MIAMI – Haiti’s President-Elect Michel “Sweet Mickey” Martelly has called on his compatriots in South Florida and in the Diaspora generally to help him rebuild the earthquake-ravaged, French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
“We need your help to accomplish all that we have planned for Haiti,” he told nationals at the Little Haiti Cultural Center yesterday.
“We need you to bring your talents back to Haiti. We need you to bring your skills and expertise back to Haiti,” Martelly said as he urged the Haitian Diaspora to help him honour his campaign pledge of free education for citizens
He proposed that one US dollar on every US$100 wire transfer to Haiti and a small levy on every telephone minute would go towards an education fund to help him realise his goal.
Martelly estimated that the phone levy would raise US$36 million annually, while the wire transfers would raise about US$50 million.
“The Diaspora will be able to send 860 000 kids to school for free and change their lives,” he said.
After the January 12 devastating earthquake last year, the Haitian government and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) have been working on a plan to transform Haiti’s education system. The plan includes the training of teachers and the construction of new schools.
Martelly’s trip comes less than a week after he visited the US State Department, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), during which he also urged his compatriots to work together for nation-building. (CMC)
