Prince of Monaco in Haiti

HSH Prince Albert II, after a visit to Brazil, stopped in at the struggling island nation of Haiti where he met with President Martelly and then visited the "Prince Albert II of Monaco" kindergarten and elementary school, named in his honor, which opened recently for the 2012-2013 school year. It serves a student body of 160 "particularly disadvantaged children" with a goal of 290 students expected to be met soon. The school was opened thanks to the cooperation of the "Monaco Collectif Haiti". In the wake of the earthquake disaster, Prince Albert II and the Monegasque government acted quickly to send assistance to Haiti and set up programs to aid the country which are now obviously bearing fruit. Haiti and Monaco are both members of the Francophone community of nations, a representative of which Albert II will also be meeting with. During his visit the Sovereign Prince also met with Haiti native and former Governor-General of Canada Michaelle Jean who is a special UN ambassador for UNESCO as well as a pioneer in research for the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Monaco Rushes Aid to Haiti

From the Princely Palace:

"H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, upset by the tragedy which has just struck so cruelly the Haitian population, leaving a country in mourning, the distress and the destitution, decided to mobilize the whole of the institutional and humanitarian abilities of the Principality. The Sovereign Prince asked the Princely Government, the Monegasque Red Cross and ONG to meet on Friday January 15 with the Ministry of State in order to support a joint project: Collective Monaco Haiti. The organizations responded and presented themselves, showing their will to support this project for the duration of the disaster. The collected funds will be used, in bond with the local authorities, to help with the rebuilding of the public structure mainly in the field of Health and/or Education; all while respecting environmental standards, seismic and anti-cyclonic. In addition, the Princely Government has just released part of its emergency funds in the amount of 150.000 €, by the means of the United Nations and the International federation of the Red Cross. A complement will be brought in the next days to answer the urgent call of the International organizations. The provisional figures announced by the Haitian Red Cross evoke 50.000 dead and 3 million people delivered to itself, which represents a third of the population. L' UNO, as for it, reports 300.000 people left homeless in the capital."