Help Haiti Heal T-shirts support Concern's education program

30 Dec '10

3 min read

Concern Worldwide US and American Eagle Outfitters Inc announced a partnership to raise funds to rebuild and support schools in Haiti. Ten months after the devastating January 12 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people, 1.3 million are still living in tent cities in Port-au-Prince, and more than 500,000 children need the opportunity to get a good education.

Beginning January 3, 2011, limited-edition, AE-designed “Help Haiti Heal” T-shirts will be sold in more than 900 American Eagle Outfitters stores throughout the U.S., and worldwide at www.ae.com/haiti. The T-shirts were made in Haiti, by Haitians, to mark the first anniversary of the earthquake and raise awareness about the continuing need to help Haiti heal. The entire purchase price of US $15.50 will be donated to Concern Worldwide's education program in Haiti, with the potential to raise as much as US $1 million.

International superstars like The Edge, Ryan Seacrest, The Script, Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Garcelle Beauvais, Shaggy and Sean Paul - to name but a few – have come on board to help spread the word and encourage everyone to buy and wear a “Help Haiti Heal” T-shirt. Celebrity images will be featured on the 25-story LED screens outside American Eagle Outfitters' Times Square flagship store.

The proceeds raised from the sale of the Help Haiti Heal T-shirts will contribute to Concern's overall education program in Haiti, which will reach 30,000 children. The proceeds raised from the sale of the Help Haiti Heal t-shirts will:

• Rebuild and repair two schools that were destroyed during the earthquake
• Train 40 new teachers and school officers.
• Provide 1,000 earthquake-affected children with access to primary education.
• Equip the two schools with classroom furniture (desks, chairs), learning resources and teaching equipment.
• Install clean water systems, latrines and sanitation at the two schools.
• Ensure that the most vulnerable children in the communities receive a primary education.
• Help pay the salaries of teachers.

Shaggy said of the “Help Haiti Heal” T-shirts: “While Haiti faces many difficult obstacles as it tries to rebuild after the devastating January 12th earthquake, ensuring our children get the education they deserve is a vital part of the rebuilding process.”

“American Eagle Outfitters customers are socially conscious, and committed to providing help to those in need,” said Fred Grover, Executive Vice President of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. “The “Help Haiti Heal' t-shirts enable our customers to support Haiti financially, and also to raise awareness by wearing the T-shirt. We are proud to do our small part to help get Haiti's education system back up and running.”

CEO of Concern Worldwide, Tom Arnold, said: “As part of its constitution, every Haitian has the right to free primary education. However, with an estimated 500,000 children not enrolled in schools before the earthquake and 85 percent of schools damaged or destroyed during the January 12th earthquake, which killed 38,000 children, helping rebuild and repair Haiti's education system is now more critical than ever before.”

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