Day in the Life: Dr. Regine Necessaire, Haiti
Come alongside Project HOPE’s site lead in southern Haiti to see what it’s like organizing a humanitarian response to strengthen the nation’s health system.
In recognition of World Humanitarian Day, Project HOPE is spotlighting some of our frontline humanitarians around the world.
I am Project HOPE’s Site Lead for the entire Grand’Anse department, which covers multiple zones in southern Haiti. I was contacted by Project HOPE in February 2023 when Haiti began seeing an increase in cholera cases. As a doctor, it is my first duty to respond, but as a member of this community, it was personal.
I want my work to not only be about helping people but also empowering my country — to improve the health care system overall. At Project HOPE, I am able to do both, to heal and empower.
Welcome to a typical day of work.
4 a.m. My day starts at 4, when I get up to pray, make breakfast, exercise to relax my mind and body, check email for any emergencies, then head to the office around 7:30 a.m.
8 a.m. When I arrive at the office, the first people I see are the gatekeeper and caretaker of the house. I always love starting my day greeting my team individually, asking them how they are, making them feel confident for the workday ahead, and holding a quick team meeting.
10 a.m. I check emails again and then meet with the health team to go over daily reports from the clinic or any data collected from activities in the field. Part of my job is to coordinate with partners and make sure that Project HOPE is represented at meetings and activities.
12 p.m. I work on reports for pathologies and cholera tracking to make sure all Project HOPE staff and partners have access to latest updates. I also call to check in with our partner, HEI, and the community health agents to make sure that our daily activities like community hand washing training are operating smoothly and they have the logistics in place to implement.
1 p.m. is lunchtime for me, but I usually take my lunch in my office so I can continue working and like to use this time to check for any outbreak emergency updates in an area (e.g. an alert issued by the health authorities on an outbreak of cases of acute diarrhea), or other medical emergencies that are being tracked in the Grand’Anse department. It is currently the rainy season in Haiti, and I like to also check the weather reports to prepare for things like hurricanes or flooding, which increase outbreaks in diseases like cholera, so that we can be as prepared as possible for any emergency response required. It is our responsibility as an organization to respond but it is my job to make sure that my team and I are properly prepared to do so.
2 p.m. I check in with logistics and make sure everyone from the office out in the field is starting to return for daily briefings. We hold quick daily briefings with each sector (health, WASH, GBV) to go over any challenges of the day and plans for the following day. I spend the rest of the day working on reports and sorting through data collected for health-related activities.
6 p.m. I usually leave the office between 5 and 6 each day. I always have a lot to finish and at home the internet is not reliable, so I like to stay in the office a little later and get work done. I make sure anyone left leaves with me and goes home to relax and then make sure the office is locked up. That’s my whole day!
