tagged w/ port-au-prince
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It was already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Then a major earthquake decimated Haiti's capital. See how an unusual USAID project served so many needs, so quickly.It was already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Then a major earthquake... more
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“Sun City Picture House” is a very engaging documentary short film by David Darg and Bryn Mooser. After the devastating earthquake rocked Haiti last year, food and medical aid poured into the island country, but in the months that followed a pair of Hollywood actresses and their friends had another idea. They wanted to build a movie theater. Maria Bello, who starred in the Adam Sandler comedy “Grown Ups,” and “Tron” actress Olivia Wilde, have documented the efforts of the group of people that brought the theater to life in this new, documentary short.
The documentary focuses on Haitian aid worker Raphael Louigene, whose dream was to build a movie theater, and the two American aid workers who helped him realize that dream by constructing it in just four days: Bryn Mooser from Artists for Peace and Justice, and Dave Darg, who works for Operation Blessing. Mario Bello stated, “The thing that’s needed most in Haiti right now, besides the immediate relief efforts, is joy. And that’s what this movie is about.” This article also presents a photo-gallery of stunning photographs of life in Haiti’s tent cities by New York photographer Wyatt Gallery.
This piece includes a number of high-resolution color photographs, a memorable slide show and the documentary short film.
http://disembedded.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/the-sun-city-picture-house-hollywood-comes-to-haiti/“Sun City Picture House” is a very engaging documentary short film by... more
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January 12, 2011, will mark one year to the day that the devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti, resulting in what is arguably the worst natural disaster in modern history. Of the 1.5 million Haitian people who lost their homes in the earthquake, the majority are still living in makeshift tent cities, and the promised billions of dollars in foreign aid have yet to materialize. While financial donors and peacekeepers have resources that vastly overshadow those of the Haitian government, a lack of coordination in their endeavors has hampered the country’s efforts to recover.
“Tent Life: Haiti” is a very timely collection of stunning portraits of dignity, hope and joy by New York photographer Wyatt Gallery, inspirational photographs that show the reality of Haitian lives a year after the earthquake’s destruction and its aftermath. Gallery’s photographs present an artful and unselfconscious study of the resilience of an irrepressible people. They are beautiful narrative illustrations of the lives of a people experiencing a painfully arduous process of recovery, but they don’t romanticize the tent cities or the desperate living conditions of the Haitians who were rendered homeless by the earthquake.
Rather than using the medium of photography mainly as an attempt to understand what has happened in Haiti, Gallery’s portraits reveal a sense of intimacy and closeness with the Haitian survivors, as well as a genuine wish to be helpful. His work stands as a tender expression of the unexpected and unlikely sense of hope that he discovered in the residents of the Haitian tent cities.
This piece presents a number of inspiring, deeply engaging high-resolution color photographs, a memorable photo-gallery of additional images, a documentary short film and an HD-version of the official music video, “We Are The World 25 For Haiti.”
http://disembedded.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/tent-life-in-haiti-portraits-of-profound-dignity-in-the-wake-of-devastation/January 12, 2011, will mark one year to the day that the devastating 7.9 magnitude... more
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Hurricane Tomas lashes already devastated Haiti
By the CNN Wire Staff
November 5, 2010 5:35 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* NEW: Rain stops falling in the capital
* Reports tell of destroyed houses, downed trees and flooded rivers
* Aid workers are already struggling to keep up with a cholera outbreak
* Tomas could dump 15 inches of rain over Haiti and cause flash flooding and mud slides
PART ONE…
Port-Au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- Already devastated this year by a killer earthquake and a deadly cholera outbreak, Haiti felt the brute force Friday of Hurricane Tomas, which could dump up to 15 inches of rain and trigger flash floods and mud slides.
The hurricane's punishing rain and wind pounded Haiti as the storm churned offshore.
As of 5 p.m. ET, the storm's center was about 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of Guantanamo, Cuba, and about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southwest of Great Inagua island in the Bahamas, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. Earlier Friday, Tomas had passed within about 140 miles (230 kilometers) of Port-au-Prince.
In the westernmost tip of Haiti, which juts into the Caribbean Sea and is closest to the hurricane, there were reports from the town of Jeremie of destroyed houses, downed trees and flooded rivers, said Marie-Eve Bertrand, communications manager for CARE in the nation.
Also, she said, CARE workers near the coastal city of Leogane reported the area has been inundated with nearly 5 feet of water. Flooding from a nearby river had entered some tent encampments and temporary shelters, Bertrand said.
Tomas was also felt in Port-au-Prince, the nation's capital, but the worst of the storm appeared to have passed there after rain pounded the city all night. By Friday afternoon, the rain had stopped falling.
"The skies have gotten a little cloudier, but people are out and about," said Andrea Koppel, director of international communications with the American Red Cross, who spoke to CNN from Port-au-Prince. "The music is blaring from some of the communities here."
Relief worker Roseann Dennery of Samaritan's Purse was near Cabaret, about 20 miles north of Port-au-Prince, on Friday morning, touring camps that hold some of the 1 million people left homeless by January's 7.0-magnitude earthquake, which killed some 250,000 people.
"It's almost eerie," she said. "It's rainy, it's dark and there's really not a lot of movement."
The few people moving from tent to tent were wrapped in sheets and cloth to provide some protection against the constant rain, she said. The ground was soaked and some low-lying areas had minor flooding.
Some people rode out the storm in open-air community centers with supposedly sturdy roofs, she said. But many just huddled in their tents, waiting for the wind and rain to pass. Most didn't have anywhere else to go.
"A lot of them do not have families or relatives," said Dennery.
She said her agency, an international Christian relief organization, has evacuated 30 staff members from Leogane out of fear of mud slides there.
Michael Dockrey, the director in Haiti for the International Medical Corps, also expressed his deep concern Friday.
"Particularly," he told CNN, "with mud slides that can cut off whole communities. We have pre-positioned medical supplies, tents, tarps and staff in areas that we know will be isolated."
Aid workers already were struggling to keep up with the cholera outbreak, which has killed nearly 450 people and hospitalized about 7,000. The bacterial disease causes diarrhea and vomiting that can lead to deadly dehydration within hours.
"It's obviously stretched us all real thin," Dockrey said. "We could certainly use more help ... as can all the other responders."
The hurricane will only make matters worse.
"Even if Tomas only brushes Haiti, it may exacerbate the epidemic, facilitating the spread of the disease into and throughout metropolitan Port-au-Prince, where a third of the population remains homeless and in camps," the International Organization for Migration said.
Some Haitians scurried Friday morning through the rain-pelted streets of Port-au-Prince, looking for somewhere to seek shelter, reported CNN en Espanol's Diulka Perez. They were told to go to churches or the homes of friends and family, but there are significantly fewer churches or homes still standing after January's massive earthquake.
There was also no public transportation available to take people anywhere, Perez reported.
The problem is compounded, she said, because there's no central source of information. Haitians are having to rely on word of mouth to obtain information.
Nor are Haitians eager to leave their tent shelters, because the government cannot guarantee they will have someplace to return to after the storm passes.
CONTINUED…
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRYI374io5SbNB1AzBdSkPrB2aAipfwE7XM1sh4wqMqiQ--wWY&t=1&usg=__YkjBCL-JrfetZLzbC3uiDunMGxQ=Hurricane Tomas lashes already devastated Haiti
By the CNN Wire Staff
November 5,... more
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(CNN) -- Haitian Health Ministry officials have informed the World Health Organization that 138 deaths are a part of a fast-moving cholera outbreak north of Port-au-Prince, a U.N. official said.
Imogen Wall, the U.N. humanitarian spokeswoman in Haiti, said that in addition to the deaths, 1,526 cases are also part of the outbreak. All the cases have been reported in the Lower Artibonite region, north of Port-au-Prince, she said.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/10/21/haiti.cholera/index.html(CNN) -- Haitian Health Ministry officials have informed the World Health Organization... more
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ST. MARC, Haiti, Oct. 22, 2010
Haiti: Suspected Cholera Outbreak Kills 135
Aid Groups Rush in Supplies as Deadliest Outbreak Since Earthquake Hits Refugees; 1,000 Said to be Infected
Photo: A sick child in central Haiti hooked up to an IV waiting for treatment, Oct. 21, 2010. (Operation Blessing International)
Victims await treatment at a medical facility in St. Marc, northern Haiti, amid an epidemic that has claimed at least 135 lives over the last few days, Oct. 21, 2010. (Getty Images)
(CBS/AP) At least 135 people have died in a suspected cholera outbreak, and aid groups are rushing in medicine and other supplies Friday to combat Haiti's deadliest health problem since its devastating earthquake.
The outbreak in the rural Artibonite region, which hosts thousands of quake refugees, appeared to confirm relief groups' fears about sanitation for homeless survivors living in tarp cities and other squalid settlements.
"We have been afraid of this since the earthquake," said Robin Mahfood, president of Food for the Poor, which was preparing to fly in donations of antibiotics, dehydration salts and other supplies.
Many of the sick have converged on St. Nicholas hospital in the seaside city of St. Marc, where hundreds of dehydrated patients lay on blankets in a parking lot with IVs in their arms as they waited for treatment.
Catherine Huck, deputy country director for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said the Caribbean nation's health ministry had recorded 135 deaths and more than 1,000 infected people.
"What we know is that people have diarrhea, and they are vomiting, and (they) can go quickly if they are not seen in time," Huck said. She said doctors were still awaiting lab results to pinpoint the disease.
David Darg, international disaster relief director for Operation Blessing International told CBS News on Thursday it was the worst outbreak of disease he had seen since the earthquake, and many lying outside of the hospital were children.
The president of the Haitian Medical Association, Claude Surena, said the cause appeared to be cholera, but added that had not been confirmed by the government.
"The concern is that it could go from one place to another place, and it could affect more people or move from one region to another one," he said.
Cholera is a waterborne bacterial infection spread through contaminated water. It causes severe diarrhea and vomiting that can lead to dehydration and death within hours. Treatment involves administering a salt and sugar-based rehydration serum.
No cholera outbreaks had been reported in Haiti for decades before the earthquake, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Haitian officials, including President Rene Preval, have been pointing to the lack of severe disease outbreaks as a hard-to-see success of the quake response.
With more than a million people left homeless by the disaster, however, experts have warned that disease could strike in the makeshift camps with nowhere to put human waste and limited access to clean water.
At the hospital, some patients including 70-year-old Belismene Jean Baptiste said they got sick after drinking water from a public canal.
"I ran to the bathroom four times last night vomiting," Jean Baptiste said.
The sick come from across the Artibonite Valley, a starkly desolate region of rice fields and deforested mountains. The area did not experience significant damage in the Jan. 12 quake but has absorbed thousands of refugees from the devastated capital 45 miles south of St. Marc.
Trucks loaded with medical supplies including rehydration salts were to be sent from Port-au-Prince to the hospital, said Jessica DuPlessis, an OCHA spokeswoman. Doctors at the hospital said they also needed more personnel to handle the flood of patients.
Elyneth Tranckil was among dozens of relatives standing outside the hospital gate as new patients arrived near death.
"Police have blocked the entry to the hospital, so I can't get in to see my wife," Tranckil said.
The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince issued an advisory urging people to drink only bottled or boiled water and eat only food that has been thoroughly cooked.ST. MARC, Haiti, Oct. 22, 2010
Haiti: Suspected Cholera Outbreak Kills 135
Aid... more
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Nearly nine months after the earthquake, more than a million Haitians still live on the streets between piles of rubble. One reason: Not a cent of the $1.15 billion the United States promised Haiti for rebuilding has arrived.Nearly nine months after the earthquake, more than a million Haitians still live on... more
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Some 2,000 protesters flooded the streets of the Haitian city of Les Cayes this past week, calling for President Rene Preval to be removed from his post.Some 2,000 protesters flooded the streets of the Haitian city of Les Cayes this past... more
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GEORGE Bush was caught apparently shaking hands with Haiti earthquake victims — then WIPING them clean on Bill Clinton’s shirt.
The Sun
Staff Writer
Footage of the gaffe — recorded on a visit to the quake devastated Caribbean Island — has become a worldwide web hit.
The former US president can be seen shaking a man’s hand in a tent in Port-au-Prince earlier this week.
Clikc here to Watch...VIDEO…Bush Wipes Hand on Clintons Shirt After Shaking Hands in Haiti…Racist or Funny?…Extended VIDEO…http://ctpatriot1970.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/video-bush-wipes-hand-on-clintons-shirt-after-shaking-hands-in-haiti-racist-or-funny-extended-video/
He then seems to give it a quick wipe on the clean, white shirt of his companion Mr Clinton.GEORGE Bush was caught apparently shaking hands with Haiti earthquake victims —... more
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The AMHE has sent over 400 doctors to Haiti since the quake, this is a short video about the first group that landed 4 days after the quake.The AMHE has sent over 400 doctors to Haiti since the quake, this is a short video... more
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Homeless victims of Haiti's earthquake told the Associated Press this week that police are halting deliveries of food and water to try to force them to leave their camp on the grounds of the prime minister's office.
Witnesses also say that police beat 22-year-old Dalida Jeanty after she picked up a broom to sweep around her tent.Homeless victims of Haiti's earthquake told the Associated Press this week that... more
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Jay-Z wasn’t a big fan of the “We Are the World” remake, which debuted at the Olympic opening ceremonies Friday to benefit Haiti earthquake relief.
For the Full Story On Jay Z trashing the new " we are the world " and Jay Z's New York VIDEO....http://ctpatriot1970.wordpress.com/2010/02/16/jay-z-we-are-the-world-shouldnt-have-been-remade-jay-z-new-york-video/
“I know everybody is gonna take this wrong: ‘We Are the World,’ I love it, and I understand the point and think it’s great. But I think ‘We Are the World’ is like [Michael Jackson's] ‘Thriller’ to me. I don’t ever wanna see it touched,” Jay-Z told MTVNews.com Saturday night at the 2 Kings dinner in Dallas.Jay-Z wasn’t a big fan of the “We Are the World” remake, which... more
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4 children die as Haiti classroom collapses
February 15, 2010 6:20 p.m. EST
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- A classroom collapsed on students in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, Monday morning, killing four children and injuring one other, police said.
A boulder fell on top of the classroom in the Carrenage area of the northern coastal city of Cap-Haitien, Regional Police Director Anasse Dorival said. Dorival did not say where the boulder came from. There have been rains in the area recently.
The U.S. Coast Guard has said that Cap-Haitien was not directly affected by the January 12 earthquake that rocked the island nation.
The children killed Monday were third-graders age 8 and 9.
All the other children were accounted for, Dorival said. But police were still clearing and searching through the rubble Monday afternoon, and had been since they were called at 11 a.m., to ensure no one was trapped.
http://www.viomundo.com.br/img/haiti.jpg4 children die as Haiti classroom collapses
February 15, 2010 6:20 p.m. EST... more
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We Are The World, Haiti (VIDEO): New Version For Haiti Earthquake Victims
LOS ANGELES (AP)- The revamped “We Are the World” made its world premiere Friday during NBC’s coverage of the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, and a simultaneous worldwide screening of the full, seven-minute version of the music video is planned for Saturday.
The worldwide simulcast on 53 domestic and international channels is planned for 2 p.m. (1900 GMT) Eastern time.
A three-minute version of the video aired Friday. Filmed by Oscar winner Paul Haggis, the video shows images of devastation from the island nation after the January 12 earthquake that has claimed more than 200,000 lives.
WATCH: Three-minute version of “We Are The World”...http://ctpatriot1970.wordpress.com/2010/02/13/we-are-the-world-haiti-video-todays-stars-remake-we-are-the-world-watch/We Are The World, Haiti (VIDEO): New Version For Haiti Earthquake Victims
LOS... more
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Petionville's manicured golf course, once a favorite haunt of Haiti's elite, is now a massive tent city where 75,000+ and growing left homeless by a devastating earthquake have taken refuge.
These gently rolling hills once a playground to Port-au-Prince's most privileged, is now home to its most desperate, after the 82 Airborne set up one of the largest camps for survivors from the January 12 quake. The golf course was relatively unscathed, making it a perfect place for shelter.
Video by: Chris Morrow
Voice: Stanley Vincent - Rescue Task Force
Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/morrowchris
The Rescue Task Force is taking immediate action to provide emergency aid and comfort to children and families in Haiti. Support RTF and save a life. http://rescuetaskforce.org/Petionville's manicured golf course, once a favorite haunt of Haiti's elite,... more
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Haiti’s institute of Hautes Etudes Commerciales et Economiques defined itself with a simple mission statement: “forming men and women to serve the nation.”
Many of the school’s 1000 students were in the building when the earthquake struck on January 12th; today, only eight of them are known to be alive.
Today, two of those survivors have come back to the school for the first time since the earthquake. Emmanuel Midi and his cousin, Johnny Pierrot, seem stunned as they survey the rubble of their school. “This was our building, Pavilion B. My classroom was on the right,” says Johnny.
Johnny was in class when the earth started trembling. The shaking was so strong that he couldn’t walk out the door. He had the instinct to climb on a chair and jump out of a window while the room shook. A few other students followed him; most didn’t get a chance to escape.
Emmanuel had been getting some food outside, and was just next to the building. The cousins found each other in shock, unable to understand what what had just happened. Leaving the chaos, the cries, and the dust of the school, they ran to find their families.
They haven’t found their parents - yet.
As they sort through the rubble of their school, they find a card amongst the broken bricks, “It was someone’s birthday,” says Emmanuel.
Inside the card is a handwritten poem, in French:
Yesterday has passed
Tomorrow is mystery
Today is a gift
This is why we call it present
The biggest day of your life is today
You future is based on today
enjoy your gift of today
for success and flawless joy
may the master and architect of the universe
show you the path to follow
Happy birthday
It was from a student, to the principal of the school.
Emmanuel and Johnny sit down on the side of the building, and begin to talk.
“Haiti was already very difficult before the earthquake, but we could study and hope for a future.” says Johnny. “If we can’t finish our studies, there isn’t much of a future for us. We can’t leave the country; we have no money, no family.”
The cousins hope a foreign state will help Haiti by providing them with student visas. They want to “finish [their] education, to move forward, to make something of this life”.
But the collapsed building also buried all proof of their academic achievements; Johnny has no certificate to show for his the three years he’s spent on his four-year economics program.
With the amount of destruction, the cousins don’t see how the school can be fixed. And they want to finish their education now, as young men.
Emmanuel wants to go abroad, finish his studies, and work hard. He was among the thousands waiting outside the Canadian embassy last week, hoping to gain a visa to a new life. He wants to come back here and find his parents alive, so he can repay them and help rebuild the country.
Johnny hopes to be part of the people who will make a difference for Haiti. He wants make his place abroad and come back rich, so he can invest in his country and people.
“Everything has to be rebuilt from scratch. Maybe we can rebuild a better country than before, but how long will it take?” says Johnny. “I want to be here when it happens.”
Originally published on the website "Inside Disaster".Haiti’s institute of Hautes Etudes Commerciales et Economiques defined itself... more
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Your $100 Will Give Water to 15,000 Haitians Today.
We need your help right now in Port-au-Prince!
The earthquake knocked out many neighborhood water tanks, but 28 have survived. However, no water is coming to these tanks from the local water agency (CAMEP).
So Dalebrun Esther – our Haitian Director – has designed a system to supply water.
Two big pumps – in Cite Soleil and Tabal – are producing hundreds of thousands of gallons of water. Dalebrun is renting 10 water trucks each day to take water from these two pumps to surviving water tanks.
He pays each trucker $100 a day to make 5 trips to water tanks in poor neighborhoods. Each truck holds 3000 gallons and 5 loads make 15,000 gallons per day for each truck.
With 10 trucks, Dalebrun is delivering 150,000 gallons to poor neighborhoods in the city each day. And, he is restricting each person to 1 gallon per day.
We are sending more money to Dalebrun to hire more trucks for this effort.
Every $100 can hire one truck per day for 15,000 people.
Before the quake there were some 200 water trucks in the city. We are not sure how many survived, but we will encourage Dalebrun to hire as many as he can. In the first three days after the quake, Dalebrun himself delivered 20,000 gallons using our small truck.
But, it is far more effective to rent the trucks of 3000 gallons all day long. With your help, we will fill the surviving tanks, reach neighborhoods with no water access, and even supply schools.
As soon as possible, we will shift to rebuilding the damaged tanks and making new 1600 gallon tanks in our fiberglass factory which we are shipping to Port-au-Prince.
With appreciation for your help,
Lidnsay Mattison and Youngmin Chang
Relief Efforts are Only Beginning - Jan. 21, 2010
As of yesterday, Dalebrun had obtained 2 truckers. Today, there were 10 truckers made available (We hope for 14 tomorrow). Dalebrun has continued to make trips, serving nearly 35,000-40,000 Haitians with one gallon of water or less per person. Other water areas, such as MAC, are providing minimal water even with plastic bags.
The Haitians are grateful for the water, but also remain agitated. The dilapidated jail has allowed for many criminals to escape making it difficult to maintain order. Additionally, Dalebrun has found it imperative to acquire staff for protection purposes. Although he is still negotiating the salary, he said he might spend $1,700-$1,600 on the new staff. We went through the list of water tanks and he told us which ones are broken but function, which ones are totally broken, and which ones are undamaged.
Your help can greatly support our efforts.
Updated News: Shipping to Haiti - Jan. 20, 2010
Getting any resources to Haiti in this time of need is still difficult, as most ports, airports, and banks remain closed. We have been able to successfully send money to our Haitian staff using CAM money transfer. We are very grateful to the Dominican Republic Red Cross and INAPA who are coordinating to help us with shipping a truck and water tanks to Haiti. Clinton Global Intiative has also volunteered to help us coordinate shipping and allow resources to get into Haiti as quickly as possible.
Updated News from our Haitian staff - Jan. 19, 2010
Our Haitian director, Dalebrun Esther, is busy distributing water to as many neighborhoods as possible. Dalebrun says that CAMEP officials would be willing to assist in his effort to distribute water to the population, along with truckers from privatized companies.
He knows of two water sources that are working and has identified 28 public water tanks that are in good enough shape to hold water. He has hired additional workers and is tirelessly working to get water to as many people as possible.
During these desperate times, International Action has collaborated with other officials to support this worldwide effort. Arch Chemicals, a chlorine and biocides manufacturer, has been working with IA to transfer water purification supplies to desperate areas.
Your help and generous donations will help our staff and suppliers to provide clean water to the victims of the Earthquake in Haiti. Please support this work.Your $100 Will Give Water to 15,000 Haitians Today.
We need your help right now in... more
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In December, actor Ben Stiller launched the STILLERSTRONG campaign, a hilarious yet serious campaign to raise money to support a school in Haiti.
In light of the recent devastating 7.0 earthquake, Stiller has re-directed the focus of his campaign to building temporary schools for children displaced by the earthquake.In December, actor Ben Stiller launched the STILLERSTRONG campaign, a hilarious yet... more
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