Wednesday at Karibe Convention Center, "Aksyon Kolektif pou Sekirite kont Eksplwatasyon" (AKSE), funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to the tune of 19.5 million U.S. dollars over 4 years and implemented by CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere), proceeded to the signing of the first six grant contracts for the benefit of the Office of Citizen Protection and five organizations of civil society [L’Association Nationale de Protection des Femmes et Enfants Haïtiens (ANAPFEH) Port-au-Prince ; Asosyasyon Fanm Soley Dayiti (AFASDA) Cap-Haïtien, Acul-du-Nord, Quartier Morin, Plaine du Nord ; Le Mouvement des Femmes Haïtiennes pour l’Education et le Développement (MOUFHED) Port-au-Prince ; La Fédération des Femmes du Bas Artibonite (FEFBA) Saint-Marc et le Centre d’Action pour le Développement (CAD) Port-au-Prince], for a total of $ 200,0

These contracts were signed in the presence among others of Mrs. Florence Elie, the Protector of Citizens (OPC), Gérald Oriol, Jr., Secretary of State for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities in Haiti, Steve Olive, Deputy Director of the USAID and Musa Garba, the Acting Director of CARE.

The project AKSE, is a project of Protection of Human Rights in support to the Haitian government to build a safe and secure environment especially for Women and Children with special attention to the young and those at Reduced Capacity. To this end, AKSE works in conjunction with welfare institutions of the Haitian state,to the strengthening of Laws and Public Policy, providing them with technical and financial support to carry out public campaigns of Communication for Behavior Change conducive to respect for human humans. AKSE also partners with local organizations that already exist in its areas of operations in order to strengthen their capacity to improve the quality of services for victims of violence and exploitation. AKSE also works to network or strengthen networks of service providers in order to facilitate access to a set of integrated services for the rehabilitation of victims.

Soon, other major grant agreements will be signed with several organizations specializing in the field of promotion and protection of rights of children and persons with reduced capacity.

In her speech Mrs. Florence Elie stressed among other things, the special nature of the assistance "It will pay in kind. This means that the money will never be channeled into the hands of the recipients of the grant. The amounts will be received on their behalf by AKSE, that we congratulate for having agreed to take on this financial component, [...] which consumes a lot of energy especially from the point of view of logistics.

[...] However, I will caution you against the challenges that this choice entails, especially in a country like ours, where suppliers are not always reliable. Therefore I appeal to your vigilance against certain pitfalls inherent in this option. It will be essential that the concern for long-term planning and detailed, presides over all your actions beside this will to succeed which is your strong point. Your diligence should avoid us any delay in meeting deadlines and mutually agreed schedules.

[...] For the edification of the public, know that the recipients have been selected by the donor with the utmost care. Therefore, these personalities responsible for the management of materials, equipment and human resources put at their disposal, have all without exception, the reputation of integrity and transparency necessary, to implement and carry out their obligations. Their prestige is well established."

SL/ HaitiLibre