HAITI SOLEIL RECEIVES TWO GRANTS FROM DIRECT RELIEF INTERNATIONAL TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY OF CARREFOUR-FEUILLES

It is with great pleasure we announce two generous grants awarded to Haiti Soleil. Direct Relief International has contributed $50,000 towards the rebuilding of our library. This substantial grant will allow us to start construction of a modern, safe, and spacious building. More than just a library, Bibliothèque du Soleil will also house a computer lab and a community center as well. The grant will also be used to develop and facilitate educational programs for Haitians of all ages. Direct Relief International has also pledged $25,000 to Bureau Doleances Sociales, the emergency group created shortly after the earthquake to provide relief in the community of Carrefour-Feuilles. These funds will assist outreach efforts for those most affected by the earthquake. Many people in the Carrefour Feuilles are still lacking basic needs such as adequate food, water and shelter. This charitable donation will make it possible for hundreds of people to rebuild their lives. We are honored that Direct Relief International has chosen Haiti Soleil to be their partner in this important work.

For more information, please see the below links:

http://www.directrelief.org/PressCenter/PressReleases/2010/FirstHaitiCommunityGrants.aspx

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-maccalla/fundraising-in-haiti-wher_b_576767.html

Haiti Soleil Receives Matching Grant Challenge From the Irene S. Scully Foundation to Rebuild Bibliothèque du Soleil

Haiti Soleil is proud to announce a matching challenge grant from the Irene S. Scully Family Foundation, one of Haiti Soleil's major sponsors. The Irene S. Scully Family Foundation will provide up to $25,000 in matching donations to help rebuild Bibliothèque du Soleil, Haiti Soleil's library in the devastated Carrefour-Feuilles Community of Port-au-Prince. That means the foundation will match every dollar you donate to Haiti Soleil.

In honor of the one-year anniversary of the earthquake, all donations sent to Haiti Soleil until January 12th, 2011 will be matched dollar for dollar by the Irene S. Scully Family Foundation, which has funded Haiti Soleil for the past few years. The Foundation strongly believes in the organization's education and community-based work, which is now even more vital to Carrefour-Feuilles residents in post-earthquake Port-au-Prince. The challenge grant officially begins on June 2, 2010 at a special fundraiser event in Oakland, CA. We invite you to celebrate with us at Levende East Restaurant from 7pm-9pm. Levende East is located at 827 Washington Street, Oakland, CA 94607. For more information, please visit the following evite link: Haiti Soleil Fundraiser

Join us in accepting the foundation's challenge to double the value of your generous donation to Haiti Soleil. Help relief efforts in Haiti by sending your individual donation now, or organizing a fundraiser in your area. Spread the word to your social network and let everyone know that for every dollar given to Haiti Soleil, $2 will go to help rebuild a library and a community.

Bibliothèque du Soleil Creates an Emergency Group for the Carrefour-Feuilles Community

The staff of Bibliothèque du Soleil has created an emergency group called Biwo Doleans Sosyal (BDS) to offer condolences to the families of Carrefour-Feuilles who have lost loved ones, provide assistance, and document stories and grievances from the community. The group is also creating jobs for young folks in the community who will be gathering the necessary information to document the story of Carrefour-feuilles after the quake.

By donating to Haiti Soleil you are contributing to the restoration of Bibliothèque du Soleil and its capacity to serve residents of Carrefour-Feuilles who have been greatly impacted by the earthquake.

If you are interested in organizing a fundraiser to benefit Bibliotheque du Soleil, please send an email to Haiti Soleil at hs@haitisoleil.org.

Photos of Bibliotheque du Soleil after the Earthquake

On Thursday morning, I received word that my father is alive. I finally got a chance to speak to him on Sunday morning. We are happy to report that the staff members of Bibliotheque du Soleil are alive as well.

The community Haiti Soleil supports is one of the badly affected areas in Port-au-Prince. I fear that a number of the 400 patrons of Bibliotheque du Soleil are dead. Certainly all of them have lost loved ones and friends.

Schools, churches, hospitals, and homes in the community have collapsed. As for the library, well, we don't have good news. On Saturday, I received the following message from Edouard, who has been instrumental in helping us set up the computer lab:

"The library's building is no longer a sound structure. Entire complex needs to be taken down. will send pictures when i have power...edwa"


We received pictures from Edouard the following day. The damage is worse than we thought. We have posted the photos on Bibliotheque du Soleil's public facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Port-au-Prince-Haiti/Bibliotheque-du-Soleil/56685888449?v=photos&ref=ts#/album.php?aid=143153&id=56685888449

You can also view photos of Bibliotheque du Soleil's activities and events before the earthquake by clicking on the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Port-au-Prince-Haiti/Bibliotheque-du-Soleil/56685888449?v=photos#/album.php?aid=143483&id=56685888449

There is much work to do in the days ahead for all of us. But I believe together we can help rebuild Port-au-Prince and other areas in Haiti damaged by the earthquake.

In solidarity,
Nadege T. Clitandre, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Haiti Soleil
www.haitisoleil.org
www.facebook.com/haitisoleil
www.twitter.com/haitisoleil

A Message from Executive Director on the Earthquake in Haiti

Dear Friends,

As many of you know by now, Haiti was hit by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. Pictures of damaged and collapsed buildings, including governmental structures such as the presidential palace and popular tourist destinations such as Hotel Montana, have been circulating all over the news and major online social networks like Twitter and Facebook. The offices of major international relief agencies have been toppled, making rescue efforts very difficult. Repeated images of little bodies under the rubble and bruised victims on bloody concrete streets have us all gasping in horror. The city of Port-au-Prince appears to be in ruins. Haitians in the capital are, needless to say, frantic. Many are now homeless, displaced and in need of refuge. Haitian Americans all over the United States are shocked and desperate to reach loved ones back at home. The situation is dire.

I was just beginning to recover from jet lag when I received the news of the earthquake yesterday afternoon around 2pm PST. I returned from Haiti this past Thursday after spending an entire month there setting up a small computer lab at Bibliothèque du Soleil, our community library in Carrefour-Feuilles, Port-au-Prince. My nonprofit organization, Haiti Soleil, received a generous grant from the Irene Scully Family Foundation to increase the services and develop the programs we offer at the library. We also received support and in-kind donations from the Center for Black Studies here at UCSB, The French Department at UC Berkeley, and individual donors for the library’s youth Christmas celebration on December 24, 2009.

December was a great month for the most part. Staff morale at the library was high.
Overall, many folks in Haiti were relieved that the country experienced a relatively quiet cyclone season. We were also very hopeful as we witnessed some visible signs of development (i.e., investments in the form of hotels and businesses, airport improvements, new airlines flying into Haiti, better roads, more tourist travel....). It is devastating that we are starting the new year with such catastrophe. Haiti does not have the infrastructure to deal with an earthquake and its aftermath. We have no idea how many lives have been lost, nor do we know how long it will take to recover from this humanitarian disaster. Tough times are indeed ahead for a city that is already dealing with overpopulation, growing bidonvilles (shanty towns), and environmental degradation.

I have not heard from my father, the staff of Bibliothèque du Soleil, and the friends in Haiti who support our efforts when we are there. I have been calling my dad repeatedly with no success. I talked to my father just a few hours before the earthquake over an unresolved customer service issue with a computer store in Delmas. Frustrated, I did not get a chance to tell him I loved him before hanging up.

The earthquake is heartbreaking news. I have been receiving a number of calls and emails from concerned individuals wishing to help in any way possible. I am heartened by those who have reached out by extending sympathies and offering encouraging words. For those who are interested in supporting direct relief agencies, please consider donating to organizations such as Doctors without Borders and Partners in Health. I hear that Fondation Connaissance & Liberté/Fondasyon Konesans Ak Libète (FOKAL), a foundation that supports our library in Haiti, is also accepting donations specifically for relief efforts. Other organizations like The Lambi Fund of Haiti provide long term support. Small nonprofit organizations like Haiti Soleil are in need of volunteers interested in supporting educational development in Haiti.

The Board of Haiti Soleil is monitoring the situation in Haiti. As soon as we hear from the staff of Bibliothèque du Soleil, we will post a message on our website and send an email to our supporters.

In Solidarity,

Nadège T. Clitandre, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Haiti Soleil, Inc.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Haiti Soleil and CounterPULSE co-present "The Politics of Poverty"

Haiti Soleil and CounterPULSE co-present

"The Politics of Poverty"

by Colette Eloi (part of the Performing Diaspora Festival)

Thurs.-Sun. Nov. 12-15 all shows 8 pm @ CounterPULSE

$15-25 pre-sale, $18-25 at the door Single evening tix

Haiti Soleil is co-presenting on Thursday, November 12, 2009

Location: 1310 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103 San Francisco, CA

Haiti Soleil teams up with CounterPULSE, one of the Bay Area's most exciting centers for ground breaking performance, to present "The Politics of Poverty" by Colette Eloi as part of the three-week Performing Diaspora Festival.

Colette Eloi is one of the festival's thirteen California dance, music, theater, media, and interdisciplinary artists who are using traditional forms as a basis for experimentation and innovation, representing the modern California experience. Colette Eloi's work will be shown as part of the showcase that runs from November 12-15 .

For more information:

http://counterpulse.org/performing-diaspora/artists/colette-eloi/

June 2009 Fundraiser in Washington, D.C. a success!



Haiti Soleil thanks donors Norma Toussaint and Lawrence Green for organizing a successful fundraiser event on June 13 in Washington, DC. for Haiti Soleil's summer camp program.




We also thank all those who attended the fundraiser and donated to the third annual summer camp program, which will commence on July 20, 2009.