Rebuilding Haiti - and supporting Haitian women (see my blog at www.haitivox.com) and Poto Mitan in Groups on PulseWire

The day after the Jan. 12 earthquake I began a blog called Haiti Vox (www.haitivox.com) to monitor the emerging disaster reponse and to help network among first responders and grassroots groups and colleagues I know there. My family has roots in Haiti, and I went there for two weeks in late January-early February to do what I could to help. While there, I met with key women's movement leaders and other voices in sectors crucial to the current phase of Rebuilding Haiti. For now, the crisis remains extremely urgent, and although many groups are on the ground and many more are mobilizing, the impact of the Jan. 12 quake is almost too remarkable to describe in words. I did file a story on how women were mobilizing for World Pulse (see WP Home Page).

Over the past two weeks, I've started to work closely with some other Haitian women and advocates to organize a global solidarity response to support Haitian women and girls, and the communty groups that they are part of - the broad Haitian grassroots progressive movement. There are many women and men who need our support - and our help to have their voices heard, and present at the table of upcoming Forums and high-level meetings where decision makers will discuss the emerging agenda of reconstruction and Rebuilding Haiti.

I invite you to join the Poto Mitan: Rebuilding Haiti Community Forum (see PulseWire Group) and bring others on board too.

I'll do my best to repost my Haiti Vox blog here too - and the new Haiti Vox Bulletin, which will feature Special Reports on critical topics related to the theme of Rebuilding Haiti.

Kenbe Fem! (Kreyol for Hang In There!) - AC

(Note: Picture credit: Damon Winter, photographer, The New York Times magazine)