Art Benefit at Webster Hall for Haiti

Webster Hall will be featuring photography and paintings to benefit an ecological project in Haiti. Printed artwork will be sold along with paintings. There will be two bands and 2 djs maybe more. Doors open at 8 pm open bar from 8-9 pm and then again from 12am-1am. Admission is $6 dollars.

Proceeds will go to the Jacmel Exotic Garden.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE

DwaFanm (“Women’s Rghts” in Creole) is a Haitian women's rights organization committed to empowering all women and girls with the freedom to define and control their own lives. Through service, education, advocacy and grassroots programs, DwaFanm works to end discrimination, violence, and other forms of injustice here and abroad

POSITION AVAILABLE:

Survey Administrator- Human Rights Survey. 10 hour per week commitment.

WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP:

We are creating a survey titled: “Human Rights Belong to All of Us: A Study of Personal and Economic Security in New York City’s Haitian Immigrant Communities.” We are currently looking for a handful of outstanding volunteers to help us administer this survey to members of the Haitian community throughout the city, on a regular basis.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Excellent interpersonal communications skills


• Comfort and/or experience working with people from diverse background


• Respectful and responsible dealing with sensitive and confidential information


• Willing to take part in a one-time training (approximately 2 hours)


• Creole speaking a plus, but by no means necessary


The results of our research will be published in a report, and will serve as the basis for public education and policy advocacy campaigns.


If interested, please send a cover letter and resume to Berlotte Israel, Human Rights Coordinator, at bisrael@dwafanm.org

www.dwafanm.org

(718)-230-4027

Potential Volunteer Opportunities

A group at SIPA (Students for Haiti) are creating a system to enable individuals to get matched for potential volunteer opportunities with different NGOs working in Haiti or on Haiti-related projects. Please note that these opportunities are not organized by Columbia University or Students4Ayiti i.e. not organized "service trips". For information, please email haitianaid@gmail.com for any inquiries.

• The volunteer sign-up form at http://www.students4haiti.org. Many NGO's are mentioning they need medical people, and the Mailman/Medical campus certainly is a good place to find them. If students complete the volunteer form, they will be matched with an NGO which needs their skills, and contacted with the available volunteer options.

• Students4Haiti (S4H) is doing a massive NGO needs assessment to find volunteer places for persons interested in short, medium, and long term efforts. We are recruiting for volunteers to do outreach to a list of 60 NGO's, many of which we already have students with contacts at. We would be delighted to have help from anyone who is interested in helping us do outreach, especially those with linkages already in place.

Haiti Relief Item Collection

• DONATIONS! -- Relief & Aid is coming to Haiti from the CUMC campus! Starting Monday February 1, 2010 The Mailman School of Public Health will be collecting items in four locations (see below). All items will be taken directly to the Haitian Consulate or another supported organization by Students 4 Ayiti. The list of items being requested includes first aid items, rescue relief items, and medication ONLY! Please carefully read the list of requested items from the Haitian Consulate below. Please ignore the drop of locations listed on the document. We will be taking donations at Mailman and delivering them as a school.

List of Items being requested from the consulate

• Drop off boxes for items have been placed in the following locations:
  
  Allan Rosenfield Building Lobby at 722 W 168th Street
  Outside of Bard Hall Study Lounge (first floor)
  Near Security Desk at 50/60 Haven Ave
  Hammer Health Sciences Center (LL1)

Any questions? Email us at students4ayiti@gmail.com.

Students 4 Ayiti
Newsletter February 1, 2010







Dear Students 4 Ayiti,

Another week has passed and we still have a lot on our agenda! First order of business -- Our next general meeting will be on Wednesday, February 12, 2010 at 8:30pm in Hess Commons. The address is 722 W 168th Street (if you need help with directions please email us at students4ayiti@gmail.com). We will be addressing the upcoming events, donation drives, and political action events coming up within the next few weeks. We've got a lot to discuss! If you can't make the meeting don't forget you can watch us live via Ustream at our channel: Students 4 Ayiti UStream. Here are a few things we've got coming up soon:

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The Political & Educational Action Committee is asking all Students 4 Ayiti to please sign the petition to help drop Haiti's debt. It will only take about two minutes of your time. Haiti will need all of its resources for recover and reconstruction. We are urging you to tell the Treasury Secretary Geither to negotiate the cancellation of Haiti's remaining debts to international intitution to ensure that all new aid comes in the form of grants NOT loans. The links to two petitions are below:

Drop Haiti's Debt & No Debt for Disaster

Help Haiti -- Drop the Debt

• DONATIONS! -- Relief & Aid is coming to Haiti from the CUMC campus! Starting Monday February 1, 2010 The Mailman School of Public Health will be collecting items in the lobby of the Rosenfield Building at 722 W 168th Street. All items will be taken directly to the Haitian Consulate by Students 4 Ayiti. The list of items being requested includes first aid items, rescue relief items, and medication ONLY! Please carefully read the list of requested items from the Haitian Consulate below. Please ignore the drop of locations listed, we will be taking donations at Mailman and delivering it to them as a school.

List of Items being requested from the consulate

UPCOMING EVENTS

SAVE THE DATE: FEBRUARY 12, 2010 -- CAFE AYITI
The School of Physicians & Surgeons and Students 4 Ayiti will be collaborating for a funfilled night of food, education, and live entertainment:

This event will highlight Dr. Vincent Degennary from the Department of Internal Medicine who will lead a discussion based on his experience from the relief effort. Haitian music will be performed by the Zing Experience and we will be viewing the documentary film The Road to Fondwa. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and Fatima House Orphanage, Fondwa.

Minimum Donation: $10 (cash, credit card, and check accepted)

Where: Donald F. Tapley Faculty Club P&S Building, 630 W 168th St., 4th Floor (ID Required)
When: Friday, February 12th, 6pm - 9pm

Click Here to view the flier

HAITIAN STUDY GROUP
Students 4 Ayiti's Edna Bonhomme will be hosting an education night and seminar. The study group will be discussing. The following two articles. Please follow the links to view the articles:

200 Years of US Imperialism: Haiti Under Seige -- By Helen Scott
Walking on Fire -- By Beverly Bell

When: Friday, February 12, 2010, 3pm to 5pm
Where: International Resource Center, 114th St Between Broadway and Amsterdam

HAITIAN STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY
The Fulbright office at the United Nations has a unique scholarship opportunity for Haitian students currently studying in the United States. Here is their message:

"Dear Students 4 Ayiti,

I hope this message finds you well.

I’m
pleased to announce that IIE has created an emergency fund to help students from
Haiti currently in the US continue their academic programs by providing them
with the opportunity of applying for a small grant.

It is important to
clarify that his grant is aimed at supporting non-sponsored Haitian grantees
(that unfortunately excludes you as you do have financial sponsorship for your
academic program from the Department of State). So, please help us spread the
word on your campus so your colleagues can be nominated.

I wish to also
clarify that all questions should go directly to the program manager at
HaitiEAS@iie.org – Nicole and I are not supervising this initiative.

Complete information below: Deadline is Feb 12th

With warm
wishes,

Tatiana"

Click here for more information.


Again, thank you for all your continued support and dedication. We look forward to seeing you all on February 10th!

--S4A

Was there something you'd like to see in the newsletter? Email us at students4ayiti@gmail.com

EVENTS TOMORROW & HELP WITH TPS

There are two events coming up tomorrow evening, please check out Google Calendar often to stay up to date, there are multiple events coming up soon! If you would like your event added to the calendar, send the info to students4ayiti@gmail.com!

TPS FOR HAITI

Congresswoman Yvette Clarke will be at SUNY Downstate tomorrow night in Brooklyn to host a townhall with USCIS Regional Director on TPS. Individuals can ask questions, get help filling out forms and representatives will go over payment and costs of the TPS.

Please see the link to the flier here: Briefing Session with Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke

CATASTROPHE IN HAITI: AN UNNATURAL DISASTER

Join a discussion of what produced this tragedy, how we can help today, and what it will take to win growing demands such as canceling Haiti’s U.S. debt. Speakers will include Edna Bonhomme, Haitian American graduate student & activist at Columbia University, and Ashley Smith, long-time activist in solidarity with Haiti and member of the International Socialist Review editorial board.

Where: The LGBT Community Center, Room 301 (114 St. between Broadway and Amsterdam)

When: Thursday, January 28 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm

ANSWERING THE CALL

A Fundraising Initiative Benefiting Earthquake Victims in Haiti. Here is a message from the Harvard Black Alumni Society:

Dear All,

In the wake of Haiti's devastating earthquake on January 12, 2010, citizens and nations from across the globe have united to support those affected on the ground in Haiti and abroad. Today, weeks after this natural disaster, the lives and realities of Haiti’s people remain profoundly changed with so many finding themselves homeless, without food, physically injured, without work and coping with the loss of loved ones. The effects of this tragedy are far from over and as such, it is important for people across the world to realize that the need of those in Haiti and our human obligation to help them is also far from over.

Tomorrow, the Harvard Black Alumni Society of New York will join The Global Syndicate and other organizations and individuals to deliver an event that seeks to remember and to support those affected by Haiti’s earthquake. Please join us for “ANSWERING THE CALL: A Fundraising Initiative Benefiting Earthquake Victims in Haiti” on Thursday, January 28 at M2 Ultralounge (530 West 28^th Street, NY, NY). From 6:00-7:00PM we will be offering an open bar and from 7:00-10:00PM, the event’s program will take place featuring special guests including: Matt Dillon, Gloria Reuben (ER Star), Gossip Girls Star, Randal Pinkett (Apprentice Winner), Sen. Jose Peralta, Assemblyman Karim Camara, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, Comptroller John Liu, Assemblyman Farrell, Assemblyman Karim Camera, Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat, Assemblyman Darryl Towns, Assemblyman Hakeem Jefferies, Senator Eric Schneiderman and more.

100% of proceeds will go to benefit earthquake victims through: The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, Project Medishare, Haiti Support Project and Yele Haiti. General Admission pricing ranges from $25 to $100 and VIP pricing (including an open bar all night) ranges from $250 to $500. Purchase tickets HERE.

We hope that you will join us in this effort either by attending the event, contributing onlineHERE or supporting the people of Haiti in some other way.

With compassionate support,

Enoch Woodhouse AB ‘07
President, Harvard Black Alumni Society of New York

--S4A

MEETING SUMMARY & UPDATES

Dear Students 4 Ayiti!

Thank you! Last weeks meeting was absolutely amazing, we had over 60 people in attendance and even more on the sign-up lists. We look forward to working with all of your in these next couple months and beyond to support the relief efforts in Haiti. For those of you who could not make it to the meeting, and as a brief summary, here are the things we covered:

The collaborators of Students 4 Ayiti (Alex, Edna, Francesca, Krys and Lindsey) have decided to delegate tasks, interests, and responsibilities into four committees: Relief & Aid, Political & Education, Community Service Trip, and Communications.

COMMITTEE DESCRIPTIONS AND INITIATIVES

We ask that all Students 4 Ayiti join a committee (or two) that is relevant to their interest. Below is a brief description of what each committee will focus on and a short synopsis of what was discussed.

Relief & Aid -- Alex and Lindsey

The relief committee will be focusing its attention on collecting small medical, first-aid, and hygenic supplies to provide to the Haitian Consulate. We want to encourage people to continue to attend fundraising events. Some of our current ideas include:

1. We are going to coordinate with administrators to get barrells put in place in Mailman and P&S as well as getting a closet for us, while I will be in touch with student affairs offices at the nursing and dental school to arrange with them.
2. We anticipate the initial interest to die down in a few weeks as media attention wanes and we would like to organize a "Remember Haiti" event (perhaps a bar/happy hour event) to solicit donations as well as re-energize people on the plight of Haitians.

Political & Education -- Edna

The political and education committee plans to identify a list of Hatian community organizations, radio stations, newspapers, etc, to identify the logistics for Temporary Protective Status (TPS) and the free legal resources for ensuring immigration protection. They also aim to support petitions that provide equity and organised planning for Haitians. They also have begun planning for intermediate and long-term political action steps including: monthly education night about Haiti that will incorporate Haitian American professors and students across the city.

Community Service Trip -- Francesca

As you may know coordinating a trip to Haiti will be a difficult task because of the lack of resources (housing, transportation, etc.) available at this point, so we need to have a strategy taking that into consideration. Our initial steps will be identifying organizations that we could potentially collaborate with in Haiti. This includes connecting with organizations that may work out of NYC but travel to Haiti several times during the year. As more information comes out regarding what types of services students cal provide or are most necessary, we will select the appropriate organization.

Communication --Krys

The communications committee will be in charge of all "official" statements made on behalf of Students 4 Ayiti. This includes answering e-mails, posting on the blog, facebook, twitter, our weekly e-newsletter and coordinating events. Keeping the calendars from all affiliate Students 4 Ayiti organizations up to date on our events as well as promoting other events that are being coordinated by students in and around New York City. Immediately, the communications committee will be in touch with administrators, faculty, affiliate organizations, and the other committees within Students 4 Ayiti to maintain a seamless streamline of information. If you are an affiliate with any other organization, as well as Students 4 Ayiti, we encourage you to join the communication committee to assist as a liason.

Which committee should you join? Which committees are you interested in? If you're not sure, or want to help in more than one, that's fine! Please keep up with our emails and you will find out about all the ways you can assist! Please e-mail us! Students4Ayiti@gmail.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• WE HAVE A GOOGLE CALENDAR! Check out our google calendar for upcoming events supported by Students 4 Ayiti. Events are located throughout the city and are updated almost daily, so check the calendar often!

• The Communications committee wants to know: Are you creative? We are trying to come up with a logo for Students 4 Ayiti! Any help would be appreciated. If you have ideas e-mail them please!

• Students 4 Ayiti would like to highlight Edna Bonhommme for her recent article that has been featured on SocialistWorker.org. Edna looks at the distortions in the media and the politician's depiction of Haiti, and what they won't admit about the real sources of the country's crisis. Check out the article here: Racism in the Portayal of Haiti

• The Relief & Aid committee would like to remind everyone to stay updated for volunteer opportunities, please sign up with www.idealist.org for hands on opportunities in New York City. They would also like to encourage everyone to check www.volunteermatch.org to register with the Haitian consulate for information about how to be a volunteer counselor.

• The Political & Education committee has a task to ask of Students 4 Ayiti. They need help with assisting Haitians to fill out the Temporary Protective Status (TPS) forms. They are asking for volunteers. No experience is necessary. The information is here:

• Hours: Monday - Friday: 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm
• Saturday: 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
• Address: 1821 Nostrand Avenue (Between Avenue D and Clarendon Road)
• Telephone: 718-282-3680
• E-mail: info@helpcenters.org, gdurandisse@helpcenters.org, gregduranx@yahoo.com

THANK YOU! Everyone, for all of your support, ideas and enthusiasm.

--S4A

HAIRI RELIEF FUND RAISING EVENTS AROUND NYC

Below are a list of upcoming fundraising events and talks in New York City. If you would like us to post an event on our blog and Google Calendar, please email us at Students4Ayiti@gmail.com

JEANS FOR TEENS

Welcome to the third annual Teens for Jeans drive, the campaign that empowers YOU to collect jeans for homeless teens.

Just drop off any pair of your gently worn jeans to any Aéropostale store between January 19th and February 14th and we'll make sure they get donated to a local homeless shelter or charity.

To say thanks, Aéropostale will give you an additional 25% off your next pair of jeans.

Last year you helped us collect over 200,000 pairs and this year we want to top that, so start collecting today!

The first 100,000 pairs of jeans collected will be sent to support homeless teens in Haiti.

There are 3 listings for Aeropostale in NYC where you can drop off your jeans!

A message from Teens for Jeans:




THE RICHMOND HILL COALITION FOR HAITI

The Richmond Hill Coalition for Haiti invited you to a special fund raising event: "CONCERT for HAITI"

FEATURING:
Haitian singers and poets
FHED (Haitian Relief Inc.)
Classical singers and performers from out community
Special guest of honor, Mr. Eugene Preval, Cousin of President Rene Preval of Haiti

Admission is free. Please contribute generously.

LOCATION: Chateau Royale, 110-10 Atlantic Avenue, New York 11419

HAITIAN FUNDRAISING DINNER

As you know, the people of Haiti are in dire need of basic resources for survival. Come out experience some great Haitian food, Haitian music, a short documentary from a student volunteer, socialize with faculty, and contribute to the relief efforts in Haiti. CDM, P&S, Public Health, and Nursing students will be present.

A minimum $10 donation is necessary to attend this event. All contributions will go to the Canadian chapter of "Doctors Without Borders" because the Canadian government is currently matching all donations made to Canadian Organizations. This means your $10 donation will become a $20 donation to the organization. Doctors without Borders is currently located in Haiti so the money raised would go directly to medicine, first aid, etc.

DATE: February 12, 2010
TIME: 6PM-8PM
LOCATION: TBA

For updates on this event please RSVP to the Facebook event page

--S4A

A MESSAGE FROM ORPHAN OUTREACH (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)

Students 4 Ayiti recieved this message from Tom Ecklund, the Director of Orphan Outreach in the Dominican Republic. He gives his perspective of what has been going on with the program with respect to Haiti. Please read below:

"Hi! I am still in the Dominican Republic, and returning to the States on Thursday. It's been almost a week since I sent the last update to all of our registered spring and summer volunteers. So here is the latest:

It's been a week now since the earthquake, and we continue to see the news reports of the devastation and loss of life in Haiti. We know that there are many organizations whose mission includes working in Haiti and in disaster relief. We encourage you to offer your financial support to the work of these organizations.

Our volunteers made a huge impact in the Dominican Republic last week with over 1000 people being seen by our medical team, and with three college education teams teaching at the orphanage and in the public schools. This week we have a team here from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania teaching at our English Institute. All is normal here. We have sent some supplies from here with a Rotary Club convoy going into Haiti, and other supplies to a local church sending items to Haiti. And we know there is a lot of activity in the south of the Dominican Republic in terms of staging supplies and equipment to be moved into Haiti. Other than seeing the earthquake situation on the news here, and hearing it in conversation, there has been no negative impact in the areas where we are working. There is no surge of Haitians coming across the border, there is no looting, etc. etc. The northern border crossing at Dajabon is calm; I was at the border today. The crossing in the south (main highway between Santo Domingo and Port-au-Prince) is busy but controlled . Our mission remains in the Dominican Republic. There is much need here that we are working to address. We are looking forward to working with you and the other volunteers in providing education and health care to the people here who need it. Again, other than news reports from the earthquake area, the environment here in the Dominican Republic is calm. You should expect the same experience here that you could have expected before the earthquake. There is no additional safety risks now than there were one month ago. Geography - I have been asked how close we are to Port-au-Prince. Although not necessarily that far in straight miles, the road takes the long way to get there and the quickest you could drive there is 10 -12 hours with good roads. The same things that are beginning to make a difference in Haiti are the things we always ask of our supporters coming to the Dominican Republic - 1) Volunteer, 2) Donate and Raise Funds, 3) Bring Donations. Perhaps after seeing the news reports from Haiti you can get a better appreciation of the poverty on this island, and how your efforts can make a difference. There is no need to wait for an earthquake. We have over 1000 volunteers signed up to join us between now and May - it's an army of volunteers who can make a difference here. Imagine the difference 1000 people can make by inviting 20 friends and family members to make a financial donation, by bringing one or two suitcases of needed food items, and by spending a week teaching or providing health care. Thank you for being part of a very special effort, and I encourage you to put your energy into maximizing the difference you are making - both before your trip as well as during your trip.

I know that things are not yet stable in Port-au-Prince, and we are vigilant about any impacts that the situation may have here.

We have a full time staff of Americans and Canadians living here in the Dominican Republic; we will let you know of any situations which might arise that you should be aware of.

Sincerely,

Tom Eklund

Executive Director"

Please keep Tom and his staff in your thoughts and prayers.

--S4A

Haiti Relief Fund Raising Events Around NYC

Below are a list of upcoming fundraising events and talks in New York City. If you would like us to post an event on our blog and Google Calendar, please email us at Students4Ayiti@gmail.com

I AM AYITI (HAITI)

RELIEF FUNDRAISER AND BENEFIT

SOLIDARITY FROM NY to NOLA to HAITI FEATURING PERFORMANCES BY:

DJ Laylo on the 1s and 2s

Kalunga Neg Mawon

Tiga Jean-Baptiste & T’Chaka

Jhon Clarke (formerly of Black Parents)

Caribbean Cultural Center

408 W. 58th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues)

www.cccadi.org

Friday, January 22, 2010

7:00 p.m. to 10 p.m.

THE WORLD STANDS WITH HAITI: A BENEFIT SHOW FOR THE PEOPLE OF HAITI

FEATURED ARTISTS INCLUDE:

Charanga Soleil

“Papo” Ortega

Pepito Gomez

Luisito Ayala and more

DROM, 85 Avenue A (between 5th and 6th street), New York, York

Sunday, January 24th from 6:00 pm to midnight

Proceeds will go to Partners in Health, www.standwithhaiti.org/haiti

CATASTROPHE IN HAITI: AN UNNATURAL DISASTER

Join a discussion of what produced this tragedy, how we can help today, and what it will take to win growing demands such as canceling Haiti’s U.S. debt. Speakers will include Edna Bonhomme, Haitian American graduate student & activist at Columbia University, and Ashley Smith, long-time activist in solidarity with Haiti and member of the International Socialist Review editorial board.

The LGBT Community Center, Room 301

Thursday, January 28 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm

LOST CHILDHOODS: A CONVERSATION ABOUT CHILD DOMESTIC SERVITUDE IN HAITI

The purpose of the event is to discuss the plight of children in Haiti, especially given the recent earthquake which has displaced millions.

Panelists will offer attendees an explanation of what the restavek system of child domestic servitude is and its historical and contemporary significance, how the current economic, political, and social climate relates to and impacts the restavek system, the U.S. government position on such matters, and suggestions for what actions should be taken to end this system of ongoing modern-day slavery.

Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs, The Kellogg Center

Thursday, February 18 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm

REMINDER!

REMINDER! REMINDER! REMINDER!

Dear Students 4 Ayiti,


Our first meeting will be tomorrow, January 20, 2010. We will be meeting at the Hammer Life Sciences building located on the Medical Campus at 701 W 168th Street. Food will be served at 5:30pm and the meeting will begin promptly at 6:00pm.


If you cannot make it to the meeting in person we will be streaming live at 6:00pm via our Ustream channel at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/students4ayiti. All those viewing our meeting via Ustream are encouraged to share their thoughts on the chat section of the webpage. There is a good possibility if you are viewing from Ustream, you will only be able to hear audio but not receive visual (due to our equipment), if this occurs you are still encouraged to communicate with us through the chat box system.

Directions



From New Jersey: Please click here for directions from the George Washington Bridge

From Subway: Take the A/C or 1 train to 168th Street. Walk west on 168th Street toward Fort Washington Avenue. The Hammer Building is on the corner of 168th street and Fort Washington Avenue. Or visit http://www.hopstop.com/

If you are traveling by car, we suggest you give yourself ample time to find parking, as parking in this area is usually limited.

We are so excited to meet all of you! So come hungry and please, bring your enthusiasm and ideas.

--S4A

LOCAL VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Here is a list of local volunteer opportunities in NYC that are a great places to get started:

1) Attend assist with activities listed on:

Idealist.org - http://bit.ly/8jkWIY

Things to consider from Idealist.org

2) Collect materials and deliver them to the Haitian Consulate. The closest drop off site is in the Bronx.

3) Volunteer with the Red Cross Red Cross & VolunteerMatch*

Message from the American Red Cross:

“International disaster responses are typically supported by each country’s local Red Cross society and International Red Cross delegates; therefore, we are not recruiting New York volunteers to travel to Haiti. However, those wishing to join the American Red Cross in Greater New York’s corps of disaster volunteers that serve on local and national relief operations are encouraged to complete a volunteer application below. As we position ourselves to include prospective volunteers in our efforts to support the people of Haiti, you may experience longer waiting periods as you seek to register for an upcoming Reserve Institute program. Please continue to check our website for opportunities to volunteer.”

Some of individual Red Cross opportunities are posted on:

*VolunteerMatch under disaster relief opportunities (note, not all are related to directly assisting the relief effort for Haiti)

4) To volunteer Internationally, register with the Center for International Disaster

A message from the Center for International Disaster:

"When providing contributed assistance to an international humanitarian response activity, the American Public is encouraged to make a monetary contribution. The guidance is commonly expressed as Cash Is Best. The term may appear simplistic to many people and therefore there is opportunity for explanation of some of the questions it entails. This document will give basic Who, How and Why elements for the guidance."

--S4A

VICTORY!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! To everyone who signed the petition asking Obama to grant Temporary Protected Status to Haitian immigrants who are currently in the United States.

On Friday, January 15th the Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, issued the following statement:

"As part of the Department's ongoing efforts to assist Haiti following Tuesday's devastating earthquake, I am announcing the designation of Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals who were in the United States as of January 12, 2010. This is a disaster of historis proportions and this designation will allow eligible Haitian nationals in the United States to continue living and working in our country for the next 18 months. Providing a temporary refuge for Haitian nationals who are currently in the United States and whose personal safety would be endangered by returning to Haiti is part of this Administration's continuing efforts to support Haiti's recovery."

For more information, check out this CNN article: http://bit.ly/58lhEN

If you would still like to sign the petition, please do so! Signatures are still being submitted to ensure that your voice is heard. That link is here: http://bit.ly/6o1S4Z

Again, thank you all for your support!

--S4A

WELCOME

On the evening of January 12, 2010, an earthquake devastated Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. With limited communication leaving the island, major news networks reported on what was a night of absolute terror. Here in America, we could only feel sadness and overwhelming helplessness for a population of people suffering tremendously. For those with relatives and friends in Haiti, the situation was especially heartbreaking as most forms of correspondence were unavailable. Even today, families anxiously anticipate any kind of information regarding the safety and well being of loved ones.

Motivated by our compassion and concern, a few of us students decided to come together in effort to aid Haiti in any way we can. We know that many want to help as well so our goal is to provide students with the resources to do so. In this time of pain and tragedy, let us use our abilities to effect change for the survivors of this earthquake.

We are Students for Ayiti (Haiti).

Our objective as students over the next couple weeks, and what YOU can do right now:

1) MEET: An open forum for all students (university wide), faculty, and staff will be held on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 from 6pm to 7pm in Hammer LL103. In the meantime, please visit our blog at www.Students4Ayiti.blogspot.com and post any suggestions and ideas. Food will be served.
2) SIGN: We are encouraging everyone to sign this petition which will help grant temporary protected status for Haitian refugees currently here in the United States. Together, let’s tell president Obama to order the Department of Homeland Security to grant Temporary Protective Status to undocumented Haitian refugees. The link is here: http://bit.ly/8lCnb2
3) DONATE: The following are organizations that we, Students for Ayiti, find the most reputable, please read carefully and visit their websites*:

Doctors without Borders - http://bit.ly/4QI7wN
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971. Your gift will support emergency medical care for the men, women, and children affected by the earthquake in Haiti.

Haitian Relief Fund - http://bit.ly/8vt3sL
Haiti Emergency Relief Fund was established by a group of people who have been doing Haiti solidarity work since 1991, working closely with Haitians to build and support mass-based civic groups on the ground there-- unions, peasant cooperatives, schools, women's organizations and more.

Partners in Health - http://bit.ly/5KEwXa
Partners in Health was founded in 1987, two years after the Clinique Bon Sauveur was set up in Cange, Haiti, to deliver health care to the residents of the mountainous Central Plateau. Partners in Health provide primary access to health care, free education for the poor, community partnerships, and social needs. Their goals are to care for patients and alleviate the root cause of disease.

The American Red Cross - http://bit.ly/7zOGEW
The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization the provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education. Your donation will support emergency relief and recovery efforts to those people affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Assistance provided by the American Red Cross may include sending relief supplies, mobilizing relief workers and providing financial resources and recovery. All donations to the American Red Cross are tax-deductible.

We are looking forward to meeting all of you. Please sign the petition, post your ideas on our blog, and DONATE! Keep all those affected in your thoughts and prayers.

--S4A

NYC students interested in helping with Haiti relief efforts? Join our mailing list, email us at Students4Ayiti@gmail.com

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @Students4Ayiti

*Students for Ayiti have suggested these organizations based on known reputation or personal experience with each organization. This list is not to exclude other organizations, but to focus donations on health related initiatives.