“Haiti is my native country, one I know as the first black nation to gain independence in 1804. Most other people seem to know Haiti only by the statistics about how bad things are there. The majority of its 8 million residents live on less than $1 per day. Unemployment is close to 80 percent. Average life expectancy is less than 50 years. Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.

“I have been spending a lot of time talking with people in my native country to try and understand what is behind these statistics and the recent escalation of violence, all of which brings tears to my eyes. I have had conversations with gang leaders, met with the police officers and sat down with the leaders of the militias and the army. I have had meetings with the interim government. I have talked with Haitians from all walks of life, all colors of skin, all backgrounds and beliefs. From all these people I hear only one thing in my head and feel only one thing in my heart, that there is only one Haiti. Every Haitian loves their country like a mother loves her child.

“I see old women with large bags of rice on their heads and men on street corners selling sugarcane and mangos, all just trying to survive with a strong sense of pride. Walking past a church in my village, I hear the congregation singing an appeal to God to hear their cries and grant deliverance to Haiti. Through experiences like this I sense where my mother and my father got their strength. Now the whole country needs to reach deep into the spirit and strength that is part of our heritage.”
Wyclef Jean
(Original ayisieeennnn kwa de boukeeee)

Yéle Haiti Foundation
PO Box 2345
New York, NY 10108
tel: (212) 352-0552 (voicemail only)
http://www.yele.org



WYCLEF JEAN, LEADING DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS AND CLOSE FRIENDS GATHER IN NEW YORK TO ANNOUNCE EMERGENCY FORMATION OF “TOGETHER FOR HAITI”
Urgent Humanitarian Initiative Led by Musician, Producer, Humanitarian WYCLEF JEAN and his foundation, YELE HAITI, Responds to Food Crisis in Haiti

NEW YORK, NY (May 20, 2008) — In response to the recent food crisis in Haiti, Wyclef Jean, celebrity friends and community leaders from the Haitian Diaspora gather at New York’s Hotel Gansevoort today to announce the emergency formation of Together for Haiti, an alliance of three major humanitarian organizations - Yéle Haiti, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) - committed to immediately providing food, creating jobs and supporting local agriculture in the impoverished country. This alliance mobilizes an urgent appeal to individuals, companies and foundations who want to make an immediate difference in Haiti through their donations.
“The food crisis we’ve seen develop in Haiti over the last sixty days is more serious than any emergency I’ve seen over my years of work with the country. Even where food is available, the citizens of Haiti do not have the resources to buy it – and we must take immediate action. I’m confident that through the commitment of these three powerful organizations, Together for Haiti will rise to meet this urgent challenge and provide direct relief to the people,” said Together for Haiti founding member, international recording artist and social entrepreneur Wyclef Jean.
Together for Haiti has four distinct initiatives that address the current crisis and create sustainable solutions:

Targeted Food Distribution: Expansion of the WFP’s existing food assistance program for malnourished children under five and pregnant women, prolonging existing school meal programs throughout the summer vacation and organizing ration card-based food distribution of dry food to the neediest families.
Immediate Employment Creation: Labor-intense employment opportunities that will focus on infrastructure rehabilitation in support expanding agricultural production. Both cash and food will be provided as wages.


Micro-Enterprise Grants: Small grants and training provided to low-income entrepreneurs in order to engage them in local food production.
Seed, Fertilizer and Training: providing small-scale farmers with high yield, non-hybrid seeds, fertilizer and training to improve agricultural practices.


“This innovative alliance will provide urgent lifesaving assistance to the people of Haiti hit hardest by rising food prices,” said Karen Sendelback, President and CEO of Friends of the World Food Program. “At this critical time, we need to support the most vulnerable people, including those who are going hungry because they simply cannot afford to buy food.”
PADF’s Deputy Director Amy Coughenour states, “This partnership generates solidarity with the people of Haiti—not only by addressing the immediate crisis, but by creating longer-term solutions. We are challenging all people who care about combating poverty in Haiti to respond—every single contribution to this effort matters.”
A range of UN agencies, corporations and NGOs join Together for Haiti’s three founding organizations in this urgent initiative. Haiti’s leading cell phone service company, Voilà, will present Together For Haiti with a check at the event, launching private sector involvement. Voilà has been funding Yéle Haiti projects since 2005.
About Yéle Haiti
Yéle Haiti is a movement founded by Wyclef Jean that is helping to bring hope back to Haiti. Projects are designed to make a difference in the fields of education, health, environment and community development. The power and reach of music, sports and the media is used to increase the impact of these projects. www.yele.org
About the World Food Programme
The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency: this year, WFP plans to feed more than 70 million people in around 80 countries.

About the Pan American Development Foundation
The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) is a non-profit affiliate of the Organization of American States that creates opportunities and improves lives for the disadvantaged in Latin America and the Caribbean. Its programs create jobs, enhance education, build skills, foster community participation, and strengthen resiliency through the power of people, local solutions, and partnerships. PADF has worked in Haiti for more than 27 years. www.padf.org