From Never Treated to Behavior Change Champion: LF Treatment in Haiti

By Avani Duggaraju, WI-HER Senior Associate; Claire Karlsson, WI-HER Program Manager; and Marie Maud Jean, WI-HER Technical Advisor, GESI Behavior Change Communication & Social Mobilization

Majorie Lamour of Haiti had never taken preventive medicine for lymphatic filariasis (LF) before, in part because she didn’t trust the information the community drug distributors were sharing about the medicine. Majorie was not alone in these feelings, as Plaine-du-Nord, where she lives in Haiti, had a high prevalence of LF, a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that is transmitted by mosquitoes and causes long-term damage to the lymphatic system.

Under USAID’s Act to End NTDs | East (Act | East) program, led by prime RTI International, and in collaboration with the Government of Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and Population, WI-HER set out to identify and address why various communities were being missed or refusing preventative medicine for LF. In WI-HER’s Root Cause Analysis process, we met Majorie through a focus group discussion and discovered why she, along with other individuals in the community, hesitated to take the medication.

Following health education sessions, Majorie learned about why LF is such a significant problem and how she could be a part of the solution. Along with other community influencers, Majorie joined a behavior change team, where she received training on how to address information gaps and distrust in the community. As a result of Majorie’s work, and other project activities and strategies, in 2023, 79.4% of Plaine-du-Nord residents took the preventative medicine for LF, above the targeted recommendation set by the WHO.

Learn more about Majorie’s journey from being never treated for LF to becoming a behavior change champion here.