8th Report- April 10 Seminar A Big Success
Some of the 55 participants
Dear Supporters and friends,
PPAF and the UNA-USA Southern NY State Division convened the very successful seminar “Innovative Programs in Haiti” on April 10. We held it at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice in Manhattan, the new home of the UN Foundation and UNA-USA in New York. Ford is itself famous for program and architectural innovation.
Some 55 attendees welcomed the speakers and participated in the Q&A. Jocelyn McCalla (Haitian-Americans United for Progress) offered remarks on politics and development in Haiti; George Garland (HEART in Haiti School) spoke of the Haiti Education And Resource Team (HEART) School as a model of excellence for sustainable education; Hugh Locke (Smallholder Farmers Alliance) described how the Timberland Company is partnering on an initiative to reintroduce cotton farming to Haiti; Kathy Elisca Clermont (Fordham University) showed how women’s empowerment is advancing through solidarity groups to prevent violence against women & promote non-farm earnings; Alan Bigelow (Solar Cookers International) discussed SCI’s collaboration in Haiti to support and promote solar cooking as an innovative approach for clean and sustainable cooking.
David Stillman (PPAF) moderated the event and illustrated the value of teamwork by several collaborating organizations to promote solar and biogas cooking in a first-ever university course and at community level in Haiti.
Participants at the session enjoyed the opportunity for commentary and networking. Many new contacts were made. Remarks by the Purchase College SUNY provost and its international programs dean were a highlight, as they described plans for the (T)HERE global festival to take place in November and focus on Haitian arts, culture and ideas. We also learned about the work of the medical humanitarian organization Hands Up for Haiti, and others with programs active in Haiti
Many thanks to Michele Voltaire Marcelin, Jennifer Gasser and Rose Bazile for the wonderful photos they took and to intern Emma Filippi Pioppi for videos. Some photos and the PPAF presentation are included here. A full set of photos and videos appear on the PPAF website at www.ppafoundation.org/gallery–videos.html.
Seminar participants with active programs in Haiti
Panel of speakers with PPAF moderator
A participant raises a question
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