Vaccination: a simple decision, a child protected

In the South of Haiti, Ollanda sits quietly outside a health centre, her child resting against her shoulder, after a journey that required careful planning. Like many parents in her community, her days are shaped by both household responsibilities and the small business she depends on to support her family, yet today she chose to set these aside. She did not go to the market and postponed her daily chores so she could bring her daughter for vaccination, knowing that protecting her health cannot wait.

Like Ollanda, parents across Haiti continue to make this choice, often in difficult circumstances. They walk long distances, wait for hours, and return for follow-up doses, not because it is easy, but because it matters.

“I came today because vaccines protect my daughter. I want her to grow without these diseases that can harm her. I want her to go to school and one day become a nurse,”

she says, looking at Frantz-Nylande, her one-year-old daughter, who watches the world with bright, curious eyes, offering playful smiles to passersby, even strangers. 

When her turn comes, Ollanda stands and walks inside, holding her daughter firmly yet gently as the nurse prepares the vaccine. Frantz-Nylande begins to cry as the injection is given, and Ollanda immediately reassures her, rocking slightly, whispering until the moment passes. 

“Diseases can come quickly, especially for children. But when they are vaccinated, they are protected. This gives me peace as a mother,” she explains.

In that moment, her intention is clear: protecting her daughter is not a single action, but a continuous choice and part of a longer commitment: “I will follow all the vaccines, even if I have to come back many times, I will do so. It is for her future.” 

For newborns and young children, vaccination is one of the earliest and most effective ways to protect life. In the first months, when a child’s immune system is still developing, vaccines provide critical protection against diseases that can have severe or lifelong consequences. Timely immunization helps give children a healthier start and supports their ability to grow, learn, and thrive. 

But beyond the medical impact, vaccination also brings reassurance to families and strengthens the protection of entire communities. 

“Each vaccinated child strengthens not only their own protection, but that of the entire community. When more children are immunized, the spread of disease slows, protecting even those who are most vulnerable,”

says Junia, a nurse at the health centre. 

In 2025, the Ministry of Public Health and Population, with support from UNICEF, fully vaccinated close to 110,000 children under 1, across the country, and thanks to the trust of partners including Canada, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the people of Japan. Their support helps ensure that parents like Ollanda can protect their children through vaccination.

On this World Health Day, UNICEF Haiti joins communities, partners, and families across the country and around the world to reaffirm a simple and powerful truth that vaccination saves lives.