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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’.”
By Our Staff
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