Seated on a bench in the maternity pharmacy, Fabiola is waiting for the medication prescribed by the midwife during her consultation. Five months pregnant, the 35-year-old woman knows the facility well. She has been coming since her second month of pregnancy to ensure proper monitoring.
“I have nowhere else to go.”
This is her second pregnancy. Her first baby died due to complications during childbirth. Living alone, without a stable income or family support, she hadn’t had the chance to receive proper support the first time.
“I am an orphan. I have no one to rely on.”
Today, Fabiola is determined to be closely monitored. The medical care now provided by ALIMA at Chancerelles’ maternity ward is a “blessing” for her.
“Here, I’m treated well. I receive medication and have been monitored since my second month. The doctors told me to come straight to the hospital if I feel any pain, even if it wasn’t contractions,” she explains.
For her, the Chancerelles maternity ward means everything, even though she does not live in the neighborhood.
“Without ALIMA, many women would have died. We have no money, no help. Here, at least, we’re treated with respect.”
A Pillar for Women’s Health in a Vulnerable Neighborhood
Founded in 1947, this emblematic institution dedicated to women’s health has long been a national reference in obstetrics and gynecology, training new specialists each year to strengthen Haiti’s healthcare system.
Located at the heart of the Chancerelles area and surrounded by La Saline, Grand-Rue, Boston, and the former Fort Dimanche camp, the maternity ward has weathered decades of turmoil. In recent years, armed violence has severely disrupted its operations.
“In 2023, the security situation became unbearable. No one could enter the area. The hospital had to close its doors,” recalls Hénock Paul, one of the hospital’s managers. Barricades, armed clashes, and mass population displacement prevented medical staff, often coming from outside the neighborhood, from providing healthcare.
It is in this context that ALIMA played a crucial role. Present in several hard-to-reach areas in Haiti, ALIMA supported the gradual reopening of the maternity ward and the resumption of healthcare services.
« ALIMA a une grande capacité à pénétrer des zones complexes, à dialoguer avec les communautés et avec les acteurs locaux », affirme Hénock Paul. « Sans ALIMA, je ne pense pas que l’hôpital aurait pu redonner accès aux soins à ces femmes. »
“ALIMA has a great capacity to operate in complex areas and to engage with communities and local actors,” says Hénock Paul.
“Without ALIMA, I don’t think the hospital could have given these women access to medical care.”
High Activity Reflecting Immense Needs
Between April and December 2025, the facility recorded high levels of activity: 671 births were carried out, and 9,854 prenatal consultations were provided. This sustained activity highlights the scale of maternal health needs in this densely populated area.
“It allows people with very limited means to receive healthcare. It is extremely important for the Cité Soleil community,” explains Golnodji Innocent, ALIMA’s Deputy Project Manager in Port-au-Prince.
“ALIMA also provides support in terms of human resources and medication,” he adds.
Thanks to strengthened medical teams, the supply of essential medicines, and close coordination with health authorities, Chancerelles Hospital is gradually reclaiming its role as a key healthcare pillar for Cité Soleil and surrounding neighborhoods.
At Chancerelles, providing healthcare means navigating insecurity, poverty, collective trauma, and disrupted public services every day. Yet each consultation, each assisted birth, and each woman supported represents a victory in this vulnerable neighborhood.
For Fabiola, hope persists despite the uncertainty.
“I just want to give birth safely, so my child can live. This is the only place where I can hope for that,” she says.
With financial support from the European Union (ECHO), ALIMA is today a key healthcare actor working as close as possible to populations who are too often deprived of access to care.
Photo credits: © Woo-Jerry Mathurin / ALIMA
