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On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake
hit Haiti, and the devastating effects were felt
not only in Haiti but around the world. The
members of UHAS heard and answered the call to
action and during a meeting held on January 15,
2010, at Norwalk City Hall, UHAS established the
Haiti Relief Fund and various committees to
effectuate its mission to help provide much
needed aid and medical attention to the victims
and survivors of the earthquake.
Although there is clearly an immediate need to
provide emergency relief following the
earthquake, UHAS envisions the organization’s
overall involvement in helping Haiti to rebuild
as long term for months and years to come. Our
motto is to help rebuild Haiti “one town at a
time.” As Haitians living outside of Haiti,
(often called "Jaspora") we believe it is not
only our responsibility to help with the relief
effort now, but it is our duty to help
rebuild our native land for future generations.
As such, UHAS has announced that it will adopt
the Haitian town of Leogane which was greatly
affected by the earthquake. UHAS is committed
to this endeavor and will partner with various
organizations and individuals to help bring aid
and rebirth to Haiti, starting with Leogane.
The following are UHAS Committees established
for the immediate emergency relief effort as
well as the long term project of reconstruction
and rebirth:
1. “More than Medicine” -
Medical/Emergency Personnel Committee
Our Medical/Emergency Personnel Committee has
assembled a database of medical personnel
volunteers who will be deployed in “waves” to
Haiti throughout the year to serve at one of our
partner’s clinic or hospital sites. These
volunteers will experience one week intensive
work in that they will be providing much needed
medical attention and aid to the victims and
survivors of the earthquake. Many patients who
have suffered traumatic physical injuries
following the earthquake will continue to suffer
medical and psychological effects and
complications long after they have received
initial treatment. Our medical volunteers will
be equipped to provide ongoing follow up care to
these individuals throughout the year.
2. “The Future is Now” - Youth
Action Committee
Our Youth Action Committee has and will continue
to plan benefit events to help raise much needed
funds and awareness about the plight of the
victims and survivors of the earthquake. This
Committee is charged with spreading the word on
Facebook, Twitter and other social media about
UHAS' Haiti Relief effort.
3. “It takes More than a Village”
- Community Relations Committee
The Community Relations Committee’s primary
function is to serve as a liason for the Haitian
American community living in Fairfield County.
The goal of this committee is to reach out to
local churches, organizations and individuals to
partner with them in order to elevate the
Haitian American community and promote Haiti and
Haitian culture. More specifically, this
committee is charged with equipping newly
arrived Haitians who have been affected by the
earthquake with the tools and resources needed
to live in Connecticut.
4. “Spoken Word” - Public
Relations/Media Committee
The Public Relations/Media Committee is the
committee in charge of media and promoting
Haiti’s image in the media.
5. “Haiti 2010 and Beyond -L'Union Fait
la Force" – Reconstruction Committee
(under the Haiti 2010 and Beyond Committee
are the following subcomittees
a) Housing
b) Infrastructure/Engineering
c) Government Relations
d) Education
Haiti 2010 and Beyond is a long term project
committee beginning with the assembling of
a database of talented professionals, both
Haitians and non Haitians that love Haiti and
have the desire to rebuild Haiti. It is our
vision that UHAS will be the Coordinating
Referral Source or Information Bank to assemble
this database. Through our different
subcommittees, we hope to partner with other
private and nonprofit organizations to provide
technical assistance to rebuild the
infrastructure of Haiti. Recovery and
rebuilding will take time. However, we must
start now to identify those individuals who are
willing and able to volunteer in their area of
expertise in order to help with the recovery
process.
Please contact us if you desire to be part of
any of these Committees. We are modeling this
undertaking under the Haitian mantra, "L'Union
Fait la Force" (translation - In Unity there is
strength). This is our guiding philosophy. It
is our sincere hope that you will join forces
with UHAS in uplifting the people and
institutions of Haiti to become once again “. .
. the Pearl of the Antilles.” |
