Chris Dodd: “In this twenty-first century, inspired by the values we share, imbued with the ideals of our forefathers, and outraged…”

“In this twenty-first century, inspired by the values we share, imbued with the ideals of our forefathers, and outraged by the pain of poverty, inequity and exclusion, we women and men of the Americas must redouble our efforts, to expedite the achievement and full exercise of human freedom and dignity. These words are especially relevant to the abysmal state of affairs in Haiti. We truly should be outraged by the poverty, inequity and exclusion that most of the 8 million Haitians live with everyday. Two-thirds of Haiti's 8 million people live in poverty. Twenty-five percent of Haitian children under the age of five are chronically malnourished. The average life expectancy is 53 years. The infant mortality rate is 80 per 1000 births--an extraordinarily high percentage.”