(New York) December 20, 2010

Amidst continuing political unrest, and a crippling cholera outbreak, Haiti has experienced no shortage of challenges in the recent months. With delays in the delivery of pledges and donor aid, mismanaged funds and alleged corruption, the efforts to “build back better” a nation de-habilitated and destroyed by a 7.0 earthquake have been stymied.

Enter a dynamic team of young activists and artists who have come together to work with MOSCTHA, a locally based organization, to address these issues and dig deeper into the real situation in Haiti, one year after the earthquake. Titled “Stop Indifference. Show Love,” this innovative web-based project will take to the camps and streets of Haiti’s most affected areas to bring the survival stories from Haitians to the rest of the world.

“I saw a picture of Edison Suero, the director of MOSCTHA-USA, standing in front of a town that had been reduced to rubble by the earthquake,” says Caitlin Padgett, project co-director. “The picture was titled, 7 months later – nothing has changed. I started thinking about what the situation would be like one year later and about how important it was to hear directly from Haitians about their perspective on the situation, and I contacted MOSCTHA with the idea for this project.”

The project will launch on January 12, 2010, the one-year anniversary of the earthquake. Each day until Valentine’s Day, the web-based project will showcase stories of real people offering real insights and suggested solutions to their current situation. The project brings together a diverse team of young people with a shared desire to get informed, get involved, and ultimately to inspire others to do the same.

“I wanted to help make a difference. Mostly I shoot celebrities and models for magazines, and I want to use my talent to help people in need,” says New York-based celebrity photographer Aliya Naumoff, whose work has been featured in magazines such as Rolling Stone and Nylon. “By volunteering with the ‘Stop Indifference. Show Love.’ project I hope to contribute my 10 years of photography experience to foster awareness, acceptance and ultimately contribute to progress in Haiti.”

Owen Cook, an award winning young filmmaker and animator from the San Francisco Bay Area, who now lives in New York, wanted to contribute both his experience and ability to create great work with limited resources to the project. “I was also really interested in spending time in Haiti and finding stories that aren’t the ones that are most commonly told,” he elaborated.

MOSCTHA was one of the first organizations providing emergency and relief work on the ground after the earthquake hit. Building on their established infrastructure and relationships, with 50 Haitian-Dominican staff members and 125 volunteers working in Haiti, MOSCTHA has been able to reach more than 60 of the hardest hit areas, providing relief to more than 80,000 Haitians.

“I believe in the ‘Stop Indifference. Show Love.’ project for several reasons, however, most important among those is the fact that I have heard of no other project like it,” says Alison Désir, MOSCTHA-USA’s Director of Operations and project co-coordinator. “MOSCTHA will be speaking directly with people in Haiti and documenting their struggles, hopes, and solutions for a better Haiti. Having worked in Haiti for several years prior to the earthquake, MOSCTHA is in the perfect position to do just that.”

Capitalizing on the closeness of Valentine’s Day, the project will feature one story a day from launch until February 14th. “This Valentine’s Day, we want people to take a minute, get informed and get involved, and do something that matters – hence the theme of ‘Stop Indifference. Show Love.’” says Padgett. “Supporters can dedicate e-cards to their loved ones while also spreading awareness and donating to a great organization and cause.”

“I feel extremely fortunate to be joining MOSCTHA as we work to launch our latest effort, ‘Stop Indifference. Show Love.’” says Jane Borock, who joins MOSCTHA’s team as Creative Director. “We've all read the articles by American journalists and have seen CNN reports from the ground, but what we haven't done is simply listen.”

The project launches at www.stopindifferenceshowlove.com on January 12th and will be updated daily. A SHOW LOVE Showcase event is planned in New York City on February 14th to feature a montage of the video documentaries and professional photographs taken during the project.

For more information, please contact Alison Désir: 347-534-2033