Loune Viaud

Loune Viaud (born c. 1966 and in 2003 was named one of Ms. magazine's "Women of the Year".

Biography Viaud was born in Port-Salut in southern Haiti.

In 1990, following a democratic election that brought Aristide the presidency, she returned to Haiti. Since receiving the award, she has joined forces with the RFK Center to work with the international community to implement a rights-based framework for assistance that prioritizes Haitian participation.

After the earthquake in January 2010, Viaud has been working to strengthen the Haitian health care sector by providing health care to the most vulnerable populations. She has partnered with the government and other organizations to help establish a children’s shelter for orphaned and abandoned children.

She is currently the executive director of Zanmi Lasante. The organization offers free health care to hundreds of thousands of people. Her expertise informed a grant proposal to the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculouis and Malaria and resulted in a $67 million grant to Haiti and Zanmi Lasante. Making it the largest AIDS treatment program in the world. As of 2010, Zanmi Lasante employed over 5,000 Haitians and support 12 health facilities.

Awards and honors Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Laureate, Awarded in 2002 Peace and Justice Award from the Cambridge Peace Commission, 2000 Rang NASDAQ opening bell in New York City’s Times Square, 2011