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Bill Clinton Foundation - Talk w/ Mr. Amitabh Desai Deputy Director of Foreign Policy

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:16:26 +0100

Bill Clinton Foundation - Talk w/ Mr. Amitabh Desai Deputy Director of Foreign Policy

I spoke with Mr. Desai today. It was a very nice conversation and a good introduction to what Bill Clinton's priorities will be in Haiti as the UN Special Envoy. I'm encouraged by this talk and feel that with world-wide profile and influence, Bill Clinton should make some good strides toward improving the lives of Haitians.

A quick summary of Mr. Clinton's priorities are:
1. Government Donors - work w/ gov donors to speed up pledges and get the funds turned into projects ... along Haitian priorities.
2. Internation Business Leaders - encourage nvestment focused on job creation, removing obstacles, and economic stability/sustainability
3. Non-Government-Organization (NGO) coordination - coordinate and learn from 4,000 formal NGO's and 10,000 informal NGO's. There are much investment from this community but it has not translated into real change for most Haitians.
4. Haitian Diasporo - 1.8 billion dollars are sent to Haiti annually and this group containers enormous expertise (law, engineering, medicine). Goal is to channel their efforts and passion.

In the short term Mr. Clinton will focus on disaster preparedness because disasters have the potential to erase many years of gains in a few days. Longer term goals include clean energy, vibrant private sector, economic sustainability.

Mr. Desai and I ended our conversation by suggesting that we put some leaders in our community in touch with their person in charge of NGO coordination. I will send a few web addresses along with some contact information for some key people. Perhaps a meeting in New York with their team and a few us could be arranged in the future.

In the meantime, here are a few links from the Bill Clinton Foundation website where you can read and watch a video to learn of Mr. Clinton's vision in his own words.

Video: President Clinton on his Visit to Haiti - July 2009
United Nations Special Envoy for Haiti: First Trip
Press Release: President Clinton visits Haiti and Outlines his Goals as UN Special Envoy
Photos: U.N. Special Envoy for Haiti First Trip Highlights

Peace!

Roanoke's Valley Business Front Magazine article features Barry Welch and Jacsonville, Haiti

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:48:50 +0100

Barry Welch, the Goy Foundation's Vice Chairman, was interviewed for an article about local business people going on mission trips in Roanoke's Valley Business Front. The article about his recent mission trip to Jacsonville, Matabonite, Haiti is visible in this online magazine on pages 8 - 15. Barry's photo is on page 10 and the new Mission House is in a photo on page 15 ... but the entire article is very good and worth the read.

Barry said, "I am proud and humbled to be included in an article with such wonderful people. I hope it will bring attention to the plight of people in Haiti and other impoverished areas of the world. And maybe the article will inspire others to visit these places and fall in love with a community themselves".

Launch Goy Foundation Website

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:47:18 +0100

We're proud to launch our website today. Our purpose is to describe our organization, share our progress via this blog, and tell the story of how our efforts are making a difference in Jacsonville, Matabonite, Haiti.

We'll be adding more information, stories, and features in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.