Blog / 1199
-
Solidarity: 1199 & Via Campesina
In the spirit of solidarity, Local 1199 Service Employees international Union (SEIU) is hosting Chavannes Jean-Baptiste, head of the Via Campesina for Haiti and leader of the Papaye Peasant Movement (MPP) here in New York City. Jean-Baptiste is organizing a movement of international labor to agitate for peasants' rights in Haiti and to denounce the Haitian government for corruption.
On November 20, 2008, Jean-Baptiste spoke at the Local 1199 Bread & Roses Gallery. He discussed how recently hurricanes have caused $1billion worth of damage in Haiti. In particular, $250million of the country's agricultural sector have been destroyed. Ten thousands acres of banana/plantain field were destroyed, 90,000 animals lost, and 6,000 acres of rice.
Unfortunately, hundreds of millions of dollars in relief aid have lined the pockets of corrupt officials and not gone to the workers who really need a hand. Money that does go to agriculture usually goes to farms that are owned by government officials.Food-for-work programs distribute commodity crops (wheat, soy, and flour) in the form of international aid. Farmers must leave their farms to work for a little bit of food aid, which destroys the local food economy.
Jean-Baptiste is here in New York to raise money that will go directly to farmers. MPP works to invest in farmers by using donated funds to purchase resources that will help farmers and pay for themselves. For example, MPP uses donated cash to buy female goats that are donated to farmers and inseminated so that the farmer receives many kids; but he or she also returns at least one female goat back to the program. Likewise, farmers are given 14 pounds of seeds to farm with, and they return that amount of seeds after harvesting their crop.
MMP seeks to end the feudal system of share-cropping which enslaves Haitian farmers. They have also worked to end the discriminatory practices of charging money for birth certificates.
More to come about how to get involved in the 1199/MPP solidarity movement.