Haiti Week
Haiti Week
Haiti Week was officially launched in Dublin on October 9th 2011 by President Bill Clinton and the first Irish Haiti Week took place from January 21st – 28th, where events and activities were held throughout the country. The objective of Haiti Week is to raise awareness of Haiti through art, music and the business community, and to celebrate a special island that is bravely struggling to meet a range of challenges.
Haiti Week also saw a coming together of seven Irish charities who all work on the ground in Haiti – Haven, Soul of Haiti, Concern, Goal, Unicef, Habitat for Humanity, Oxfam and Plan. The highlight of the week was the visit of the President of Haiti Michel Martelly to Ireland where he the Haven Ball and the presentation of the William Jefferson Clinton Goodwill for Haiti Award to Irish lady Gena Heraty.
Haiti Week was officially launched to the Irish media on January 12th, on the second anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti that killed over 230,000 and displaced more than 1.6 million people from their homes. The focus of the launch was the not just the work that remains to be done in Haiti, but the staggering potential that the country has to offer. It was also highlighted that there has been a huge contribution by the Irish in the recovery process – not just through the NGOs working on the ground, but also through business opportunities which are lending to the creation of employment and local commerce. It was also announced at the launch of Haiti Week that the President of Haiti, President Michel Martelly will make the first ever visit of a Haitian President to Ireland in support of the initiative.
Haiti Week also wants to remind people that while huge efforts in the recovery process are ongoing, particularly through input from the Irish business community, there are still nearly 600,000 people in Haiti living in tents and under tarpaulins (plastic sheeting). This is nearly twice the population of Cork city and surrounds, living in these conditions on an island one third the size of Ireland.
Through Haiti Week, which will be an annual event, we hope we can bring together members of the public and business community to help solve some of the many remaining problems this small country is courageously facing. Haiti Week, the first initiative of its kind in Ireland, is an innovative partnership developed by a number of Irish charities and business people to assist the development of new ideas and approaches that will help hundreds of thousands of Haitian people.
For more information, please visit the Haiti Week website
