For more than three decades, the Centers for Development and Health, Haiti's largest non-profit group, has brought the most advanced public health practices to some of the most destitute people on earth under extreme conditions of instability and violence. Able to adapt to the political turmoil and hazards for its employees, the group, known by its French acronym, CDS, continues to develop innovative health practices, many of which have been adopted as standards by such organizations as the WHO and remain influential with health officials throughout the world.

CDS began its work in Cite Soleil, a large slum in Port-au-Prince, but now works in many urban and rural communities outside of the capitol. The group has collaborated with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Johns Hopkins University, UNICEF and many other health institutions and international organizations. The group’s health professionals have been published in such journals as The New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

In addition to the widely recognized community health model developed by CDS, the group has created advanced development projects (children, adult education, vocational training), sanitation, infrastructure projects, micro-enterprise, and other programs -- all with success under extremely difficult circumstances over decades.