In the wake of hurricane Matthew, please don’t give your money to The Red Cross, the Clinton Fund, or any other NGOs which exploit and profit from disasters in dominated countries.
The RRN asks you to please support Batay Ouvriye – Workers’ Fight.
Batay Ouvriye (BO) is an independent and autonomous workers’ movement fighting for economic, political and democratic rights throughout Haiti.
They organize textile workers and have established unions in the garment industries in Port-au-Prince, Carrefour, Ouanaminthe and Caracol. BO is also organizing poor peasants and agricultural workers in rural communities of Haiti.
After Matthew, BO lost a center in the northwest of the country – Anse Rouge. In this rural area, peasants lost their homes and their means of subsistence. Most of these peasants cultivate crops and sell them at markets. Their farms are destroyed.
In the south is where Matthew hit really hard. Many Batay Ouvriye members are textile workers in Port Au Prince. They leave their families in the south to work in the sweatshop textile factories. Their families, still living in the south, have lost everything and are now homeless.
International Solidarity
The RRN understands the need for immediate relief and aid, but we recognize the limits of these efforts. They are short term band-aids. What our friends in Haiti have consistently called for is international solidarity for the economic, political, and democratic fights they are waging. We choose to support Batay Ouvriye because they are fighting to address the root causes of Haiti’s situation. They are pushing to build a new Haiti, based on the interests of the people.
How you Can Help
1. Send a wire transfer donation directly to Batay Ouvriye.
Account’s name:
ENTESENDIKAL PREMYE ME BATAY OUVRIYE
Account No.:
45-1100-989-8
Bank’s name:
SOGEBANK S.A. Route de Delmas, Port-au-Prince, Haiti (509) 2815 5595
Swift Code for Sogebank:
SOGHHTPP
Corresponding banks in the US:
BANK OF AMERICA/MERRILL LYNCH, New York, N.Y. USA
Swift Code: BOFAUS3N
Or
Bank of New York Mellon, New York, USA
Swift Code: IRVTUS3N
2. Mail Checks to:
Frantz Wainwright*
35 NW 195 ST
Miami, FL 33169
* Please write check out to Frantz Wainwright & note BO donation.
* We’re working on a way to receive online donations, but don’t have 501(c)3 status.
3. Email the RRN if you’re in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area, and you’d like to send cash to be taken to Haiti this week – RRNsolidarity@gmail.com.
4. Follow, Like & Subscribe to the RRN for ongoing updates and campaigns to support independent and autonomous workers’ struggles.
Twitter: @RRNsolidarity
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RapidResponseNetwork/
Newsletter/updates sign up: http://goo.gl/Me35SH
Thank you for your solidarity!
#RRNsolidarity
#SolidarityForever
#HurricaneMatthew
H&H Textiles: For the last two weeks, RRN supporters emailed and took selfies to stand with H&H Textiles workers. Last Thursday, 8/4, management at H&H finally met with SOTA union to discuss the firings. We’re still waiting for a full update from Haiti on the results of this meeting. But, you’ll be happy to know that H&H management and the negotiation team mentioned the pressure they felt from the RRN. They said it really wasn’t good for their PR image. How about paying people a decent wage and respecting their rights for a good PR image?
