Fine Salt Is Fine! Bon Sel Dayiti has traditionally been a

coarse salt, but thanks to the

innovations at the factory, Bon Sel

will now have fine salt for food

producers. We are partnering with

schools, orphanages, and businesses

to get Bon Sel Dayiti out to more

people, so that more Haitians will be

able to use Bon Sel Dayiti , as we

continue our fight against LF and

Iodine Deficiency Disorder.

This year, the Bon Sel Dayiti Salt Factory

will produce 500 tons of salt iodized

with DEC. Production is forecasted to

increase to 1200 T in 2014. The Haiti

Program is reaping the benefits of our

first year of assistance from Cargill Salt.

Former Cargill executive and current

Salt Program Manager Jim Reimer has

brought his extensive experience to

Haiti. Jim has also involved several of

his former colleagues in different

aspects of the program.

Leogane Ledger F A L L 2 0 1 3

A Message from Dean Crawford

I have visited Haiti many

times in six years as

Dean of the College of

Science. On a recent trip,

I was profoundly

impressed by the

fantastic progress that

has been made during

the past several months.

Much work remains, but

the Notre Dame Haiti

Program is accelerating!

The Bon Sel Dayiti salt

factory capacity has

been expanded to 1,500

tons per year of iodized

salt with DEC and will be

expanded to 3,000 tons

per year in 2014. Bon

Sel Dayiti is delivering

life-changing nutrients to

the people of Haiti.

Discoveries that elevate

society – what the

College of Science and

the University of Notre

Dame are all about! We

foresee further

accomplishments ahead

rom the Haiti Program as

we collaborate to

eliminate LF from the

island. We often talk

about virtues at Notre

Dame, and I am amazed

at the virtues expressed

in Haiti – from the

compassion and passion

of our staff and collabo-

rators to the resilience

and perseverance of the

people they serve.

Images from the Bon Sel Dayiti factory in Port-au-Prince

P A G E 2

The Brazilians Are Coming! In early December, the

Residence Filariose will be

bustling with activity! Over

the course of five days, the

Haiti Program will host a

training session in

Morbidity Management.

During the training, doctors

(including Notre Dame

Alumni Vince Degennaro &

John MacDonald,) nurses,

and health professionals

from across Haiti will focus

on learning how to provide

top-notch care for those

with lymphedema illnesses,

specifically lymphatic

filariasis.

This training will be in

cooperation with the

Brazilian Embassy and the

World Health Organiza-

tion (WHO), and led by

specialists from Brazil.

Morbidity care is one part

of the Notre Dame Haiti

Program’s work, as caring

for those who are

suffering is as important

as what we do to prevent

others from becoming

afflicted. We are grateful

for this new partnership

with the Brazilians and for

our continued work with

WHO.

as healthy as possible.

Claudette also needed to

provide for her young family.

A saleswoman before she got

sick, Claudette was recently

hired to be a vendor for Bon

Sel Dayiti. Notre Dame

produces cofortified salt to

help fight the symptoms of

Iodine Deficiency and LF. As

the program launches a

nationwide marketing

campaign, individual vendors

like Claudette help to make

When she was diagnosed

with LF in 2002, Claudette

St. Louis had minor swell-

ing in her right leg. Afraid

of the symptoms that

were common in her

hometown of Leogane,

she became an active

participant in the Hope

Club, a support group for

women with LF, and also

frequented Notre Dame’s

LF clinic for antibiotic

ointments to keep her legs

the personal connection with

markets around Leogane and

Port-au-Prince. As a member

of the Hope Club, the

Program provided Claudette

with the one bale of 25

pounds of salt, which she

then reinvested to sell 50

pounds a week. When asked

about why she works so hard

for Bon Sel Dayiti, Claudette

responds: “To help Haiti stay

healthy.“

L E O G A N E L E D G E R

Selling Salt, Delivering Hope

Claudette St. Louis shows off

Bon Sel Dayiti in Leogane.

P A G E 3

their illness and coping skills.

While meeting with club

organizers, Dr. Peter offered

advice on stress relief activities

that could be introduced to the

group. Dr. Kowalski then met

with several patients in individual

Thank You Doctor Peter Kowalski In August, Dr. Peter Kowalski

made his fourth trip to Leogane.

Dr. Kowalski, a Texas psychiatrist,

is a well-known figure in Leogane

as a veteran of Emil’s Army,

post-Earthquake Relief, and

medical mission trips. On this

trip, Dr. Peter, a member of the

class of 1979, spent most of his

time with LF patients.

Dr. Kowalski was able to meet

with members of the HOPE Club,

a group of approximately 200

patients who meet to discuss

and small group therapy sessions.

In a country with only 12 psychia-

trists for 10 million people, Dr.

Kowalski’s commitment to Haiti is

already having an impact on

patients and their families. Thank

you, Doctor Peter, for your help!

Program Researchers Present in DC

This month, the American

Society of Tropical Medicine

and Hygiene held their annual

meeting in Washington, DC.

The Haiti Program was repre-

sented by Dr. Marie Denise

Milord, Binational Coordinator

of the program to fight NTDs

and malaria in Haiti and the

Dominican Republic, and

Mathieu Poirier, Assistant

Director of Research.

Leading off a symposium titled

Eliminating Malaria and

titled “Concomitant Household

Use of LF Interventions in Haiti”

and “Preliminary Multiplex

Serological Assessment of Vector

Borne Diseases in a Sentinel

Community in Léogâne, Haiti”.

Mathieu was also able to net-

work with NTD researchers from

around the world, which may

lead to rsearch

collaboration

and support in

the future.

Lymphatic Filariasis on

Hispaniola, Dr. Milord present-

ed the binational plan for the

elimination of malaria and LF

on Hispaniola on behalf of both

countries’ ministries of health.

Based in Haiti, Mathieu is

currently conducting research

on the effects of Bon Sel Dayiti

on LF, as well as coordinating

sentinel site research and

preparing for Transmission

Assessment Surveys this spring.

Mathieu presented two posters

This Holiday Season, the Haiti Program is thankful for your prayerful support. We wish you and your loved ones a Happy and Joyous holiday season.

Jwaye Nwel and Bon Ane!

Give the Gift of Health This holiday season, the Notre Dame

Haiti Program is offering the oppor-

tunity to Give the Gift of Health in

Haiti.

If you are looking for the perfect gift

for someone who has everything,

please consider making a donation to

the Haiti Program in honor of a dear

friend or family member.

The Notre Dame Haiti Program has

commissioned local artists in Leogane

to create drawings of Christmas

scenes. The Program will send your

friend a card, like the one at right,

with a Christmas blessing as well as a

note detailing what is being done in

their honor. Recipients will not be

added to the mailing list. For alumni,

this gift will count towards yearly

contributions to the University.

Donors may choose to sponsor one of

the specific projects listed, or they may

designate general patient support.

A gift of $25 will provide

lymphedema care for one month

for 10 people

A gift of $50 will provide Mass Drug

Administration for 100 people

A gift of $100 will provide 800 one

pound bags of medicated salt to

help a local vendor start a busi-

ness.

A gift of $500 will provide a life-

changing hydrocele surgery, ena-

bling the patient to support his

family once again.

More information and an order form

can be found at www.haiti.nd.edu

All requests for cards must be post-

marked by December 14th, so that the

Program elves have time to process

gifts in time for the holiday.

Phone: 574-631-3273

Fax: 574-631-7984

E-mail: haitihelp@nd.edu

Notre Dame Haiti Program University of Notre Dame

305 Brownson Hall

Notre Dame, IN 46556

Founded in 1993, the University of Notre Dame

Haiti Program seeks to eliminate lymphatic filariasis

(LF) in Haiti by 2020. LF, a mosquito-borne disease,

is the second leading cause of long-term

disfigurement and disability worldwide. It can be

eliminated through Mass Drug Administration and

the distribution of co-fortified salt. The Haiti

Program is partnering with the Haitian Ministry of

Health, corporations, and non-governmental

organizations to forever eliminate the disease in

Haiti, thus alleviating suffering, helping to grow the

Haitian economy, and creating an exportable model

for LF elimination throughout the developing world.

www.haiti.nd.edu