Graduation Day: Powered By You
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This is a brand-new blog series, where we’ll share stories of the impact donors like you make possible in Haiti – interviews with Heartline’s clients, behind-the-scenes information from staff, and on-the-ground reporting from a Haitian perspective.
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Graduation Day: Powered by You
by Aljany Narcius. Originally published June 2024.
On Tuesday, March 26th, I walked into the Heartline Maternity Center for a particularly special occasion. Today was the graduation ceremony for the outgoing class of Heartline's Prenatal Birth Care and Postpartum Education Program. It’s an innovative model of comprehensive group care, supporting women all the way from pregnancy tests through their baby’s first months of life.
In the past couple years, I’ve interviewed plenty of mothers and members of the Heartline team, taken many photos, and grown familiar with the premises – but this was my first graduation day.
Twenty-two mothers and their children gathered at the Center to mark the end of their year-long program, women from all over the Port-au-Prince metro. Nothing was left to chance to make this even a success.
The ceremony was artfully prepared by the Maternity Center team and hosted by the excellent Alaïka – one of the new mothers. As she spoke, I noticed that she knew how to choose the right words amid a time of crisis in Haiti, responding to the atmosphere of the morning with a well-judged sense of humor.
Taking the floor at the opening of the formal ceremony was Clinic Administrator Fredelyne, who leads operations at the Center. In an impromptu speech, she thanked the nurses and midwives on her team, the mothers who entrusted her with their children, the colleagues who encouraged her in the early stages of the program, and those who accompanied mothers to their prenatal visits.
Some of the mothers took the opportunity to share their stories with the audience. Merline C., who had a difficult delivery after being transferred to the Petits Frères et Soeurs hospital for a C-section, gave birth to a baby girl with shoulder dystocia – an obstetric emergency linked to difficulty in extracting the fetus after the baby's head has come out.
With tears in her eyes, Merline showed her daughter off to the audience: a healthy little girl playing with both arms working well. Both hospital staff and the Heartline team had intervened on her behalf.
Continuing the ceremony, Fredelyne and nurse Guerline took turns calling out names, each one stepping up to the podium to receive a certificate commemorating her achievement. This was the heart of the ceremony, and one of the most eagerly awaited moments.
Applause erupted, and my camera flashed to capture each mother and baby separately in a souvenir photo, immortalizing this moment in a mother’s life with a certificate in hand and a big smile on her face.
Thousands of women and children have taken part in the program. After 17 years of operations (2007–2024), 150 classes have had a graduation ceremony like this one.
In a nation where 1 in 94 women die as a result of pregnancy or childbirth, each of these women’s faces is a victory. In a nation where children are born into a failed state, each of these babies represents decades of hope for the future.
This joy, this relentless faith, is a monument to your generosity – a direct result of people thousands of miles away who care about these kids and their moms.
As always, thank you for investing in Haitian families with Heartline. If you’d like to support Fredelyne and the Heartline Maternity Center, click here.
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About the Author
Aljany Narcius
Haitian journalist Aljany Narcius is currently pursuing a Master 2 in Media Management, online from France’s University of Lille. With ten years of experience in the fields of journalism and communication, Aljany is a linguist who uses the Creole language as her weapon in the fight against social inequalities, exploitation, and all kinds of violence.
Editorial and additional writing provided by the Heartline Haiti team.
