Public Alert

Doudy Charles sent images of a volunteer-led campaign that stepped in to fill gaps in formal public health services in a country struggling with severe deficiencies in physical and social infrastructure.

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When COVID-19 hit Fort-Liberte, a small city in northeastern Haiti, some residents worried that their neighbors wouldn’t have access to reliable information about the disease. This was of particular concern for people living on the outskirts of the city, where communications and health infrastructure are especially lacking and low literacy levels are common.

Charles and other young volunteers organized through Facebook and went door to door explaining the risk posed by COVID and urging people to wear face masks and social distance.

Their messages, delivered by loudspeaker, follow in a longstanding tradition of Fort-Liberte’s streets being used to convey important information about public health. Over the years, murals painted on the hospital walls and trucks driving around blasting catchy jingles have been used to spread practical advice about issues like AIDS, cholera, and child nutrition.