Tuesday, April 8, 2008

International Charity Spotlight: The Carma Foundation

The image “http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/archives/crocs.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.

Usually, every other week I highlight a DC charity that should be on your radar and in your check book ledger. But I just became aware of an international organization that has ties to DC and on April 13 R&B singer Melky Jean from movie titled soundtrack “Love Jones”, and younger sister to international phenomenon Wyclef Jean, will lead a humanitarian mission of five women to her native country, Haiti. As founder of The Carma Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to measurably improving the health of poor and vulnerable women and children in Haiti , Melky will travel with actress Tasha Smith and music icon Patti Labelle. Learn more and consider making a donation by reaching out to Theodore Wilhite at theodore@nubeaupr.com

Through a partnership with SolesUnitedSM, a Crocs, Inc. humanitarian program dedicated to providing new recycled footwear to those in need, these women will be leaving their wigs and high heels in the hotel, to deliver over 10,000 pairs of shoes to needy Haitian children.


SolesUnited is the first-of-its-kind recycled footwear donation program where you give back your worn-out crocstm shoes to be recycled into new shoes and they will be donated to people in need around the world.
As opposed to highlighting the horrors of poverty faced by most Haitians, the trip will highlight the beauty, resilience, pride, and strength of the Haitian women and children. All eyes will be on Haiti , the Western Hemisphere’s poorest neighbor as it is estimated that the over 8 million citizens of Haiti live on $1 a day.

This trip comes on the tail of one of the last humanitarian trips First Lady Laura Bush will be making during her husband's administration. Mrs. Bush will be in Haiti to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the leading cause of death for Haitians 10-59 year olds per the latest statistics from the Pan American Health Organization.

The Carma Foundation is a non-profit organization classified under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The mission of Carma is to measurably improve the health of poor and vulnerable women and children in Haiti . Carma effectively utilizes media and pop culture to create a platform of awareness, dialogue, and then action. Carma, an urban spin on karma, embodies the belief of cause and effect behavior or practices to affect the lives of others. It is with this belief that Carma mobilizes others to not only care, but to become involved. Since its inception in 2007, Carma has already impacted the lives of tens of thousands of Haitian women and children and plans to extend its reach to the millions of Haitian citizens.

No comments: