Engage Yourself The Haiti Expedition Project (THEP) ************************************************************************** **LATEST NEWS** |ALERT: Earthquake in Haiti January 21, 2010 By now, all of you are aware of the terrible tragedy that has befallen Haiti. A devastating 7.0 earthquake of catastrophic proportions has destroyed most of the capital Port-au-Prince. Because of our trip to Haiti in October through THEP, we now have an intimate connection to Haiti and its people and know that all the needs we witnessed then have been magnified to catastrophic proportions. The THEP crew has heard from a few of our contacts in Haiti and the news coming in from Haiti is not good and very limited. Buildings have collapsed; the national palace is in ruins, the airport heavily damaged and phone service is completely down with sparse internet access. About the THEP Emergency Relief Fund for Haiti: The purpose of the emergency relief fund for Haiti through our THEP 2009 Flagship Program is to provide funds for relief efforts in Haiti. We have taken careful consideration of the tremendous challenges that Haiti and its people face today and we want to make sure that we leverage our efforts in the best possible way. This is why we believe that all fundraising through THEP will best be served by continuing to work with our Haitian NGO partners who collectively bring a wealth of experience and knowledge in their areas of expertise, especially now when field expertise is of the essence.   Therefore, we will direct all fundraising efforts to two of our previous THEP NGO partners who work in Port-au-Prince and were most affected by this tragedy: The Haitian Education and Leadership Program (HELP) and EDEYO. We have the utmost confidence that our NGO partners will use the funds for relief efforts, helping them re-build their successful and impactful organizations. One-hundred percent of the funds collected through our fundraising efforts will be split equally between HELP and EDEYO. YPIC, UNA, or SNY will retain no portion of the THEP Emergency Relief funds.   Please support Haitians in this time of need by donating to our relief fund, supporting our partners in Haiti:     January 15, 2010 UNA-USA Recommendations for Donating /Volunteering in Haiti The Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI) encourages Americans to respond appropriately and responsibly to the earthquake in Haiti. Those who wish to best help the victims in Haiti are asked to donate cash as an alternative to in-kind donations such as clothing and canned goods. Cash donations are widely recognized as the most efficient means of relief, a policy supported by CIDI's funding partner, the USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, and those in the established international disaster response community. UNA-USA encourages donations to: World Food Programme UNICEF If you wish to volunteer: If anyone wishes to volunteer, the CIDI website provides information about the types of volunteers that are needed and accepted by most agencies: usually people with relevant language skills, at least ten years experience in disaster relief, with specific skills in medicine, health, communications, and logistics, and willing to spend at least 3 months. Full details on the website: http://www.cidi.org ********************************************************************************   Keep abreast of THEP news on our blog: http://thehaitiexpeditionproject.blogspot.com/ Photo: Conor Bohan In spite of the adversity that Haiti faces, there is a common thread that ties Haitians together. As you cross the streets in Port—au-Prince, Jacmel and beyond - encountering Haitians going about their daily lives - there is always that glimmer, that inherent feeling of hope that transcends. No matter how dire the situation, Haitians have learned to live in adversity with the dignity of hope reflected in their faces. As President Clinton eloquently said on his visit to Haiti in March 2009 (while speaking to students at HELP, one of our NGO partners in Haiti): "You have been empowered by your education; the resources of wealth in this country are the mind and the heart.'' We are excited to share with you our YPIC Flagship Program. Welcome! Patricia Sacristan YPIC Chair Southern New York State Division

About Haiti

Located on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, Haiti is approximately 28,000
square kilometers. It shares the island with the Dominican Republic, which
occupies 2/3 of the island.

The Haitian territory is 72% mountainous, with a generally hot and humid
tropical climate.

Historically, Haiti holds the title of the first black republic in the world when
it declared independence from France in 1804 and was one of the wealthiest
colonies of the Caribbean from forestry and sugar-related industries at the
cost of deep environmental degradation and slavery. After its independence,
its history is dotted with chronic political violence and instability.

Today, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 80% of
the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty.

Haiti News

• Haiti Awaits Dreaded Hurricane Season (The Guardian, 9-17-09)
  
• President Clinton States "Haiti Needs You Now" (Miami Herald, 9-9-09)
• Former US President Clinton Appointed UN Special Envoy for Haiti
• ""Haiti's Big Chance" (NY Times, 3-3-2009):
  Op-Ed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
• "Living in a Sea of Mud, and Drowning in Dread"
  (NY Times, 3-23-2009): Hurricane Season Looms in Haiti
• President Clinton& UN SG Ban Ki-moon Visit HELP in Haiti

Infrastructure

• 2/3 of Haitians live off the agricultural sector which is inefficient as
  land and is highly eroded and prone to natural disasters, as attested
  by the last 4 hurricanes in 2008 which severely devastated roads and
  the agricultural sector.
• Haiti imports more than half of the food for national consumption at
  increasingly exacerbating high prices, resulting in a high cost of living
  and a chronic food crisis.
• Electricity service is only provided to 1/3 of the population and only for
  2-3 hours out of the day.
• There is rampant migration into the cities creating large swathes of
  slums (bidonvilles). Exodus to the cities increases annually by 42%
  in metropolitan areas.
  

Conservation

Photo: Conor Bohan

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) estimates
that only 1.5% of Haiti’s land is still forested compared to 60% in 1923.

Approximately, 30 million trees are cut down annually in Haiti, mainly to be used
for fuel.


Photo: Conor Bohan

• Due to extreme soil erosion, Haiti is one of the most environmentally
  devastated countries in the world.
• 98% of the forests have been cut down.
• 70% of the land is not cultivable.
• 71% of the country’s energy comes from wood, and 96% of the
  population uses wood and charcoal for fuel.
• 16,000 metric tons of arable land washes up to sea every year.
  

Education

• Children make up half of the population, as 42% of the population
  is less than 15 years old. Thus, children are at the center of every
  facet of the country.
• Of the school-aged students, 60 percent are enrolled in primary school,
  but only 20 percent make it to high school while only 5 percent actually
  graduate.
• The formal unemployment rate is 84%, and underemployment is
  commonplace as the informal sector employs up to 93% of the
  population of the non-agricultural sector.
  

Engage Yourself

Anchoring ourselves to a greater cause while being a true agent of change is
what UNA's YPIC is about. UNA-SNY YPIC is pleased to announce our new
flagship project. We are eager to go beyond our comfort zone and be part of
the solution.

The Haïti Expedition Project (“THEP”) is about actively immersing participants
in the field and truly engaging in international cooperation. To that end, the
THEP crew will visit Haiti in 2009 and actively participate in three projects in
Haiti:

1. Education: through the Haitian Education Leadership Program
http://www.haitianeducation.org
2. Environment: through the Fondation Seguin
http://www.fondationseguin.org
3. Infrastructure: Visit to the Inter American Development Bank
headquarters in Haiti
http://www.iadb.org/countries/home.cfm?id_country=HA&language=English

Requirements for THEP crew members:
1. Be a member of UNA-USA YPIC. Not yet a member? Join today.
2. Be a committee member in one of our SNY YPIC Committees for a
minimum of 3 months prior to departure to Haiti.
3. Resume
4. Letter of interest

Please send your letter of interest and resume to:
Patricia Sacristan,
YPIC Chair
at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .