New Haiti Advocacy Organization To Form In Rockland, NY

Local Haitian expatriates have formed a new organization focus on alleviating the short- and long-term economic plight in Haiti through education and advocacy.

The Spring Valley-based Haitian-Americans for Humanitarian Action (HAHA) formed in response to the devastating effects of recent natural disasters and ongoing political instability in the Caribbean nation, all of which have further weakened the already impoverished economy, Jacques Laine, the co-founder, said.

Laine, who works as an administrator at Rockland BOCES, said his organization would hope to fill a void that has not been addressed by other local Haitian organizations.

"I don't believe they have earned the trust of the community, and in fact, the Haitian community, their hearts have hardened when you talk about Haitian organizations," Laine, a former Haverstraw resident who now lives in Newburgh, N.Y., said.

Source: LoHud.Com