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GMAI Collaborator Vin Diesel Visits Port-au-Prince and Mobilizes Aid for Disaster Victims
Santo Domingo, January 17, 2010

Actor and GMAI collaborator Vin Diesel spent the afternoon of Sunday, January 17, visiting various areas in Port-au-Prince devastated by the earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12 to show his solidarity with the Haitian people and to promote immediate assistance to disaster victims on the part of the cinematographic community.

Prior to his visit to Port-au-Prince, the Hollywood actor first visited with President Leonel Fernández at the National Palace.

“I come to see my people to lend my support and to provide urgent support that is greatly needed,” stated Diesel. Founder of One Race Global Film Foundation, Diesel has developed over the last few years, in partnership with Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE), a program designed to trained cinematographic technicians. This program has graduated four young Haitian technicians, all of which have not been located until now. While efforts have been made to locate these individuals, communication and mobility issues have impeded obtaining news of them.

Impacted by the collective tragedy, the actor came to Santo Domingo to visit the neighboring country to offer and mobilize aid. In Jimaní, Diesel visited the military and civil forces’ center of operations deployed by the Dominican government. In Port-au-Prince, the actor went to the Dominican Embassy where he was briefed on the current situation by Ambassador Rubén Silié and Dominican Consul Carlos Castillo. The reality of the circumstances was confirmed a few meters away from the government site, where at a dilapidated, neighboring children’s hospital, too many children and adults  had already died.

Near the home of the Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, converted into a refugee camp for hundreds of homeless families, Diesel witnessed the uncertainty that had provoked feelings of helplessness. Despite the atmosphere of despair, many people recognized and approached Diesel, surprised to see the actor they knew through his films. The actor expressed his solidarity with the Haitian people and offered words of encouragement.