In
his continuing quest to bring awareness and aid to his native Haiti, Fugees member
Wyclef Jean announced a new alliance between his Yele Haiti organization and the
KATA (Konbit Ak Tet Ansanm) job creation initiative, a USAID-funded program implemented
by CHF International.The
news came during a hearing Tuesday (March 13) on Capital Hill about development
efforts in Haiti.
Jean was on hand to testify before the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
Committee on Foreign Affairs at the U.S. House of Representatives. With
close 80 percent unemployment and an average life expectancy of only 53 years,
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. "After
some 200 years of neglect, almost everything is a priority in Haiti: health, education,
infrastructure, jobs, security, justice — all that’s needed to achieve a healthy
economy and a stable, vibrant society," the Grammy-winning rapper/producer
said.Launched
in 2005 by Jean, Yele Haiti funds education, health, environment and community
development projects while using music, sports and the media to reach the public.
The
organization’s partnership with KATA is set up to advance economic development
and stability in Haiti by fostering initiatives linking job creation, education
and the arts. The
union will also focus on a variety of areas, including vocational training centers
in five of Haiti’s most volatile areas — Port au Prince, Petit Goave, St. Marc,
Gonaives and Cap Haitien. Yele
Cuisine, a micro enterprise model that will train more than 1,000 women to become
the owners of food distribution outlets in slum areas, will receive support from
Yele Haiti and KATA. CHF
International, founded in 1952, works towards positive change in low- and moderate-income
communities around the world by helping families improve their economic circumstances,
environment and infrastructure.The
Yele Haiti/KATA partnership is the latest political endeavor for Jean, who was
appointed roving ambassador of Haiti in January by the country’s President
Rene Preval.
