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The purpose of the Haiti Nursing Foundation is to support the advancement of nursing in the Republic of Haiti.

Travel to Haiti

Before heading to Haiti, you will need to make sure you have gotten the appropriate immunizations.

Vaccinations – typhoid, polio, tetanus, influenza
Start antimalarial medication (Chloroquin 500 mg p.o. q week) 7 days before leaving and continue throughout trip and after (one dose weekly for 6 weeks after leaving the affected area). Chloroquin is the drug of choice for Haiti.
Have a prescription for an antibiotic, fill it and bring it with you in case of traveler’s diarrhea.

This link to the CDC will tell you what you need and where to find it. Centers for Disease Control

Send a copy of your itinerary, a copy of your passport face sheet, and a list of any supplies you are bringing to Dean Alcindor at least one month before leaving for Haiti.

Read the Crisis Management Plan document
(this will be provided to you before departure)

Sign Statement of Agreement and Release of Liability form and send to the FSIL Governing Board Chairperson.(this will be provided to you before departure)

Send a copy of your proposed lesson plans including the length of each class, the content, the delivery method, and the way that you will evaluate learning to Donna Martsolf at dmartsol@kent.edu  You and she will review your plans and send the final draft to Dean Alcindor for approval. Plan to teach as you would in America.  The school is paid for with American tax dollars and is modeled after American-style education.  Realize that you may get questions about how to care for patients without American medications and treatments.  Be prepared for that.
Buy water and food in the Miami airport because the remainder of the trip may cause you to miss a meal and you will not be able to purchase food and water easily in Haiti.

As an extra precaution, you may want to register as a traveler with the U.S. State Department here

At the airport in Haiti:
One of two events may occur.
Immediately upon entering the airport you may be met by a man, Mr. Murat, who will have a sign with your name on it.  He will take your passport and your green immigration sheet (that you filled out on the airplane) and take them to customs.  You will wait in the VIP lounge.  Because of this, you need to be dressed professionally.  The Dean may or may not come to meet you and wait with you. After Mr. Murat returns with your passport stamped and your green immigration sheet, you will be led out to a car/van.

If no one meets you immediately upon entering the airport, proceed to the immigration counter where an official will take your passport and your green card that you filled out on the plane. The official will stamp both and return your passport and the lower half of the green card to you (DO NOT LOSE THIS CARD). Proceed to the baggage claim area and claim your bags. Pass through customs where your bag is subject to search (it may not happen – so just move quickly through the area). You will exit the airport. Stay in the fenced in area until you see either Dean Alcindor or someone holding a sign with your name or the FSIL name. DO NOT accept a ride from a taxi driver and DO NOT leave the fenced in area. If you do not see anyone, call Dean Alcindor at 3527.4537 or 3724.7497 (yes, there are extra #s in the Haitian phone number). Ask to borrow a phone from other visitors or from an official at the information desk back inside the building.

Whether you are met by Mr. Murat or not the rest of the information will apply. Make sure you keep your passport and green card safe. The green card will be required at immigration when you exit Haiti.

The FSIL driver will take you on an interesting journey for 20 miles through Port Au Prince and the countryside for anywhere from 90 minutes to several hours.  [The word “interesting” in the previous sentence should be taken to mean things like “shocking, overwhelming, unbelievable, deplorable, depressing,” if you are a first time visitor to Haiti. Nothing can be said or written that will prepare you for this trip. Please take the time to gain an understanding of the conditions from which our students come and in which they will work after graduation.] If you have a tendency to motion sickness, please make sure that you take something like Dramamine before the car trip if you have no health contraindications to Dramamine. The road is often filled with huge potholes (more like craters) and navigating is often done with lots of turns and jerks. After this trip you will come to Leogane and to FSIL.