Hundreds of backpacks with school supplies for Haiti’s children were dropped off at the OAS headquarters over the weekend, in response to Assistant Secretary-General Albert Ramdin’s ‘Backpacks for Haiti’s Children’ donor drive.
In a press release the Organisation of American States (OAS) said the project was launched one month ago to meet the immediate needs of students of Haiti, 80% of whom do not have basic school supplies. OAS staff, members of the diplomatic corps and the Haitian Diaspora in Washing DC donated close to 2000 backpacks with supplies.
The drive is being extended to allow more donations to be made over the next few weeks, a gesture Haiti’s representative to the OAS Ambassador Duly Brutus welcomed. “While the future of Haiti is in the hands of Haitians, the international assistance is still important to overcome the current challenge,” he said. Brutus said his country welcomes the direct support of its children.
In addition, OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza, who made a personal donation, described the project as “a concrete initiative, a way for the OAS family to show direct support to those in need in the Americas.” Insulza also noted the importance of international cooperation “to strengthen the Haitian institutions as well as to overcome the human and material drama caused by the earthquake last January.”
The Backpack Drive was launched one month ahead of Haiti’s presidential elections when the OAS and Caricom will be leading the largest ever joint Electoral Observer Mission to the disaster-ravaged country. While attention is now being shifted to the elections, Ramdin hopes the international community will remain committed to Haiti’s long-term development as well as to its most immediate needs. “If Haiti is to recover, education and youth will be key to sustainable development,” he said, adding that “Education is critical to political, social and economic transformation and a better life in general for the people….”
The OAS said the Backpack Drive is being extended to allow more donations to be made over the next few weeks.
