Haitian Americans for Progress is a Florida Political Committee dedicated to empowering Haitian Americans across the United States and increasing awareness of issues that impact their community and personal living. The empowerment of Haitian Americans is inclusive of the role that we play on U.S. Politics; therefore it is imperative to discuss this matter in a panel forum.
Welcome to the breakout session that is all about you! How is your career going? Have you ever considered working for yourself? Do you want to hear about concrete action steps that you can take to be a strong player in a substantive role in the corporate world? Are you passionate about social entrepreneurship and need resources to help scale your effectiveness? Do you wonder how it could be beneficial to partner with the public sector, either as a business or as a non-profit concern? This is your opportunity to get your burning questions answered, and to hear about specific strategies from others who have had good results in these areas.
The Haitian American Chamber of Commerce of Florida presents a panel discussion on bridging the gap between current and upcoming community leaders while identifying the opportunities to showcase the ability of the upcoming generation to carry the torch. This discussion will address the current obstacles and hurdles while proposing opportunities for collaboration. Issues such as strengthening the communication among generations will be addressed.
The purpose of this presentation is to address the various facets of healthcare challenges in Haiti that are negatively affecting its people, and develop a comprehensive plan for a sustainable healthcare system. After the devastating 2010 earthquake, Haiti continues to suffer a myriad of challenges which impact its health care system and resources. Haiti is one of the world’s poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere and is the least equipped to recover from natural disasters. Population disease-specific, public health concerns, health systems responses, challenges and constraints will be addressed. A call to health care reform will be addressed and proposed options or opportunities for improving or strengthening the health system.
As Haiti has continued to develop, it faces the double burden of communicable disease and chronic disease. A rapidly growing population with a high percentage of young people, Haiti’s increasingly elderly population is often overlooked. Poor healthcare infrastructure is one of the biggest barriers to development in Haiti, but finding financial resources, and a pathway to provide better access and better health care for populations has been elusive.
After completing this session the participant will understand the potential of an unprecedented project to contribute to unleashing positive forces for the long-term development of Haiti and for sustained and sustainable reduction of poverty.
The presentation will cover the importance and impact of foreign direct investment (“FDI), and development of integrated economic zones (“IEZ”) in Haiti. FDI has an economic multiplier impact and has direct effects in employment, income and output, indirect effects of re-spending that arise through purchases from local supplier industries and induced effects which are created with payrolls increase and workers in affected industry sectors spend more on local goods and services (household spending effect).
A two hour break-out session to discuss ways to collaborate and partner to take legal action in national and international courts, draft and advance legislation, and request equal time in U.S. media (print, broadcast, radio).
The goal of this workshop is to understand how youth in Haiti and in the Diaspora can be a strong bridge to close the existing gaps between the various communities and explore areas where they can strategically invest together to make a pertinent impact on the country’s future.
In the Diaspora, there are approximately 4.5 million Haitians who were born in Haiti. These 4.5 million Haitians have reproduced children who are now citizens under the Amended Constitution. As a result, we have nearly doubled our population to approximately 9 million Haitians living outside of Haiti. The World Bank issued a report approximately 5 years ago that concluded that Haiti has suffered such a severe brain historically that 86% of Haitians with credentials live in the Diaspora. This group sends over 2 billion dollars back home every year. This amount of money constitutes 1/3 of the Gross National Product of the country and is more than all foreign aid that Haiti receives. The Haitian Diaspora can increase its participation in Haiti and on behalf of Haiti.
This workshop will focus on current reform efforts to strengthen the Haitian education system by “improving how students learn, what they learn and when they should start to learn” (more context from Jacqueline Charles’s recent article in the Miami Herald). There are many education initiatives taking place in and for Haiti, but lacking a coordinated approach with a shared outcome in mind. Without a collective understanding and agreement of the outcomes we seek for all children, the diaspora may be getting involved in ways that are potentially inefficient, ineffective, or harmful.
Dominicans of Haitian descent have suffered institutional discrimination in the DR for more than a century. One of the most egregious manifestations of this discrimination is the government’s refusal to recognize their nationality and provide them with identity documents, most importantly birth certificates and cédulas (national id cards), in violation of both international and national law. This practice became law in September 2013 when the DR Constitutional Tribunal (CT) issued a ruling on the legal status of Dominicans of Haitian descent which retroactively changed the meaning of Dominican constitutional law to convey citizenship on the basis of parents’ immigration status, instead of the basis of birth in the territory. As it is currently stands, the ruling denationalizes hundreds of thousands of Dominicans of Haitian descent.
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