As part of the 10th edition of the Montreal International Black Film Festival, Dominique Anglade and Régine Chassagne will be honoured on September 26th during a special ceremony at the Latin Quarter Cineplex Odeon. The KANPE Foundation co-founders are the first female recipients of the 2014 Social Impact Award. The ceremony will precede the screening of the historical documentary Victorious or dead, but never prisoners directed by Mario Delatour.

Since the 2010 launch of the Foundation, 331 families in the area of Baille Tourible have benefited from KANPE’s model of accompanying Haitians towards autonomy, one village at a time. These families now have access to healthcare for their livestock, as well as a supply of seeds for agricultural production. Some families have even started small businesses and now have savings. For Madeleine Féquière, President of the KANPE Foundation Board of Directors, “it is thanks to the dedication and conviction of Dominique and Régine that KANPE has emerged. They form an intrinsic part of the Foundation’s personality and this award is a beautiful tribute to their contribution which has helped Haiti and its people to rebuild.”

Régine Chassagne supports many initiatives for Haiti, large and small. As co-leader of the Montreal band Arcade Fire, she leverages the group’s reputation to its full potential in order to raise public awareness around Haiti. In addition to contributing financially by donating $1 of each concert ticket sold to Partners in Health or KANPE, Arcade Fire also has its own outreach program called Arcade Fire <3 Haiti, which promotes initiatives of Haitian artists as well as the “STAND WITH HAITI” campaign.

For her part, Dominique Anglade is actively involved in the community through more than a dozen student or professional organizations, foundations and various political and vocational fora. Her outstanding commitment has been widely recognized by an accumulation of more than 25 honours and awards. Dominique’s recent nomination as one of the 214 Young Global Leaders of 2014, appointed annually by the World Economic Forum, is another testimony to her remarkable contribution.

In awarding the 2014 Social Impact prize to the KANPE co-founders, the Montreal International Black Film Festival wishes to acknowledge the immeasurable social and community involvement of Dominique Anglade and Régine Chassagne within KANPE. This exceptional prize reminds us that the Laureates, like everyone else, can become facilitators of change and actors contributing to the well-being of our society.

About KANPE
The Montreal-based foundation KANPE (a Creole word meaning “stand”) was founded in 2010 by Dominique Anglade, CEO of Montreal International and Régine Chassagne, member of Arcade Fire. Through a comprehensive program of care and service, KANPE joins with partners with diverse expertise to enable the poorest communities in Haiti to become financially independent. These partners include Fonkoze, the largest microfinance institution in Haiti, and the NGO Partners in Health, founded by physician Paul Farmer. KANPE has so far accompanied 331 families from the small community of Baille Tourible towards independence. Ultimately, KANPE aims to create a lasting multiplier effect in the communities of Haiti.