A Library in Haiti in Need of Your Support

Hello fellow Haitians, friends and colleagues,

I am reaching out to all of you to ask for donations for a library
in Haiti that is in dire need of an inverter, which will cost
$3000.00 US. We are also seeking donation of books and subscription
of Journals and Newspapers in French, Creole, and English.

As many of you know, Haiti has been suffering from political and
economic instability for quite some time. Such unstable conditions
have not only led to violence and much chaos, it has hindered the
systems and institutions of education that have responsibilities to
the country's youth and learning communities. My father, who has
returned to the country to participate in its development in
whatever small way
possible, recently opened his own home and sacrificed his privacy to
provide the youth of his community with a quiet space to read,
write, and conduct research. His goal is to turn "Bibliothèque du
Soleil" into a center where young Haitians have access to books,
gain analytical
and research skills that will allow them to be active and
responsible members of society, as well as develop a global
understanding of the world around them through reading and writing.
My father has always taught me that reading and writing are
revolutionary acts. He strongly believes that in order to bring
about social change in Haiti, the country needs to empower young
people and give them access to spaces that not only fulfill the
needs of our young learning community, but also provide them with
opportunities for artistic and creative expression.

Unfortunately, many of the things we take for granted here in the
United States, are not givens in Haiti. My dad is currently
directing the library with lights that come on only a few hours a
day and water that run for only an hour in the morning. A library
cannot fully function in such conditions. The library is in
desperate need of an inverter that will provide constant electricity
during hours of service. I intend on buying the inverter during my
next trip to Haiti, but I must raise the funds as soon as possible
and am in need of your help.

If you would like to make a donation to the library so that young
Haitians in the surrounding community can have a place to study,
read, and conduct research, please email me at ntaniblue@hotmail.com
or nayadou@berkeley.edu. You can also send donation checks payable to
Nadège Clitandre at the following address:

African American Studies
660 Barrows Hall #2572
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-2572

If you are donating books and materials to the library, please send
them to the address below:

Pierre A. Clitandre
Bibliothèque du Soleil
342 Avenue Magloire Ambroise
Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Send me an email me if you are interested in photos and articles on
the library (French language), Bibliothèque du Soleil. Please feel
free to circulate this letter to your network of friends and
colleagues.

With much appreciation,
Nadège Clitandre
Ph.D. Candidate
African Diaspora Program
African American Studies
University of California, Berkeley

______________

Et voilà: un message direct et clair qui se passe de commentaires.  A nous donc d'agir et d'apporter notre contribution à ce projet qui investit comme on dit dans l'avenir de jeunes haïtiens.  Pour répéter le slogan de United Negro College Fund, "a mind is a terrible thing to waste" (un cerveau est une chose terrible à gaspiller)