Close Together, Far Apart: an Assessment of the Public Health Needs of Three Geographically Proximate Communities in Central Haiti

Haiti, a country marked by extreme poverty and poor health, is also an active site for thousands of non-governmental organizations. The community needs assessment is an important tool that allows aid organizations to understand better community perspectives regarding health. In this study, 84 community members were interviewed across three geographically proximate communities in the Arcahaie region of Haiti to identify similarities and differences in community needs. Overall, the most important public health-related problems included access to clean water, sanitation, health care, and education. In discussing these topics, similarities were observed in drinking water source and relative lack of water treatment. Significant differences were noted between the communities in health care source. There were no significant differences in school enrollment patterns across communities, but there were differences in gendered enrollment. This broad survey affirms the importance of understanding the needs of individual communities in order to implement effective public health interventions.