Haitian workers need your help in the wake of the January12, 2010, earthquake. Please donate now to the Solidarity Center’s Earthquake Relief for Haitian Workers campaign.
On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Port-au-Prince, Haiti, killing 150,000 Haitians and leaving an estimated 3 million homeless and without access to basic services. The earthquake came on the heels of a food crisis and the country’s attempt to reconstruct after being inundated by four hurricanes in 2008. It also exacerbated the impoverishment of Haiti’s citizens, most of whom are unemployed and survive in the informal economy on less than $1 a day.
Thanks to our Solidarity Center office and staff in the adjacent Dominican Republic, we were able to coordinate relief efforts quickly. Almost immediately, our field representative, Cathy Feingold, launched a union-to-union response. The Solidarity Center joined a coalition of Dominican social organizations and trade unions, many representing Haitian workers living in the Dominican Republic. Their combined capacity enabled them to send missions into Haiti right away to locate union partners and assess needs. These initial delegations were followed by overland shipments of bottled water, non-perishable food, first aid products, re-hydration liquids, and other needed supplies.
Thankfully, many union halls withstood the quake and are now being used as distribution centers, shelters, and clinics for hundreds of workers and their families. As immediate rescue and relief efforts move into restoration and reconstruction, the Solidarity Center will shift its focus, working side-by-side with unions to begin the arduous process of helping workers re-establish secure housing, heal from injuries and illness, and return to work. This will be a very difficult time, and support for unions will be more important than ever.
Please continue to watch this page for links to regular updates and reports.
Union Plus Commits to Haiti Relief with Dollar-for-Dollar Match. The AFL-CIO’s Union Plus program has committed to donate $100,000 to the Solidarity Center’s Earthquake Relief for Haitian Workers Fund through a dollar-for-dollar match.
AFSCME Pledges $25,000 to Solidarity Center Earthquake Relief Fund. AFSCME President Gerald McEntee announced on Friday that his 1.6 million member union would donate $25,000 to the Solidarity Center’s Earthquake Relief for Haitian Workers Fund and has instructed all AFSCME locals to ask members to contribute as well.
If you prefer, you may donate by check. Please make your check payable to:
Solidarity Center Education Fund
Send to:
Solidarity Center Education Fund
888 16th Street, N.W., Suite 400
Washington, DC 20006
Please designate “Earthquake Relief for Haitian Workers” in the memo line of the check.
The Solidarity Center Education Fund is a tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.