In Haiti, 49% of students cannot read a single word in Creole by the time they start grade 3, which is reflective of a broader learning crisis in low‐income and fragile contexts. Read to Learn, an early‐grade literacy intervention, was implemented and evaluated from fall 2014 through spring 2016 with the aim of improving students’ reading skills. Students were given learning materials in their mother tongue, teachers were provided with training and instructional coaching, and various supports for program implementation were established. In a randomized evaluation, the authors assessed students’ reading skills at the beginning of grade 1 and at the end of grades 1 and 2 in treatment and control schools. The authors estimated the impact of the program at the end of grades 1 and 2 with a hierarchical linear model and found positive effects on emergent reading skills and oral reading fluency, with effect sizes ranging between 0.19 and 0.79. The results of this study are an important contribution to knowledge about what works to improve literacy outcomes for students in Haiti and other fragile contexts.

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Iodine intake in Haiti has increased in recent years thanks to the “Bon Sel” social enterprise approach to salt fortification and distribution by the market segment. However, it was uncertain whether this salt reached remote communities. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the iodine status of school-age children (SAC) and women of reproductive age (WRA) in a remote region of the Central Plateau. A total of 400 children (9–13 years) and 322 women (18–44 years) were recruited through schools and churches, respectively. Urinary iodine (UIC) and urinary creatinine (UCC) concentrations were measured in spot samples, and thyroglobulin (Tg) on dried blood spots. Their iodine intake was estimated, and dietary information collected. The median (IQR) UIC in SAC was 130 µg/L (79–204, n = 399), and in WRA, 115 µg/L (73–173, n = 322). The median (IQR) Tg in SAC was 19.7 µg/L (14.0–27.6, n = 370), and in WRA, 12.2 µg/L (7.9–19.0, n = 183); 10% of SAC had Tg > 40 µg/L. Estimated iodine intake was 77 µg/day and 202 µg/day in SAC and WRA, respectively. Iodized table salt was rarely consumed, though bouillon was used daily; this is hypothesized to be a major contributor to dietary iodine intake. Iodine intake in this remote region seems to have improved considerably since the 2018 national survey, though SAC remain at risk. These results point to the potential effectiveness of using social business principles to deliver humanitarian solutions.