From the Aris­tide Foun­da­tion for Democracy

http://aristidefoundationfordemocracy.org/

Yves Marie Stu­art Roche, coor­di­na­tor of the AFD Mobile School Project speaks at Women’s Day Event

On March 8, 2010 three thou­sand women gath­ered at the Aris­tide Foun­da­tion to mark Inter­na­tional Women’s Day, under the ban­ner “Women of Haiti say, Haiti will not Die”.   These women, com­ing from all over the greater Port-au-Prince area, mobi­lized both to honor those who were lost in the quake, to affirm life for those who sur­vived, and to affirm their right to par­tic­i­pate fully  in the rebuild­ing of their country.

3000 women gath­ered at the AFD for Inter­na­tional Women’s Day

Dr. Jessie Pierre Louis, the Med­ical Direc­tor of the Uni­ver­sity of the Aris­tide Foun­da­tion noted that in the wake of this mas­sive dis­rup­tion in the lives of all Haitians, it was the time as never before for the women of Haiti to bond together for their lib­er­a­tion.  Far from being pow­er­less vic­tims, she called upon them to be inge­nious and coura­geous, to become the engine of Haiti’s rebirth.   She called on the women of Haiti, and women around the world, to echo the call of those  gath­ered at the Foun­da­tion for the return of for­mer Pres­i­dent Jean-Bertrand Aris­tide and his fam­ily to their home­land at this time of national need.  (the full text of her remarks in French and Cre­ole is below.)

An ecu­meni­cal ser­vice hon­or­ing the vic­tims of the earth­quake was led by Father Freddy Elie of the Parish of Fleu­riot de Tabarre and Pas­tor Evens Dore­lien of the Bap­tist Church of Lillavois.  The pro­gram fea­tured music by COLOMBE D’OR, the choir of the Aris­tide Foun­da­tion, made of of young peo­ple from the Tabarre area.

A woman receives pro­vi­sions after the Women’s Day event at the AFD

As part of the pro­gram the Foun­da­tion announced the begin­ning of a series of free  pri­mary care clin­ics, the first of which was held in the audi­to­rium of the Foun­da­tion on Wednes­day March 10th.

After the cer­e­mony all the women present received a bag of food sup­plies to take home.  Most of these women are liv­ing in refugee encamp­ments around Port-au-Prince–all of them are strug­gling to feed their fam­i­lies under these incred­i­bly  dif­fi­cult circumstances.

Dis­cours de Dr. Jessie Pierre Saint Louis, Direc­tor Med­ical de UniFA (Uni­ver­site de la Fon­da­tion Aristide)

C’est sur que le moment n’est pas a la fete mais plu­tot aux reflex­ions, aux mures reflex­ions, a de nou­velles reflex­ions sur nous memes hai­tiens, hai­ti­ennes, sur nous memes femmes d ‘Haiti, sur notre devenir.

Une pensee d’amour et de lumiere a l’endroit de toutes les femmes hai­ti­ennes tombees le 12 Jan­vier 2010, a l’endroit de tous les hommes et de tous nos enfants. Paix, amour, lumiere,  qu’ils se reposent en paix.

Aujourd’hui 8 Mars 2010, c’est une journee de man­i­fes­ta­tions a tra­vers le monde,  c’est l’occasion de con­tin­uer a revendi­quer l’egalite, de faire un bilan sur la sit­u­a­tion des femmes dans la soci­ete. Pour nous autres femmes hai­ti­ennes, c’est le moment plus que jamais a tra­vers ce recul, cette descente dans le bas fond de la vie en com­mun pour que nous fas­sions le bond lib­er­a­teur, le bond de la deliverance.

Femmes d’Haiti, loin d’etre des vic­times impuis­santes, nous devons etre des femmes inge­nieuses, resis­tantes et courageuses face aux epreuves. A ce stade, la vie doit force­ment con­tin­uer, la vie doit aller vers plus. Ainsi, va la vie.

Haiti, au moment ou nous par­lons est sous les lev­res de tous les citoyens du monde. Nous avons une for­mi­da­ble occa­sion de repenser Haiti. Et, si du coup, on ecoutait les femmes ? Ne pourraient-elles pas etre de ver­i­ta­bles moteurs du devel­oppe­ment durable ?. Et le devel­oppe­ment durable ne pourrait-il pas etre une chance pour les femmes? Le moyen de mieux les recon­naitre et de leur don­ner la place qu’elles meritent.

Fanm day­iti debou !  Nou se fos Ayiti, Ayiti pap mouri !  (Bis)

Mwen sonje 8 Mas 96  sa fè 14 lane,  3 Mil fanm te koupe  kod lonbrit Fon­dasyon Aris­tide, yo ede l mache, yo ede l grandi. Chapo ba nou medam. Bondye ap retire n nan soufrans. Deliv­rans  lan pa lwen. Pa gen pèn san sekou.14 lane aprè, se avèk fyète nou akeyi menm 3 Mil fanm yo ki prezan Jodi Lendi 8 Mas 2010 la pou di : Fanm se fos Ayiti, Ayiti pap mouri. (Bis)

Menm ane a Prezi­dan Aris­tide men­nen ba nou yon fanm ayisyèn, bèl tèt fanm, kon­petant, disi­pline, koura­jez, fam­ilyal. Bravo Mil­dred, Chapo ba pou ou.

Jodi a nou mande tout fanm peyi day­iti ak Fanm lot bo dlo son­nen konn lanbi nan zorèy pwisans entè­nasy­onal la pou retounen Doktè Jean Bertrand Aris­tide nan peyi li. Peyi day­iti gen yon vid poli­tik k ap travèse l menm pwo­fondè ak vid tran­ble­man tè a lese pou nou. Prezi­dan Aris­tide plas pa w la tou­jou li rele tenn fas.  Mil­dred nou ba ou yon manda tou lou­vri : pase pran Madan Jakob Maj­luta, Madan Tabou Mbeki pou rive jwenn Madan Obama ak Madan Clin­ton konsa, wa mande yo de ki man­nyè Doktè Jean Bertrand Aris­tide ak Fanmi l poko ka tounen lakay li pou vin sipote, ankadre pèp ayisyen an nan soufrans tèt chaje n ap sibi la a.

Mwen menm, mwen se fanm, mwen se Med­sen, mwen santi m fyè akote 45 lot kolèg mwen yo paske anpil ladan yo te pran fomasyon nan Fak­ilte Medsin Inivèsite Fon­dasyon Aris­tide. Prezans nou sou podyom nan genyen anpil siy­i­fikasyon sitou lè nou pataje bèl moman sa a ak 3 Mil fanm djanm, 3 Mil Fanm vanyan,  nan reflechi sou sitiyasyon lavi nou, lavi fanmi nou ak lavi peyi day­iti. Gras pou Gran­mèt la ki te ede n pran kone­sans nan domèn las­ante. Jodi a,se avèk kon­tant­man nou deside pote sèvis las­ante bay pèp ayisyen an. Konsa, apati Mèkredi demen an, n ap komanse yon seri de klinik pou eva­lye Fanm yo,  Tim­oun, Gran­moun  ak lot moun nan Odi­toriyom Fon­dasyon Aristide.

Kidonk, Mèkredi 10 Mas la apati 8 tè nan maten n ap resevwa tout moun kita ren­men fè yon evalyasyon medikal. Ap gen Doktè tout kat­e­gori : Entè­nis, Pedyat, Doktè Zye, Chir­i­jyen, Dan­tis ak anpil Jen­er­alis. Kon­sil­ta­syon an gratis, medika­man gratis, Tès nan lab­o­ratwa gratis, linèt gratis tou. Pan­dan klinik la, n ap mete 2 Sikolog osèvis moun ki pi twom­a­tize yo pou fè seyans gratis pou yo.

Fanm se sous lapè ! fanm se fos Ayiti, Ayiti pap mouri ! (Bis)

Je vous remercie.

Taba, 8 Mas 2010.                                    Dr Jessie Pierre Saint Louis.