissance will soon celebrate its 4th birthday. Aixois French Restaurant in Kansas City will honor MN again this year with a 6 course French dinner and exceptional wine pairings. Come help us celebrate access to quality healthcare, Healthy Mothers & Healthy Babies! Sunday, September 28th, 5:30pm. $135 per person. Reservations: 816-812-7100.

Local Action & Global Vision

Recent events remind us that the people of Haiti, living in the poorest country in the western hemisphere, face severe challenges in providing the basics for their families. Charitable organizations working in Haiti must cope with many of the same challenges, not the least of which are steeply rising costs within a civil society that is fragile at best. Nevertheless, Healthy Mothers- Healthy Babies Foundation's Maison de Naissance (MN) has demonstrated remarkable success in extending healthcare to previously unserved populations, significantly reducing newborn mortality while empowering community wellbeing in the process.

Please read the current Healthy Mothers-Healthy Babies Annual Report, just published in June, 2008. In the introduction, co-founder Dr. Stan Shaffer eloquently suggests how HMHB's community-engaged approaches can begin to "unknot the complex net of poverty, illiteracy, and injustice" in rural Haiti, and in impoverished settings around the world.

HM-HB Annual Report

Recent publications

Dr. Elizabeth Wickstrom and MN - Nebraska Magazine

Bringing Care to the Poorest of the Poor - Dr. Stan Shaffer - Cerner Quarterly

MN - Improving Health Access and Newborn Survival - Social Medicine Journal

MDG Countdown
The Countdown Group for the Millenium Development Goals (MDG's) has identified the following group of interventions as crucial to accelerating progress to reduce maternal and newborn death: immunizations, insecticide-treated bednets, exclusive breast feeding, vitamin A supplements, and the employment of more midwives. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/11/development) Maison de Naissance is proud to be actively involved with each of these.