10/08/2017 | Joint GIMI/Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Mission to Haiti

Dr. Joseph Shevel, President of Galilee International Management Institute (GIMI), was invited by the PAHO on a mission to Haiti. The mission's goal was to present the capacity building opportunities GIMI offers and tailor them to the needs of Haiti, mainly in crisis management, health and agriculture. This is under the auspices of the Agreement between OAS and GIMI, finalised at the end of 2016.

Dr. Shevel was accompanied by Prof. Fernando Antônio Menezes da Silva, Unit Chief at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). Their first meeting was with Mr. Jerry Chandler, Director of the Civil Preparations Authority at the Ministry of the Interior. During their discussion, it was agreed that 2 groups of 25 participants each will attend GIMI's Emergency Preparedness programme, delivered in French. Mr. Chandler and his wife will also attend this programme.

Dr. Shevel, Prof. Menezes da Silva and Dr. Luis Felipe Codina, PAHO/WHO Representative met with senior officials of the Ministry of Health including the Minister of Health, the Hon. Ms. Greta Roy Clement, Dr. Dernst Eddy Jean-Baptiste, Head of the Ministry's Cabinet, Mrs. Michaelle Laforest, Director of Personnel and Dr. Vladimir Larsen, Director of Training. Dr. Shevel proposed that 20 people attend a tailor-made course focussing on creating a new approach to Haiti's health system. This will be implemented upon the participants return to Haiti with GIMI experts following later to guide the implementation.

Prof. Menezes da Silva, Hon. Ms. Greta Roy Clement, Dr. Shevel, Dr. Luis Felipe Codina 

Hon. Ms. Greta Roy Clement and Dr. Shevel

The delegation then visited the medical school of the University of Haiti the next day and met the Dean Mr. Jean Claude Cadet, an ophthalmologist, who had studied at Hadassah in Israel for four years. The Dean expressed his support of the suggested health programme and would like to participate.

Dr. Michaud, Prof. Menezes da Silva, Dean Mr. Cadet, Dr. Shevel, Dr. Milce

Dr. Shevel and Prof. Menezes da Silva met with the recently appointed Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Carmel André Belliard and the President's Advisor on Agriculture, Mr. Lyonel Valbrun. They were both very interested in the programmes for Agricultural Training, as Haiti's main income comes from agriculture. They also met with Mr. Jean Robert Estime, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Haiti. He is now a Project Manager in Agriculture, on behalf of Chemonics, and is an enthusiastic supporter of our programmes in agriculture. Dr Shevel also met with Mr. Nathanael Hishamunda, Country Director of the FAO. They discussed organising a special one month programme aiming to offer practical tools for the development of agriculture.

Dr. Shevel, Mr. Lyonel Villebrun, Hon. Mr. Carmel André Belliard, Prof. Menezes da Silva

Dr. Shevel and Prof. Menezes da Silva also met Mr. Frédéric Bolduc, OAS Special Representative in Haiti. He was excited about our programmes and promised support and help with funding.