Press Release

July 11, 2007            
No 2007 /54

Ambassador Sanderson welcomes back  the Haitian delegation to the White house conference on the americas

Ambassador Sanderson and Foreign Minister Clerismé congratulate the Haitian delegation to the White House Conference on the Americas.  From left to right: Mme. Danielle St.-Lot (Femmes en Démocratie), Mr. Claude Bernard Célestin (Haitian Association of Fulbright Alumni), Dr. Marie-Marcelle Deschamps (GHESKIO), Mr. René-Max Auguste (Foundation Canez-Auguste) and Mr. Garry Lejeune Delice (HELP)

 

United States Ambassador Janet Sanderson heralded the participation of five prominent Haitians at the White House Conference on the Americas on July 9, 2007 at a press conference at the U.S. Embassy on July 11^th.  Hosted by the President of the United States, George W. Bush  and First Lady Laura W. Bush, the conference brought together volunteer organizations, non-governmental organizations, members of the private sector and foundations to discuss and share knowledge on how interactions between the United States and its neighbors in the Western Hemisphere have been able to address critical issues such as healthcare, poverty, economic development, education and partnerships with the public sector.  Nearly every country in the Western Hemisphere sent representatives who have made a difference in the lives of their fellow countrymen.  Additionally, key members of these sectors based in the United States were also invited to attend the conference.

At a dinner held in honor of the Haitian delegation, the Ambassador feted their individual accomplishments, and how collectively they were making a difference for Haiti.  Foreign Minister Jean-Renald Clerismé was also in attendance to congratulate the delegation members.

The Haitian delegation included representatives from local NGOs and private sector institutions who have played a strong role in creating a better future for the country.  Two of the participants, Dr. Marie-Marchelle Deschamps, Technical Director of GHESKIO and Mr. Garry Lejeune Delice, Executive Director of HELP, were also chosen to speak at the conference as panelists for sessions on healthcare and investing in education.  In addition, Dr. Deschamps was invited to represent Haiti and the healthcare field on the opening-session panel chaired by President Bush, who also gave the opening address.

First Lady Laura Bush gave the keynote address at the luncheon for the participants.  In addition, members of the President’s cabinet spoke at each session – Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson at a session on economic development, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings at the seminar on education, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt at the meeting on healthcare, and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez at the seminar on public-private sector partnerships.  In addition, Secretary of State Condelezza Rice gave the closing address.

In his discussion with Dr. Deschamps, the President remarked, “Up to now [during the panel], we have talked about how American citizens spend time and effort to help improve lives.  We also spend money.  And this is an area where I feel very strongly that America should be involved and make a difference, and that is fighting the pandemic of HIV/AIDS and dealing with malaria.” To that end, the American people committed more than $74 million under the auspices of the PEPFAR program to fight the spread of HIV in Haiti and provide care and support for those living with AIDS.  As part of the nearly $700 million in overall U.S. assistance to Haiti since 2004, the United States Government has bought books for schoolchildren, supported free and open elections, equipped and trained police and provided access to healthcare for 47% of the Haitian population to date.

Brief biographies of the participants can be found below:

 

Mr Ren-Max Auguste, Fondation Canne à Sucre

Mr. Auguste is committed to using the Canne à Sucre location as a venue for cultural events, working to ensure that costs are kept low and the widest variety of people can attend.  Mr. Auguste is a leading member of the American Chamber of Commerce and is interested in working to develop a community/junior college system to help alleviate the bottleneck between the thousands of students who complete secondary school only to compete for a few hundred university places each year.

 

Mr Garry Lejeune Delice, Haitian Education & Leadership Program (HELP)

HELP provides full scholarships for academically-gifted Haitian students from economically-disadvantaged backgrounds to study in Haitian university. Scholarships include tuition, a living stipend, English lessons, tutoring, computer classes, counseling/support, and guidance for post-education employment search.  The program stems the Haitian “brain drain” by providing smart, dedicated students with the means to continue their education in the country and engaging the corporate sector to create, essentially, the seeds of a “middle class” and thus encouraging also economic stability.  As Executive Director, Mr. Delice, a former high-school principal, travels the country recruiting candidates, often making students aware that such as thing as a university education exists at all – and can be a possibility for them.

 

Dr. Marie-Marcelle Deschamps, GHESKIO

Dr. Deschamps is an early pioneer of destigmatization and clinical rigor in the fight against AIDS in Haiti, even before the virus had a name.  In response to the refusal of her colleagues even to see patients in AIDS wards, and due to the lack of focus on women with the disease (i.e., heterosexual transmission), Dr. Deschamps has created groundbreaking support programs which actively reach out to women and children with the HIV virus, as well as their partners.  She also opened a rape crisis center at GHESKIO in response to an increasing number of victims coming for testing and counseling.  A recipient of fellowships from the National Institute of Health, the Toronto Sick Children’s Hospital, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and the Center for Disease Control, Dr. Deschamps is a widely-published researcher who has presented at numerous medical and public health conferences worldwide.

 

Mr. Claude Bernard Célestin, Haitian Alumni Fulbright Association (HAFA)

Mr. Célestin is a Fulbright Program alumnus and a member of the board of the Haiti Fulbright alumni group.  He will be accompanying the Mission delegation to the Fulbright alumni association conference in Panama in August.  He is President and founding member of Synergies, S.A. – a marketing, communication, and event organization firm.  He has worked as an independent marketing and PR consultant on a variety of projects, including Diaspora Week, Musique en Folie, and Livres en Folie.  Mr. Célestin has also been an author and radio presenter with Le Nouvelliste and Radio Solidarité, focusing on economic issues.  Since 1995 Mr. Célestin has taught Marketing and Public Relations at Université Quisqueya and Marketing Strategy and International Marketing at the Ecole Superieure d’Infotronique d’Haïti since 2001.

Ms. Danielle St.-Lot, Femmes en Démocratie

Mme. St.-Lot is a consultant for the International Republican Institute and associated with Caribbean Business Consulting.  She is also Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haiti and has been a consultant for projects aimed at the development of the private sector, local governance, civic education and support for women, including a popular biannual handicrafts exposition comprised entirely of businesses owned by Haitian women.  She is co-founder and President of Vital Voices – Women in Democracy.

 

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