The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Commits $100,000 to Catholic Medical Mission Board COVID-19 Efforts

CMMB will mobilize faith communities to promote and facilitate COVID-19 vaccination in rural communities throughout Haiti.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — Monday, June 28th, 2021

Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) today announced a $100,000 grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to provide education, training and logistics support that will promote and facilitate COVID-19 vaccination in rural communities throughout Haiti, as well as prepare church-run healthcare clinics as rural vaccination hubs.

“We are proud to support the work of Catholic Medical Mission Board in helping stop the spread of COVID-19 by increasing accessibility to vaccines throughout Haiti,” shares Sr. Jane Wakahiu, associate vice president of program operations and head of Catholic Sisters at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

“Stigma is rampant and affects testing and prevention efforts. The lack of infrastructure, medical supplies and misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines makes mounting a response especially difficult. Faith leaders will play an invaluable role in laying the foundation for COVID-19 vaccine rollout by educating communities about the importance of vaccines and dispelling myths. This effort will save lives,” said Dianne Jean-François, Country Director of CMMB Haiti. “We are grateful for the Hilton Foundation’s support for rural communities in Haiti and their commitment to vaccine equity.”

With the support of the Hilton Foundation, CMMB will work with faith leaders, churches, and over 125 healthcare clinics to ready the rural public for the arrival of vaccines in Haiti by raising public awareness and reducing hesitancy around COVID-19 vaccines through sermons, radio broadcasts, and the distribution of printed materials. In addition, the grant will support training for health providers on handling and administering vaccines, which will be done in collaboration Caritas Haiti and with Ministère de la Santé Publique et de la Population, the nation’s ministry of health.

“The impact of the support from the Hilton Foundation will be far-reaching and will play a major role in educating communities across Haiti as to the safety of the vaccine and in turn the safety of their families,” said Mary Beth Powers, president and CEO of CMMB. “As Haiti struggles to contain another wave of COVID-19, we are seeing hospitalizations rising, shortages of oxygen for patients, and sadly, deaths. As the government awaits delivery of vaccine doses from the COVAX facility, we can help prepare rural communities now to be ready for vaccines as soon as they become available.”

For questions about the information contained within this press release or about CMMB and its programs, please contact the Director of Communications, Luke Dougherty at LDougherty@cmmb.org

About CMMB

CMMB (Catholic Medical Mission Board) provides long-term medical and development aid to communities affected by poverty and unequal access to healthcare.

Focusing on women’s and children health, we deliver sustainable health services in Peru, Haiti, Kenya, South Sudan, and Zambia. For over a century, we have worked to strengthen and support communities through healthcare programs and initiatives, the placement of volunteer, and the distribution of medicines and medical supplies. CMMB has delivered over 3,000 shipments with a total value of more than $4 billion worth of medical aid in 88 countries over the last ten years.

Learn more at: https://cmmb.org/