Money buys food, clothing, shelter for Perlitz sex victims Michael P. Mayko, Staff Writer Published: 10:35 p.m., Friday, September 3, 2010 1 of 2 View: Larger | Hide Haitian street boys who claim they were sexually abused by Douglas Perlitz in the humanitarian program he established, give a prayer of thanks to U.S. supporters who have provided them with money for food, clothing and shelter. Photo: Contributed Photo / Connecticut Post Contributed Cyrus Sibert's investigative work on the abuse of street children led to the arrest of US citizen Douglas Perlitz, who operated a school in the city. Photo: ST, Christian Abraham / Connecticut Post | Buy This Photo In a jail cell in Central Falls, R.I., Douglas Perlitz sits pondering his fate as he awaits a Dec. 21 sentencing. On the crowded streets some 1,700 miles away in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, 20 young men who say they were sexually abused by Perlitz in the program he established ponder if they will eat, bathe or sleep that day. "It's breaking my heart," said Paul Kendrick, a Fairfield University graduate and advocate for victims of sexual abuse. "We could feed these kids with just $40 a day. That'll buy them rice, beans and spaghetti. But none of the groups that put these kids in their situation by funding Perlitz are stepping forward to help." On Wednesday, Kendrick stood in front of the main entrance handing out leaflets advising incoming students of the Haitian victims' plight. "We handed out about 200, some were given back. Hopefully the others were read," he said. Speak Truth to Power, a small Massachusetts advocacy group for victims of sexual abuse by the clergy, has stepped forward with some aid for the Haitian boys. The group received about $6,000 in donations, some coming from Fairfield County, in recent months, according to Ruth Moore, coordinator of the project. She said a handicapped friend attempted to hand her $100 after reading a series of articles in the Connecticut Post about the victims' plight. "I knew that was an amount she could not afford," Moore said, "so I graciously accepted $20 from her. Some people really do care about others in need." Kendrick is reaching out to various Fairfield University alumni associations to join him in urging the school to provide immediate funding "for the most immediate and basic needs of the Haitian victims." In recent weeks, Kendrick said he repeatedly has contacted Fairfield University President Jeffrey Von Arx and the Order of Malta, a Roman Catholic charity, both of which raised money for Perlitz's Project Pierre Toussaint, a three-stage program which provided food, clothing, schooling and shelter to homeless street boys in Cap-Haitien, Haiti's second largest city. He said neither offered to donate money to his efforts. Von Arx has pledged that the school will not turn its back on the Haitian victims. Rama Sudhaker, Fairfield University's vice president of marketing and communications, said the school is looking for a more permanent solution. She said they are working with the Haiti Fund, which served as Perlitz's funding arm, to find groups that could assist in reopening Project Pierre Toussaint. "The discussions are ongoing," she said. "I wish I could tell you they have borne fruit but that's not the case at this point." Attempts to contact Joseph Miller, of New Canaan, the president of the Order of Malta's American Association, and Michael McCooey, chairman of the Haiti Fund, were unsuccessful Friday. Perlitz, 39, who served as Fairfield University's commencement speaker and received an honorary degree in 2002 for his work in Haiti, was arrested last September and later indicted for allegedly abusing 23 of his students. He pleaded guilty last month to a single federal charge of traveling from the U.S. to Haiti in engage in and having sex with an underage boy. He also did not dispute prosecutors' claims that he had sex with at least eight boys. Under the terms of the plea bargain agreement, his sentencing guidelines recommend he receive anywhere from eight years and one month to 19 years and seven months in prison. Several of the victims are expected to be brought to the U.S. to testify at Perlitz's sentencing. Kendrick praised the work of Cyrus Sibert, the Cap-Haitien radio host and journalist who exposed the sexual abuse back in 2007. His reports led to investigations by the Haitian National Police and the United Nations. After Perlitz left Haiti for the final time, Haiti and the UN appealed to the U.S. to prosecute him. "Cyrus has taken it upon himself to serve as the victims' primary care giver," said Kendrick. "He didn't go looking for that job. It just fell into his lap." In an e-mail to the Connecticut Post, Sibert said he "started out helping just the victims." Sibert used some of the donated money to provide the victims, who have been living on Cap-Haitien's streets and in abandoned cars, "a little house in a slum area -- very cheap, to put them in safe place." He also paid for their registration in school this past week. "I try to get members of their families involved, but most are orphans," Sibert said. "We cannot give them everything they need." As for the other Project Pierre Toussaint students, Sibert said he sees many living on the streets. "It's very sad to see them begging for food," he said. "But we can't support all of them." ____________________ "La vraie reconstruction d'Haïti passe par des réformes en profondeur des structures de l'État pour restaurer la confiance, encourager les investisseurs et mettre le peuple au travail. Il faut finir avec cette approche d'un État paternaliste qui tout en refusant de créer le cadre approprié pour le développement des entreprises mendie des millions sur la scène internationale en exhibant la misère du peuple." Cyrus Sibert Reconstruction d'Haïti : A quand les Réformes structurelles? Haïti : La continuité du système colonial d'exploitation  prend la forme de monopole au 21e Siècle. WITHOUT REFORM, NO RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN HAITI (U.S. Senate report.)