What kind of buskers use stage monitors? That was the question I asked myself last summer as I passed an impressive trio of wee lads just outside the Bluesfest grounds. Shortly afterward, the story about local rockers the Brothers Dubé hit the front page of a local paper with this epic picture. Those sweaty folks in the picture (aside from the wee lads) are Grammy Award-winning Canadian ‘indie’ darlings Arcade Fire, who, after their own show on the main stage, jumped the security fence to…
Michaëlle Jean, former Governor General of Canada, now United Nations special envoy for Haiti, feels that not much has been done in Haiti over the year after the earthquake.
“There are still over a million people living in camps. There’s no security. A lot of girls and women are at risk. We cannot underplay these realities. Pretty soon, what is considered temporary will become permanent, because it’s a way of survival.”
“What Haiti needs is investment in people’s capacities, in governance, investing in education. What Haiti is about, really, is supporting a population. Otherwise, we’ll continue with the same system that is not productive, not constructive, that same cycle of dependency that is very detrimental.”
“If we want to see a change … we need to start working differently now.”
This is why Quinn, Jan, and Liam, the Brothers Dubé, decided to do something about it. They began by raising funds for relief efforts through Canadian Feed the Children. Later they turned to investing in Haiti through the KANPE Foundation.
Kanpe’s goal is to break the cycle of poverty by ensuring that the poorest Haitian families become financially independent. Kanpe is headed by a management consultant, Dominique Anglade, and co-chaired by Regine Chassagne, of Arcade Fire… both with Haitian parents. Also sitting on the board is Paul Farmer, the U.S. doctor who founded Partners In Health. They enlisted corporate support from KPMG, Domtar and McKinsey, where Dominique Anglade, the president of Kanpe, works.
The KANPE Goal
$2-million to help 500 families achieve financial autonomy in the village of Thomonde in central Haiti. This pilot project can serve as a best practice for how future aid is delivered to other regions of Haiti.
APPROACH:
Empower
Help Haitians help themselves by targeting families, starting with the 150 neediest families – with no income, malnourished children, and no hope
Solve problems through a Haitian caseworker who assesses each family and comes up with a plan to get them back on their feet
Integrate
Eliminate the silos of competing aid organizations
Partner with credible aid organizations in Haiti: Partners In Health and Fonkoze, a peasant bank specializing in microfinance
Assess family needs and formulate co-ordinated solutions
Include everything from health care to financial support to education
Measure, Evaluate and Improve
Meticulously document, measure what works and what doesn’t work to replicate success
Photo: Copyright Globe and Mail, used kinda without permission, but we hope it’s okay
Help us to help the friends we do not know and have yet to meet in Haiti.
The Help Santa Toy Parade was a great success! We joined the parade, busking on a flatbed float sponsored by Lumvex Electric (thanks Bernie!). Our theme was “Peace on Earth.” The float featured a light up Peace symbol over a glowing Earth, suspended in space with neon stars and religious icons from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. People all along the route tapped their toes and clapped their hands. We heard some people yelling, “Hey! That’s The Dube Brothers!” That was cool!
We jammed to our rocking version of “Jingle Bells,” which is featured alongside tracks from the Barenaked Ladies, Colin James, Gordie Johnson (Big Sugar), and The Odds on the holiday album “Holiday Train Tracks.” It is now available on-line to sample or buy at iTunes. That money goes to www.foodbankscanada.ca. Check it out and help to make a difference in yet another way!
It was a good nite for the 67s and for us as we played to a Bluesfest-sized busking crowd at Lansdowne Park Friday night. The 67s beat the Belleville Bulls 5 – 2.
We didn’t collect any money Friday because we wanted to focus on a new sound setup that will allow Quinn to hammer on acoustic drums instead of the more portable electronic drums – it made a huge difference to the sound! We also tried out some new “vintage” microphones and amplifiers… all to say it was a success for all who attended.
The Dube Brothers will busk at the Ottawa 67’s game for Haiti on Friday October 22, 2010. They begin to rock at 6:45 at Gate 2 and play for 45 minutes. They will also play in the same spot at the first and second period intermissions. DB toques will be on sale to support band expenses.
, although not as good looking as the Stuntman!