25 January, 2008
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti. – The Prime Minister of Haiti, Jacques Edouard Alexis, received in his office on January 18th the Batey Relief Alliance’s Founder/CEO, Ulrick Gaillard and a delegation of the organization’s senior Board of Directors, including Dr. Thomas Beague, Sara Beague and Dr. Raymond Thertulien.
The purpose for the high level meeting was to brief the Minister about the organization’s initiatives to establish a permanent health mission in areas of Haiti that are deprived of basic health services and economic opportunities. “I am very satisfied to hear those plans, and personally committed to providing any support that may be needed to make the projects a success,” said Mr. Alexis.
At the meeting were also advisors to the Minister’s Cabinet and the foreign press. During the five-day visit, the members of the Batey Relief Alliance also met with the Minister of Health, Dr. Robert Auguste who is already working on signing an agreement with the organization and has identified specific projects to be implemented between his Ministry and the Batey Relief Alliance. Meetings were also held with the United States Aid for International Development (USAID), Minister of Diaspora, and a number of Parliamentary Representatives.
For the past ten years, the Batey Relief Alliance has worked in the neighboring Dominican Republic installing health facilities and running preventive health programs in HIV/AIDS, primary care, blindness, nutrition, water/sanitation and education.
