Hurricane Matthew, one of the strongest hurricanes seen in recent years, has had a devastating impact on Haiti and damaged the U.S. Southeast coast as well. The Abbott Fund (Abbott is No. 14 on the Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies list) provided $75,000 in funding to help our longstanding partner in Haiti, Partners In Health (PIH), to meet critical health needs in the country.
In the U.S., the Abbott Fund provided a $75,000 grant to the American Red Cross to help provide emergency shelter, food, blankets and supplies to thousands of people across Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Virginia.
In Haiti, the Abbott Fund grant will be used to ramp up local production of PIH’s Nourimanba, a life-saving treatment for severe malnutrition that is provided to children at PIH’s healthcare facilities in Haiti. Nourimanba is produced by PIH’s sister organization, Zanmi Lasante, at the Nourimanba Production Facility (SPN, or Sant Prodiksyon Nourimanba in Haitian Creole) in Central Haiti.
Opened in 2013, the SPN facility was built through a partnership between Abbott, the Abbott Fund, PIH and ZL, with the close involvement of Abbott scientists, engineers and other experts. Built to withstand hurricanes, the facility has quickly resumed operations to continue production of Nourimanba. The Abbott Fund grant will be used to purchase the necessary raw materials and supplies to expand production in the coming days, in order to meet the expected increased demand for Nourimanba following the hurricane.
For more information on how Partners In Health is addressing the impact of Hurricane Matthew, and to donate to advance their important work in Haiti, click here.
For more information on the SPN facility in Haiti, and the longstanding partnership between Abbott, the Abbott Fund, PIH and ZL to help meet health needs and drive economic development in the region, visit partnershipinhaiti.org.
