Where Due Process and Human Rights Cease to Exist

Operating in a court where due process rights don’t exist Did you know that of the tens of thousands of asylum seekers arriving throughout 2019 and 2020, less than 2% were represented by an attorney in court? While they waited for their court hearings, asylum seekers were forced to live in makeshift refugee camps in…

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“This is what a construction engineer looks like” — from Challenge the Gap beneficiary UUSC

The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, our current Challenge the Gap beneficiary, is supporting the creation of a unique eco-village in rural Haiti.

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By Jessica Atcheson, UUSC

International Women’s Day — which celebrates the economic, political, and social achievements of women throughout the world — was observed on March 8. And while I believe we should honor women’s accomplishments every day, International Women’s Day is a great reminder. This year, one of the women on my mind is Michelle-Ange Augustin, whom I met when I was in Haiti last May. Known as Mimine, she is the construction engineer for the eco-village, an innovative project in rural Haiti created by the Papaye Peasant Movement (MPP) with support from UUSC.

When MPP decided they need to send one of their members to Port-au-Prince for engineering training, Mimine jumped at the chance to volunteer. MPP paid for the course, and she learned the ins and outs of what it takes to be a construction engineer. She was the only woman in a class of 25 people.

With her technical skills and no-nonsense leadership style, Mimine has managed the physical creation of the eco-village, from the foundation trenches to the roofs overhead. There, a new community has sprouted, with 10 displaced families rebuilding their lives after surviving the 2010 earthquake. That’s 10 homes and 10 solid foundations for a new start.

Read the full article at UUSC.org

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