The Haitian Diaspora Federation (HDF) says Haiti must rise from its aches

At this time of great national tragedy, leading Haitian Diaspora organizations (The Haitian League, the National Organization for the Advancement of Haitian People, Haitian American Engineers & Scientists, the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad and the Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce) have conferred and reached an unprecedented consensus to form the Haitian Diaspora Federation (HDF).

In partnership with the international community, the Government of Haiti and other sectors, HDF will focus the Diaspora’s energy and resources on the ongoing relief and the longer term reconstruction efforts to rebuild a stronger, more vibrant and socially just Haiti.

With a mission to mobilize the Haitian Diaspora towards addressing Haiti’s reconstruction needs, and to engage, strengthen capacities of, and share effective practices among stakeholders at every level, HDF shall fulfill this mission by;

• Pooling the Diaspora’s resources –financial and human capital – to assist in the long term reconstruction efforts.

• Leveraging the resources of its international partners and the Government of Haiti (GOH) to ensure our collective efforts have a significant impact on Haiti’s reconstruction.

• Promoting a participatory planning process to ensure that all sectors of Haitian society are represented and that their voices are heard.

• Ensuring that the resources are distributed to the most effective initiatives and allocated to projects that are selected in coordination with GOH and our partners, including those in the public, private and philanthropic sectors.

An estimated one third, if not half, of all Haitians live outside Haiti. Recently, the World Bank estimated that more than 80% Haiti’s professionals -- Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers, Architects, Financiers, and project Managers, etc. -- are among them. This “Diaspora” mostly resides in the United States with 2.5 million or more -- 700,000 in New York, 500,000 in Florida, 150,000 each in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Illinois, 80,000 in Georgia and then across the country, even to California. Others reside in Canada [up to 100,000], Europe and Africa [up to 30,000 each] and the Caribbean islands, predominantly the Dominican Republic [up to a million] and an estimated 25 percent of the population of the Bahamas.

The urgency of the moment requires that we rise above our diversity for a common purpose.

HDF membership is open to all members of solution-oriented Haitian Diaspora organizations with skills, competencies and interest in the reconstruction of Haiti. You are invited to rise to the occasion and join hand to become the global platform of the Haitian Diaspora.

Haiti must rise from its aches.

To visit the website of The Haitian Diaspora Federation click here