A continent-wide campaign to support Haiti's reconstruction and development was launched in South Africa on Friday. The "Africa for Haiti" campaign in partnership with Haitian civil society organisations will identify areas in which it can assist.
It also hopes to provide Africans from all walks of life an opportunity to demonstrate their collective solidarity and support for the people of Haiti, in a move that will unite Africans in compassion and giving.
The campaign has the support of churches, business and civil society leaders among them Graca Machel, newspaper publisher Trevor Ncube and businessperson Reuel Khoza, Archbishops Desmond Tutu, Njongonkulu Ndungane, Malusi Mpumlwana and Thabo Makgoba.
Addressing the Press Conference at the Nelson Mandela Foundation offices in Houghton, Johannesburg, Machel said the "Africa for Haiti" campaign focuses its efforts on reconstruction in Haiti.
"The objective of this campaign is not to provide immediate relief but rather to contribute toward the medium to long-term reconstruction of communities in Haiti. As a result, it is estimated that fund-raising for this campaign may continue for six months," Machel said.
"The campaign also aims to unite individuals, NGOs and corporates across Africa behind this cause by disseminating information and enlisting support from their extensive networks."
Archbishop Emeritus Tutu said: "We were supported wonderfully by the international community when we struggled against the vicious policy of apartheid. Today the people of Haiti, struck twice by the earthquake, are in a worse predicament than we were . . . I welcome the initiative by Graca Machel and others. It deserves our whole hearted and very generous support."
Appealing to Africans from all walks of life to take the campaign as a call to action, Archbishop Ndungane said citizens of Africa should identify with and feel for the people of Haiti. "As Africa, we have been recipients of help in our time of need and we appreciate how this can alleviate desperate situations."
The Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town Makgoba said it was time for Africa to stand in solidarity with the people of Haiti by offering them assistance.
"We urge our political leaders not to be slow in joining the tide of compassion in response to this disaster . . . especially in the challenging times of reconstruction that lie ahead. Therefore we look to the African Union Summit (at the end of this month) to express what it means truly to be 'Africans for Haiti'."
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Who-Who!
How much MONEY are you going to contribute? Or is it merely "sympathetic" posturing.............
Your outpouring of sympathy is encouraging, coming from a continent that recieves more aid than anywhere else in the world - well done!
Go ahead and express your sympathy, we ALL are........... you can't even solve your own problems....... but some of us are contributing $100 MILLION to the effort.......... Africa? Just keep your money and do something worthwhile on your own continent - we're doing very well without your "assistence" - or do you need to "assist" to assuage your continental guilt over not "fixing" Zimbabwe first..............
Leave the "heavy lifting" and the financial wherewithal to the big boys, Africa, just focus on your own problems........ Haiti is "half-the-world-away", so why do you need to be involved - because they're "black"? They're more "French" then "black"........... so mind your own business.........
"Total Empowerment!" - According to ZANU-PF, Africa is "Totally Empowered", how "Empowered" do you feel?
As long as the albatross of Zimbabwe hangs around the neck of the AU, the rest of us (in the real world) don't really care what you think!
Fix your own problems and then you can lecture us........... "African solutions for African problems":.
Give us a real solution and it will be your first..........
Until then, STFU!.......................
This person so full of hate for Africans can go find a cure for his illness.Africa and her people the world over will unite in times of peace or at a time like this(in the case of Haiti) Not even your racist rants(juhlman) will stop Africans,they,ve come a long way, they,ve elected to come out in full force to support Africans in the diaspora and all you can spew is hate (or stupidity, like your moniker connotes).Go hang your head in shame, or go drink poison, for, Africans are going to help one another, even if you don,t love seeing that. A BLOODY CRACKER.
Go ahead Rafi!
I dare AFRICA to come up with the more than $100m U.S. we have already put in place for Haiti!
Sure, some people of African descent will accept Africa's offer of repatriation, that's all well-and-good, AND well-intentioned.........
But AFRICA will NEVER have the humanitarian outreach and aid that the U.S. gives annually to nations around the globe.
But go ahead and smirk behind your Pan-African solidarity - yet just look at how far your reach actually IS!
Unlike you, I don't look at the color of a person's skin to determine whether they require my assistance or advocacy..........
WE, in the U.S. have already promised an enormous amount of aid to the the people of Haiti, WE already have people on-the-ground to assist with recovery and reconstruction................
What has AFRICA done, much less Zimbabwe or ZANU-Poof? How much ill-begotten wealth have the ZANU-Poof cadres amassed during their kleptocracy that could be used to help their racial-brethren in Haiti?
From Zimbabwe - NOTHING! From ZANU-Poof, NOTHING....... they still have to furnish their bolt-holes in Malaysia!
WE, are helping Haiti, what are YOU doing?
"Total Empowerment!" MF!
GREAT JOB CONTINENTAL AFRICA CONCERNING THE SITUATION IN HAITI