ARTICLE - LAUNCHING OF SUMMER UNIVERSITY

LAUNCHING OF THE SUMMER UNIVERSITY IN COMMUNITY NUTRITION
(Haiti Libre) -

  Michaëlle Jean, Chancellor of the University of Ottawa and UNESCO Special Envoy for Haiti, launched Monday in Port-au-Prince, the Summer University in community nutrition, agriculture and public health, through a partnership between the State University of Haiti (UEH), University of Ottawa and Laval University.

The intensive training of two weeks [May 28 to June 8] is intended not only for the student body and teaching staff of the State University of Haiti, Quisqueya University, University of Notre Dame d'Haiti and the Episcopal University, but also for professionals from the Ministry of Public Health and Population, and Ministry of Agriculture Natural Resources and Rural Development. Workers of NGOs working in the field of nutrition have also been invited to take part in this Summer University. This Summer University, was designed to reinforce the acquisition of knowledge in nutritional science, and support the education provided in Haitian universities.

One hundred university students in end-of-medicine and agronomy, will attend the first summer university in community nutrition and agriculture of public health.

Ms. Michaëlle Jean declared "...this is a very important partnership which will last in the long term to train students, and actors on the issue of nutrition, working within the Haitian non-governmental organizations, and to build capacity also of Haitian ministries, like the Ministry of Public Health and Population, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Education; so that transversely, we can really come up with a national strategy on the issue of malnutrition [...]

We have in Haiti a wealth in the level of products with high content of vitamins, of natural products. It is important that we can provide the means to the rural communities so that they can produce these foods, which are essential to the good public health in this country [...]"