Act Now: Ask Congress to follow through on America’s commitment to Haiti

Jul 22nd, 2010 1:51 PM UTC
By Sheila Nix

In January, an enormous earthquake hit Haiti—the worst of its kind in more than 200 years. The effects were devastating and took nearly 250,000 lives—but people everywhere jumped in to help. Doctors hopped onto planes; students took breaks from school; and kids donated their allowances.

To help with recovery efforts, more than 200,000 ONE members joined our successful campaign to erase Haiti’s one billion dollars in debt. It was a huge victory for Haiti and a proud moment for ONE. And I’m writing to you today because ONE members can make a big difference in Haiti once again.

Two months after the quake, our president pledged to give more than one billion dollars to Haiti for long-term rebuilding. But Congress still needs to pass the bill that contains this critical funding. Will you join us in asking Congress to follow through on America’s commitment to Haiti?

Ask Congress today to quickly pass the bill with long-term funding for Haiti:

Our petition reads:

Dear Senator,

Six months after Haiti’s devastating earthquake, please support quick passage of US assistance to Haiti for reconstruction and debt relief.

Thanks to the heroic work of the Haitian people, tireless volunteers and NGOs, the small island nation has made it through six hard months. But as the country fades from the headlines, we need to remember that the streets are still filled with rubble; families are still sleeping in tents; and people still need jobs.

The people of Haiti deserve much more than the bare necessities of day-to-day survival. They deserve to thrive—to rebuild better and stronger than before.

We promised that they wouldn’t have to do this alone.

And that’s why this funding from the US is so critical. While the work will be hard and the rebuilding time-consuming, this funding will help the country start to recover—by reconstructing homes to protect people from hurricanes and other natural disasters and building schools and hospitals to educate girls and help mothers deliver babies in a clean, safe space.

Will you let Congress know that we must pass the bill for Haiti now?

Let’s join together again and show the people of Haiti that we haven’t forgotten about them. Let’s show Haiti that we’re ready to help for the long-term.

TAGS: Debt Cancellation, Earthquake in Haiti, From ONE Members, Haiti, July Partner Update