Haiti earthquake, January 2010
In response to the devastated state of survivors of the January 12th Haiti earthquake, the Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce of Florida (HACCOF), in partnership with member organizations such as Food Express (a food transfer company), 12Tel (a telecommunication company) and Haiti Messager (a delivery logistics company in Haiti), undertook the leveraging of donated funds in order to accomplish its HACCOF Haiti Aid & Reconstruction Initiative (HHARI), consisting of creating a fund that will help alleviate worrying levels of poverty in Haiti.
HACCOF, along with its partner organizations in Haiti, created Clean-Up Task Forces in the most critical areas so that those living in these areas get more of an incentive to start cleaning their neighborhoods of debris, after the government has authorized to do so. Members of these Task Forces will receive a daily stipend for these services. This initiative not only helped to alleviate poverty and consequently reduced the level of criminal activities, but also helped foster a sense of “community belongingness” and of civic responsibility - aiding small businesses to rebuild in Haiti.
HACCOF along with its partner organizations in the US and Haiti created a fund that helped those businesses in critical areas rebuild and included the creation of several business incubators in Port-au-Prince and its surrounding affected areas.
To learn more about this initiative go to: http://haccof.com/Home/tabid/87/language/fr-FR/Default.aspx
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