Tzedek, tzedek tirdof: Haiti Money Needs a Plan!
"For there will never cease to be needy ones from the midst of the land, which is why I command you: open your hand to your fellows, your poor and your needy in your land." --Deuteronomy 15:11
Nearly six months after Haiti's devastating earthquake, progress remains slow
. As reconstruction efforts shift from short-term emergency response to long-term development planning, the United States needs a smart framework to ensure aid money is used constructively.
That is why Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Robert Corker (TN) have introduced S. 3317 the Haiti Empowerment, Assistance and Rebuilding (HEAR) Act
which clearly articulates U.S. aid priorities for the $2 billion committed in US aid to Haiti and sets up benchmarks for success. It also includes a transparent reporting and accountability system so both US taxpayers and Haitians can see where money is going and whether or not it is achieving the desired impact.
The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations voted the HEAR Act out of committee in May 2010, however, the bill is languishing in legislative gridlock.
Join CBST and our partners at AJWS
in telling your Senator that spending $2 billion without a plan or reporting for Haiti warrants immediate attention
. For more information about social justice at CBST, contact Alex at aweissman@cbst.org
.
