This past Wednesday I hopped on a bus for NYC with my cousin Gabe. We were headed for the United Nations Association Haiti Conference. We were both excited as this was our first visit to the UN; we even walked pass Ban Ki Moon, the Secretary General! I am not going to say we were star struck, but definitely WOWED!
I wanted to come to the conference to meet other members of the Diaspora to connect and jointly discuss ways to leverage our networks, resources, knowledge and expertise for Haiti. 700 people were in attendance and the crowd mostly Haitian. We were all there because of the fierce urgency of now and the desire to seize this opportunity to forge a new relationship with Haiti.
The conference opened with remarks from UN Haitian Ambassador Léo Mérorès, who quickly described the situation on the ground, shared his heartfelt thanks to the global community for all their contributions and explained why this was a unique opportunity for the Haitian government to collaborate with the Diaspora. By the end of his talk it became clear to me that as a community we needed to get organized fast so that we can have a seat at the table as plans are drawn.
The half day conference also brought experts to cover topics on Education, Health, Micro Finance and Art. The best part of the day besides hearing the remarks of the ambassador was the evening reception. It provided an opportunity for conference participants to network and learn more about each other. I enjoyed this time, as I was able to speak to very passionate individuals-- architects, musicians, photographers, lawyers, graphic designers, non profit leaders, pastors, urban planners, entrepreneurs and educators; all currently or ready to use their skills and talents for Haiti. It was awesome and made me feel like if we can continue to meet in an organized fashion, we can harness our combined resources for Haiti.
A spunky petite woman named Danit Aronson, was selling fashionable t-shirts in the back corner, at the reception for Partners in Health. Danit created "I Heart Haiti" as a personal effort to raise money to help her loved ones and countless others rebuild their country. About the shirts Danit says, "through striking visuals and powerful words, the t-shirts are an integral tool in keeping the need for aid in Haiti in the limelight, even after the media trend goes down."
100% of the proceeds from the shirts will go to Partners in Health. By the time she and I finished talking about the t-shirts, fashion and our love for Haiti, I was more than happy to buy one!
Danit like many others is using her love for Haiti to do good and proving that each of us can make a difference.
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