Pink Jeep Delivers Prenatal Care to Rural Haiti

A bright pink Jeep Wrangler, staffed with four midwives, races along uneven, dusty roads to reach more than 50 pregnant women in Darlegrand, a rural town two hours north of Hinche, Haiti.

The Jeep belongs to Midwives for Haiti, a nonprofit organization working to ensure that women in remote parts of the country have access to prenatal care and skilled birth attendants. Without the Jeep, many of the women, who have traveled to the daylong February clinic in Darlegrand, would not receive proper medical attention.

The Rotary Club of Western Henrico County, Virginia, USA, along with Bon Secours Health Systems and local individual donors, contributed a total of  US$70,000 to purchase the Jeep, customized for rugged terrain. More than $20,000 of that amount came from the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund, a donor advised fund set up by The Rotary Foundation.

Rotarians around the world are working to reduce maternal mortality rates and improve access to essential medical services for mothers and their children. Maternal and child health is one of Rotary's areas of focus. More...