The Haiti Relief Fund
Relief • Recovery • Reconstruction

An initiative of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century's Haiti Support Project

Purpose/Goal of Haiti Relief Fund

The catastrophic earthquake that struck Haiti has decimated the nation’s infrastructure, institutions, service delivery systems and traumatized millions of Haitian families with a residual impact on Haitian communities in the U.S. In this hour of grave crisis, it is imperative that African Americans, other people of African descent and all people of goodwill mobilize/organize to relieve the enormous suffering, aid the recovery process and commit to a long term effort to rebuild/reconstruct the first Black Republic as a beacon of hope and promise for the world. While concerted action by large scale traditional organizations is essential, these organizations are not likely to identify and support grassroots organizations on the ground that will be the real engines for Haiti’s long term reconstruction. The Haiti Relief Fund is dedicated to filling this vital role.

Criteria and Categories to Receive Assistance

In order to maximize the immediate, short and long term impact of contributions to the Haiti Relief Fund, assistance will be provided to the following categories of organizations, agencies and institutions throughout the country:

• Faith and Community Based Organizations - Contributions will be made to credible organizations to enable them to continue to effectively deliver vital relief supplies, e.g., water, food, clothing, medical supplies, shelter and to organizations engaged in social service delivery with a priority on women, children and youth, e.g., orphanages, schools, adult literacy programs, vocational training, counseling, health care clinics, HIV and AIDS programs.
• Capacity-Building Organizations, Projects and Initiatives - The short term recovery and long term reconstruction effort will require support for organizations committed to building social and economic capacity to strengthen the process of democracy and development in Haiti, e.g., leadership training and development programs for women and youth, civic engagement/participation projects, human rights advocacy, micro-credit lending and economic development.
• Youth Job training and Employment Projects - Joblessness among Haiti’s youth is a chronic problem that will be exacerbated by the current disaster. Contributions will be made to innovative Job Corps and/or Civilian Conservation Corps type youth projects which offer work on the clean-up/ recovery/ restoration effort in selected affected neighborhoods and provide job training to enhance prospects for long term employment.

Decisions on the allocation of assistance to organizations and agencies will be made by the HSP Working Group of the Board of Directors of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century based on consultations with Ministries of the Haitian Government and assessments based on input from HSP’s partners on the ground and the Haitian American community.

Transparency and Accountability

One hundred percent (100%) of all contributions received will be used to provide assistance to organizations and agencies in Haiti as designated above. HSP will seek specific contributions earmarked for administration. In order to ensure complete transparency and accountability regarding the collection and awarding of assistance to organizations from the Haiti Relief Fund, the Institute of the Black World 21st Century has established an Oversight Committee with the following mandate:

▪ Ensure that a data base is developed and a system instituted to record all contributions/donations and assistance provided to organizations and agencies in Haiti.

▪ Receive and publish quarterly reports listing contributors and organizations which have received assistance.

Members of the Haiti Relief Fund Oversight Committee

• Richard Jones, Executive Dean, Office of Accreditation Quality Assurance and Institutional Effectiveness, Medgar Evers College, NY -- Chairman
• Dr. Marc Prou, Chairman, Africana Studies Department, UMass/Boston
• Dr. Joe Baptiste, President, National Organization for the Advancement of Haitians, Silver Spring, MD
• Omarosa Satterwaite, Original Apprentice, Gardner C. Taylor Fellow, United Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C.
• Ambassador Joseph Beasley, Southern Regional Coordinator, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Atlanta, GA..
• Lionel Jean-Baptiste, Alderman, Evanston, IL
• Rev. Dennis Dillon, Editor/Publisher, New York Christian Times, NY
• Dr. Iva Carruthers, General Secretary, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Chicago, IL
• Advisor, Jocelyn McCalla, Deputy to Liaison to UN Special Envoy, Maplewood, New Jersey
• Legal Counsel, Atty. Derrick Humphries, Washington, D.C.
• Accountant, Ernie Marshall, Inc., Tax/Business Management Consulting

The Haiti Relief Fund Enjoys Widespread Support

In addition to being recommended by the National Urban League, National Action Network, National Coalition for Black Civic Participation and Churches United to Support Haiti, HSP has entered into a collaboration with the American Urban Radio Networks (AURN) to promote and solicit contributions for the Haiti Relief Fund. And, Warren Ballentine, Host of the Warren Ballentine Show, Radio-One XM/SIRIUS, Bev Smith, Host of the Bev Smith Show (AURN) and Mark Thompson, Host of Make It Plain, SIRIUS/XM are actively publicizing the Haiti Relief Fund as a credible vehicle to receive contributions. ;

Other Institute of the Black World and Haiti Support Project Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction Collaborations and Initiatives

• On a limited basis HSP will arrange for the shipping of properly wrapped and labeled pallet sized quantities of high priority relief supplies, e.g., bottled water, beans, rice, inflatable tents, medical supplies via Royal Caribbean International. info@ibw21.org

• Under the leadership of IBW Board Member Leonard Dunston, the Black Family Summit (BFS) of IBW in collaboration with the All Healers Mental Health Alliance is assembling teams of psychiatrists, psychologists and psychiatric social workers to offer counseling to Haitian families in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C. and Miami and other cities with sizeable Haitian communities. Leonard_dunston@hotmail.com

• BFS is currently in discussions with three Black adoption agencies to explore developing an adoption program for Haitian orphans. Leonard_dunston@hotmail.com

• HSP will refer doctors interested in being part of a medical team going to Haiti to the National Organization for the Advancement of Haitians (NOAH) -- 301-585-1235 Email: jbapdoc@gmail.com

• At the request of Queen Yonasda, granddaughter of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan NYOIL, IBW Board Member and Ambassador to the Hip Hop Movement, is organizing artists for the Hip Hop 4 Haiti tour with events scheduled in New York, Las Vegas, Atlanta, DC, Phoenix and Texas to date. All funds will be donated to the Haiti Relief Fund -- NYOIL@gmail.com - http://hiphop4haiti.ning.com/

• Bennett College for Women is exploring the possibility of sending the first Toussaint Louverture Brigade of student volunteers to assist with the relief effort in Haiti over Spring Break. info@ibw21.org

• In collaboration with the Destination Haiti Foundation and the Local Development Committee in Milot, HSP is exploring the feasibility of establishing a Haiti Investment Fund to promote socially responsible business/entrepreneurial development in Haiti as part of the long term reconstruction effort. info@ibw21.org

• As a follow-up to the Third Annual Pilgrimage to Haiti last October, HSP was gearing up for a Haitian Heritage Cruise October of this year to take some 300 people to Haiti to visit the magnificent Citadel and Sans Souci Palace. This Initiative was intended to demonstrate that the people of Milot have the will, experience and capacity to escort large groups to the Citadel. Under current circumstances, this Initiative is obviously on hold pending indication from the Government and our partners on the ground as to whether it should proceed. info@ibw21.org