Economic Growth: Jobs or Sustainable Livelihoods Panel Full Report
Haiti for Whom: Economic Growth Panel
by haitiadvocacy | Apr 15, 2015 | Food Sovereignty, Labor Rights | 2 comments
HAWG is a working group of international development, faith-based, human rights and social justice organizations advocating on issues related to U.S. - Haiti policy.
I am very happy to have found this working group. I think your organization has a lot of promise. May I suggest that you consider a more strategic approach in your advocacy.
Most Haitians living abroad would agree with your recommendations but, we have no bargaining power to incentivize Congress to make any changes. If we can work together, ie Diaspora orgs, we can change that.
We should take the necessary and arduous steps to understand our short and long term voting capabilities. Having this hard data will provide us a clear starting point. In heavily concentrated areas we should have the ear of our local leaders because we have a voting block. If we need to caucus with our Honduran and Salvadorian brothers and sisters(who often suffer from similar economic stagnation driven by US policy) then we consider and debate that – as a unit. Our strength in numbers will require a lobby to ADVOCATE on our behalf in Congress.
The garment industry in Haiti has a lobby in the US; the elites in Haiti have a lobby to keep Haiti the way it is; the banks have a lobby but nobody lobbies on behalf of the poor masses in Haiti. We have to consolidate our efforts and align ourselves with others who believe in equitable job growth and dignity for their people. This common voice with a strategic voting block will be our bargaining chip and earn us a seat at the table. Without a strong negotiating position, we will never get the results we deserve.
Lets work together and see how we can make tangible changes in the lives our people back home and improve the standings of our brothers and sisters here in this great country.
It behooves us to consult with our Jewish brothers and sisters to learn more about consolidating Diaspora voting powers to be more effective in Congress. If you are able to harness that resource with AJWS, the lessons learned will prove invaluable.
Thank you for reading and I apologize for the long diatribe.
Your reader,
Frantz
Thank you Frantz for your wonderful comments! Feel free to get in touch with us directly so that we can discuss your ideas some more!