Loune Viaud (born c. 1966[1]) is Executive Director of Zanmi Lasante, Partners in Health’s sister organization in Haiti.
She won the 2002 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award for her work with the group to provide health care in Haiti,[2] and in 2003 was named one of Ms. magazine's "Women of the Year".
[3] Partners in Health co-founder Paul Farmer said of her work, "It’s no exaggeration to claim that Loune’s pragmatic solidarity has reached hundreds of thousands of Haitian women living in poverty.
[4] 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.
[4] Named Zamni Beni, meaning “Blessed Friends”, the shelter is staffed by caregivers responsible for providing ongoing educational, emotional, and psychosocial support to orphans.