Making a Difference for Haitians

UN Photo/Sophia Paris

• Donate to the UUSC/UUA Joint Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund
  
• Volunteer at clinics for U.S. Haitians to apply for Temporary Protected Status
  
• Respond to our action alert:
  Urge International Debt Relief for Haiti
  
• Address the crisis in your congregational service
• Read FAQs about UUSC disaster response
• Listen to UUSC's Martha Thompson discuss the crisis in Haiti in a radio interview with the First Parish of Duxbury

How You Can Help

For the past several weeks we have been reporting on the situation in Haiti: first about the terrible news that a quake had hit on January 12, and then, as we learned more from those on the ground, about its devastating effects. Most recently, our reports have been about the work of our partners, and their relief and recovery efforts. This week, Martha Thompson, manager of UUSC's Rights and Humanitarian Crises Program, will travel to Haiti to meet with our partners, monitor relief efforts, and determine the elements of UUSC's future support in Haiti.

In weeks to come, we will continue this reporting, letting you know about the progress our partners are making in stabilizing the communities in which they live and work. But we also wanted to let you know that while making a donation to the UUSC/UUA Joint Haiti Relief Fund is vital, there are several other ways in which you can help make a difference in the lives of Haitians both here and abroad.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Clinics

On January 15, 2010, the Obama administration announced that Haitians in the United States prior to the earthquake may apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which would allow them to legally live and work in the United States for the next 18 months without fear of deportation. It is estimated that this program will help 100,000 to 200,000 Haitians currently in the United States. The designation will benefit those who currently do not have valid immigration status and those whose work permits are set to expire. With legal work permits, Haitians will be able to leave abusive workplaces to seek safer employment and can continue the flow of remittances to Haiti in a time of dire need.

Partnering with the UUA and UU congregations, UUSC is setting up clinics for TPS applicants in select regions of the country. At these clinics, volunteers will help provide free advice and assistance in filling out the necessary forms, as well as help in completing the TPS fee-waiver applications. Volunteers need NOT be attorneys in order to participate. All volunteers will receive training, and each TPS clinic will be supervised by immigration attorneys. There will also be a need for child-care services and French and Creole translators at these events. If you live in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, or New York City and would like to help, please contact Nichole Cirillo, UUSC's campaign manager. Here is the current schedule of clinics and training sessions.

Debt Relief/Cancellation for Haiti

The Haitian government cannot begin to address the country's massive recovery needs if required to make onerous payments on the more than $700 million in debts currently owed to financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and Inter-American Development Bank. In order to ensure that the United States plays a significant role in pressuring these multinational institutions to cancel Haiti's remaining debt, freeing up those resources to be directed towards relief, reconstruction, and recovery, U.S. Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) recently introduced bipartisan legislation – H.R. 4573, the Debt Relief for Earthquake Recovery in Haiti Act of 2010. (Learn more about this bill and urge your representative in Congress to cosponsor it.)

In anticipation of Treasury Secretary Geithner's meeting with international finance ministers on February 5–6 in Canada, UUSC joined with our allies to call for three specific actions that would enhance the international community's response to the humanitarian crisis in Haiti: (1) the complete cancellation of all remaining debts owed by Haiti to multilateral financial institutions, (2) a moratorium on Haiti's debt service payments to these institutions until the debts are officially canceled, and (3) additional aid to Haiti given in the form of grants so that the country does not incur more debt.

Thanks to grassroots and congressional pressure, Secretary Geithner announced, "Today, we are voicing our support for what Haiti needs and deserves — comprehensive multilateral debt relief. . . . We are committed to working quickly and closely with these institutions in a way that provides immediate grant assistance to help the Haitian people recover and rebuild." He added, "I . . . look forward to working . . . to provide the critical support Haiti needs for recovery as well as to discussing this issue with my G-7 colleagues this weekend."

It is clear that raising our voices in unison does make a difference. Advocates for a just recovery in Haiti must continue to monitor policy developments to ensure full implementation.

Volunteer Programs in Haiti

While it is too early to begin UUSC's volunteer rebuilding and recovery trips, please begin planning now on how you might incorporate this into your 2011 fiscal-year congregational calendar.

Visit www.uusc.org regularly for updated news and actions.