After the great and incomparable earthquake hit the country of Haiti, on January 12, 2010, more than three hundred thousand (300,000) people, from all areas and of all ages, died.  State infrastructure and all its institutions have been destroyed. Many have been wounded or have become handicapped. Many are hopeless. People have lost family members, their possessions, money, and work.

When we look at the absence of the state, the inadequate manner in which aid is being distributed, it has diminished our sense of dignity even more as people. Where only strangers who do not fully share our interests are managing emergency aid, where many Haitians are not confident in the people and the manner in which aid is being distributed, a coalition gathered a group of Haitians from all social aspects and from all organized sectors, who desire to become one, to reconstruct their country. On February 23 and 24, 2010, at the historic park “Parc Historique de la Canne A Sucre,” these individuals met to come up with solutions and answers, which will be good for all those in the country for the moment, for the days to come, and the future.

Here are the five (5) objectives we had for this meeting:

1. Agree on our needs, priorities, and perspectives in regards to the important sectors in the national life of the country.

2. Translate these needs, priorities, and perspective in the language of the international community.

3. Identify those who will bring these views to international meetings, where decisions will be made to respond to the disaster.

4. Establish an evaluation mechanism to measure the results of international response throughout the land.

5. Inform the national and international press regarding this initiative.

In order to reach these objective results, five major working groups met to discuss the following five (5) areas:

We will propose these ideas to the relevant national and international community, such as the working group meeting at OCHA which is an office of the United Nations, which deals with humanitarian issues. These ideas will also be presented to the UN office of Post Disaster Needs Assessment, which is a multilateral tool used to evaluate need after disasters for donor conferences, etc.We, the group, still believe in Haiti, despite its tumultuous times. This is the reason we hope that all living Haitians can believe this- as long as there is life, we must work until we reach a day where hope flourishes. We each must do a good deed to rebuild our minds and our country.

We bow our heads to salute the memory of all Haitians and the memory of those of other nations who perished in the catastrophe of January 12, 2010.

Alternative Louverturians
Asosyasyon Edikatè Popilè Ans-Wouj
Association de Soutien de Lancartiene et de Christ-Roi
Association des Jeunes Militants Consequents pour le Developpement de Thomonde
Association Nationale des Agro-Professionels Haitiens
Centre d'Appui a la Production Agricole du Sud
Centre Medico-Social de Port-au-Prince (CMSP)
Comite pour le Development de Delmas Haiti
Commision Nationale des Ouvriers Haitiens
Fanm Viktim Leve Kanpe
Fédération des Organisations Haitiennes de Developpement
Fondasyon Lakay
Fondation Ecosophyque Canabo
Fondation N'a Sonje
Fondation pour la promotion et la Santé
Foundation Lakay
Fundacion Caribe para el Desarrollo - RD
Haitian Citizen United Taskforce
Horizon de L'Espoir
Jeunesse Pionniere d'Haiti pour le Developpement des Talents
KONPAY
Komisyon Famn Viktim pou Viktim
Mouvman Peyizan Nasyonal Kongre Papay
Orfanization des Paysans Haitiens Pour le Developpment Monesila
Organisation des Amis du Progres, du Developpement
Organization USPE La Jeunesse
Partenariat pour le Developpement Local, American Jewish World Service
Pax Christi Haiti - Mouvman Intènasyonal pou Fè Konbit pou Lapè
Plateforme Nationale des Organisations Paysanne Haitiens
Platfòm pou Pledwaye pou Devlopman Altènatif/Association Nationale des Agro-Professionels Haitiens
Projet Papillon
Reseau de Defense des Droits de l'Enfant
Staff Hollywood
TransAfrica Forum (US)
Terre des Jeunes
Tèt Ansamn pou yon Nouvo Ayiti
Union des Femmes pour un Meilluere Avenir
Union Vision Communautaire
Vision Pour Enfants Démunis
 
This document was translated from Haitian Creole to English by Régine Mondé.