Proud to Serve His Community

Alcy Dorvilus lives in the mountainous area of Puits Laurent, north of St. Boniface Hospital (SBH). As a longtime community health worker, he’s an essential connection between Puits Laurent and the hospital. Alcy calls himself “the eyes of the hospital” and he sees working for SBH as a way to serve his community.

What do our dozens of community health workers do?  Alcy explains, “We travel around to all the different areas, so we can advise the families. I work with children aged 0-5, and I give them micronutrients, [antiparasitics], vitamin A. I do home visits to pregnant women, to refer them to the hospital, and after women have delivered their babies, I visit them to check on them.”

Alcy told us about a time when the mother of a disabled child approached him for help. He referred them to SBH, and SBH leadership arranged for the child to get a device that enabled mobility. The child’s mother and aunt couldn’t thank him enough. “Even though it was a request I made to the hospital, I shared in the pride,” he says.

Our community health workers also help staff monthly rally posts where children are vaccinated against deadly diseases and screened for malnutrition.

When he noticed an increase in the number of young children whose weight was too low for their age, Alcy shared this information with the rest of the community health team. They organized a Ti Fwaye nutrition training in Puits Laurent, and by the end of the two-week program, all of the eleven underweight children he had identified were heavier and healthier. “I’m very satisfied with this program, because the mothers who participated gained useful knowledge,” he reports.

Alcy says, “I’ve been working for SBH since 2000. From the past to today, things have changed completely. Because fewer people die, including children. If we didn’t have these services, a lot of children in this area would not exist, and a lot of women also wouldn’t exist, because whenever there is any illness or problem, we call SBH, and it always gives us healthcare.”