March 8 is International Women's Day
NEW YORK (March 8, 2010)-As part of its clean-up effort-and to stimulate economic recovery-Concern Worldwide, the international humanitarian agency, has kicked off a series of cash-for-work projects and one-off cash transfers in Haiti. And women in particular are major beneficiaries of the initiatives.
"In Haiti, as in most of the world, women are the unbreakable core of their families and communities. This country will only be rebuilt if that core is strong and empowered," said Elke Leidel, Concern's country director in Haiti.
"In getting the local economy going again with injections of much-needed cash, it makes perfect sense to make women primary beneficiaries," she said.
The Jan. 12 earthquake that struck Haiti killed close to 230,000 and left up to a million homeless-and so far only 50 percent of the affected population has received tents or plastic sheeting to protect against the weather. Late last month, heavy rains in coastal regions killed 13 and prompted the evacuation of almost 3,500 people.
In addition to the cash-for-work program, Concern's cash stimulus initiative will give 7,500 women-identified by neighborhood committees and youth volunteers-a one-time payment of $75. In the coming months, the agency will target and additional 43,650 people for cash-for-work programs, the majority of them women.
Last month, armed with wheelbarrows, brooms and spades, 72 teams of 15 people each were put to work in the Port-au-Prince slums of St. Martin and Martissant, Concern's primary areas of operation in the Haitian capital.
The program will focus on removing debris to make room for temporary shelters; and to clear drainage and irrigation systems to prevent flooding during the imminent rainy season in Port au Prince.
On March 3, in remarks marking International Women's Day, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that "until women and girls are liberated from poverty and injustice, all our goals-peace, security, sustainable development-stand in jeopardy."
Worldwide, Concern today is launching the "Women Can't Wait" campaign. The campaign's key message is that poor women hold the key to tackling hunger and malnutrition because they are largely responsible for growing, buying, selling and cooking food in the world's poorest countries.
One of the UN Millennium Development goals is to halve poverty and hunger by 2015. But today more than 1 billion are going to bed hungry every night-and the majority of them are women and girls," notes the "Women Can't Wait" campaign.
Today, Concern looks to Haiti as a microcosm for what women's power can achieve around the world-if they are just given a chance. "Haitians are enormously resilient," said Leidel, "and none more so than the women."
For more information or to speak with Elke Leidel or other Concern staff in Haiti, please contact:
Joop Koopman
Office +1 212 557 8000 | Mobile +1 917 608 1989
Joop.koopman@concern.net
Concern works in 28 of the world's poorest countries, including 17 sub-Saharan African nations, and reaches some 27 million people. The organization's mission is the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty and the reduction of suffering. Programs focus on emergency relief and long-term development work in the areas of health, HIV and AIDS, livelihoods and education.