Exploring variations and decision-making processes of the utilization of modern contraceptive methods during protracted violence and political instability in rural Haiti.

Eddy Jonas, MD


Eddy Jonas headshotEddy Jonas is a Haitian OBGYN with over twenty years of experience. Eddy has worked for Zanmi Lasante (ZL), a Partners In Health (PIH) sister NGO dedicated to serving vulnerable individuals in remote Haiti, leading the women’s health department. He has supported ZL through many public health crises in Haiti, including the 2010 earthquake. He attended the Global Health Delivery Intensive program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health before applying to the Master of Medical Sciences in Global Health Delivery program to further his education and strengthen his abilities as a global health leader. Eddy’s research will investigate family planning coverage in rural parts of Haiti.

All study participants gave permission for their photos to be taken and shared. Caregivers gave consent for children to be photographed and for their photos to be shared. 

Anahi Strader interview 2023

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Two pictures of clinics in Haiti. Both are small buildings with people out front. Both buildings are in unpaved and heavily forested areas.

Pictured here are the front sides of two of the four clinics where my project was conducted. On the left is the entrance of Lascahobas Clinic, and on the right is the outpatient clinic of St-Therese Hospital at Hinche. The primary function of these clinics is for contraceptive services.
 

Eddy Jonas sits with 5 women around a conference table in Haiti
Focus group with women who switched contraceptive methods

This is a picture of me and a small group of women in the office of the Regional Director of the Health Ministry in Hinche, Haiti. The picture was taken while I conducted a focus group discussion with women who changed the long-term contraceptive method to the short-term one. 

Eddy Jonas working in a hospital room fill out paperwork with a nurse

This picture was taken in the family clinic of Ste-Therese Hospital to immortalize a working session between the family planning nurse and me. We discussed the quantitative data collection process and the recruitment of participants for focus group discussions (FGDs) and individual interviews (IDIs). During this working session, I presented to the nurse a quantitative data collection tool I developed for that purpose. I also shared with her the criteria to properly recruit participants for FGDs and IDIs.

While conducting research, I learned that any kind of difficulties may emerge at any time. In one case, a pharmacist at Lascahobas Health Center resigned unexpectedly right before I had the opportunity to interview her. Fortunately, I was given her phone number, and she agreed to conduct an interview over the phone. 

Three pictures. Each depict hazardous road situations. Left: A car stopped in the road due to a large puddle of water. Right: Two photos of barricaded roads

The picture on the left shows me standing outside my car in the middle of a muddy puddle in the road leading to Verrettes via Mirebalais. The other pictures on the right show roadblocks during gang violence on the road that leads to Lascahobas via Mirebalais. 

Each picture illustrates one of the numerous barriers to accessing contraceptive services in a conflict zone. Longstanding political crises hinder the development of public services, leading to decaying roads in various areas of the country. As a result, due to the poor ground transportation system, reaching a health center becomes a lengthy journey for the women living in remote areas. Sometimes, they may come across violence that makes them miss their family planning appointments. 

Read more about the Master of Medical Sciences in Global Health Delivery program here.