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Dear Friends of Haiti,

The crisis in Haiti only made headlines for a few short weeks, but Haitian women have suffered grueling repression for centuries. Their traditional burdens of grinding poverty, legal and social discrimination and chronic insecurity were exacerbated by February’s coup d’etat: food prices rose, while government social programs were slashed, unaccountable paramilitary gangs control much of the countryside, and members of the brutal army have been integrated into the police ranks. Women’s groups in Haiti report that the current political instability has resulted sharp increases of rape and other gender crimes, as well as massive internal displacement, economic vulnerability, and an increase in prostitution in some areas.

Please join Let Haiti Live: Coalition for a Just U.S. Policy in a delegation to investigate the current situation of Haitian women. The ten-day delegation will meet with grassroots women’s groups, human rights activists, community organizations and national and international agencies to document the problems facing women in Haiti in light of the current political instability. The delegation will issue a report that will then be used as a tool to advocate for the improvement of conditions for women in Haiti. The tentative dates of the delegation are January 11-20, 2005.

It is growing clear that the events of February’s regime change were only the beginning of a dramatic re-shifting of Haiti’s political, social and economic life. Already former members of the disbanded Haitian Army have taken over cities in the North and the South of the country. Soldiers are joined by resurgent paramilitaries throughout Haiti’s countryside. The unelected Latortue regime has called members of these paramilitary groups “freedom fighters” and has cut taxes for the rich in the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

All of this is taking place in the midst of the worst humanitarian crisis in our hemisphere. The traditional female-headed households of Haiti’s mostly rural population are bearing the brunt of Haiti’s destroyed economy and internal displacement without the benefit of even the most basic social services.

In order to gain a broad understanding of the true parameters of the Haitian crisis, the delegation will visit several geographical areas, interviewing women from a broad range of backgrounds. Topical focus will be on the challenges facing women and the status of their social, economic and political human rights. I am seeking participants who bring expertise in areas such as women’s health, HIV/AIDS, violence against women (including rape), human rights, and labor rights. At the end of the trip, participants will spend time preparing a report of their findings.

A sample itinerary can be requested (melinda@haitikonpay.org) and represents the scope and location of meetings the delegation may have. It is impossible to guarantee a final itinerary due to changing security conditions and other circumstances on the ground in Haiti. Please note that the delegation is planned for ten (10) days to allow travel to several destinations, and the cost per participant is $1,100. This fee includes: all-in country travel, lodging, breakfast and dinner, drivers, translators, and coordination. Participants are responsible for airfare to and from Haiti (check www.aa.com for fares), exit fee ($30) and lunch each day.

I hope you will consider taking part in this important delegation. Contact me at Melinda@Haiti KONPAY?.org for more information or to find about more about how to participate.

For a more just world,

Melinda Miles, Co-Director* Konbit Pou Ayiti/KONPAY www.haitikonpay.org and Let Haiti Live www.lethaitilive.org

• Most recently I was the Co-Director of Haiti Reborn at the Quixote Center in Washington, DC. I have planned and co-coordinated more than a dozen delegations to Haiti in the last six years. I am now in Haiti working full time with KONPAY.