19082: McCalla: RE: 19071: Ives: Re: 19069: McCalla: RE: 19064: Fenton: Subject: Haiti: Five facts and One Urgent Appeal (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Jocelyn McCalla <makala99@yahoo.com>

Fair is fair. The National Coalition for Haitian Rights won in FY 2003
(October 2002-September 2003) a grant of $250,000 from the USAID to carry
out a campaign to end child slavery in Haiti. In April 2002, NCHR had
released a report entitled "Restavek no More: Eliminating Child Slavery in
Haiti." This report irrefutably demonstrated the extent to which child
slavery in Haiti remained a problem, and that the government of Haiti simply
paid lip service to efforts to eradicate it. Funds, authorized by law, have
been made available to combat trafficking in persons by the US government as
a result of legislation enacted by Congress. To combat child trafficking in
Haiti for FY 2004 (October 2003-September 2004), USAID has turned to the
Pan-American Development Foundation to manage a grant estimated at about
$750,000. The NCHR does not now get funds by USAID. In fact, as documented
in various articles published by the Haitian Times last Fall, the NCHR is
suffering from a severe financial deficiency. At the request of the NCHR's
Board of Directors, I returned from a nearly three-year absence from NCHR --
during which I resided in Ghana and helped develop the African Jesuit AIDS
Network -- to direct the work of the NCHR to stave off the meltdown and get
the organization back on its feet. It is now operating with a skeleton
staff, under my leadership. But I am comforted by the expressions of support
received from Haitians throughout the US and allies in the international
human rights and immigrants rights communities.
Should you or any other Corbett list member wish to support the work of the
NCHR, I encourage you to do so at your earliest convenience. In doing so,
you would be joining Jonathan Demme, Michele Montas, Wyclef Jean, and
several other luminaries and celebrities whose support will be made evident
when the NCHR premieres "The Agronomist" in New York City on April 13, 2004
at the Chelsea West Theater. "The Agronomist" is Jonathan Demme's tribute to
two independent journalists and democracy activists, the late Jean Dominique
-- cowardly assassinated on the grounds of Radio Haiti because amongst other
things he dared ask tough questions --, and his widow Michele Montas.
Revenues from the Premiere screening will benefit NCHR and Radio Haiti,
which I hope will resume broadcasting in the near future. We'll follow with
an announcement later. But I urge you and your friends to not wait: if you
can donate now, just do it. Donations can be sent to the National Coalition
for Haitian Rights at 275 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001.

Now on to the $70 Million question....