Actress-activist Maria Bello kicks a lot of butt, literally and figuratively. She took time to talk to Tonic in between practicing her Muay Thai boxing moves for the upcoming flick Abduction, and heading to New York to unveil the new limited-edition Judith Leiber Don?t Forget pendant necklace designed to benefit Haiti. Bello has been dedicated to empowering women in Haiti for over three years, and is using her star power to keep the focus on rebuilding Haiti, six months after the devastating earthquake.
With so many worthy causes out there, what inspired you to take on this particular one?
I have been working in Haiti for the last three years with an organization called Artists for Peace and Justice with an incredible man named Father Rick who’s been down there for 24 years organizing pediatric hospitals and schools. And I just fell in love with Haiti. I was shocked to see that it was an hour and a half off our shores and the poverty was so intense. I went with Sean Penn a week after the earthquake and people were like, ‘It’s so devastating and intense,’ and we got off the plane and were like, ‘This is what it looked like before!’ People just weren’t aware of what it’s like there. I’ve been working in women’s rights for 20 years. Femmes En Démocratie is a network of 300 politicians, entrepreneurs and artisans and they are putting themselves full force into the coming up elections. Because as we’ve seen in other rebuilding efforts such as in Rwanda, the more woman that hold office, the more democratic the country becomes, the more economically sound and focused on children, healthcare and education the government tends to be.
Where were you when you first heard about the earthquake?
I was in a meeting and my boyfriend at the time, Bryn Mooser who I had been working with in Haiti, he actually works full time with Father Rick, In fact, he just called me yesterday about a 13-year-old girl who was sexually abused at one of the camps. He took her to an orphanage and tucked her in — he’s an incredible, incredible guy. Anyway, he came running into my meeting and said, ‘You’re not going to believe this but there’s been a huge earthquake.’ I went to find Father Rick, who was in Connecticut, and he’s never not in Haiti, but at the time, he was with his dying mother, and I asked him what I should do, and he said, ‘You put on your work boots and help dig my people out.’
What did you do when you got there?
The truth is Sean Penn put together an incredible group of people, and like we’ve seen over and over, the bigger aid organizations, they take so long to organize that people don’t get their needs met. We had with us cases of medication and antibiotics. When we got there, they were doing amputations without anesthesia. We got it to the people who needed it; in fact, I got it to a 16-year-old boy about to have his leg amputated without anesthesia. We took medicine directly to the general hospital when they needed it most. I’ve been back about ten times since and I work with the women there. I started a women’s clinic in Sean’s camp, which is needed because of the recent outbreak of violence and sexual abuse.
What is life like for Haitian women today?
There’s two answers to that question that are completely opposite. Most women in that society are the ones taking care of the children, cooking, making money, taking care of the household. And the women I know are working as well, and their businesses have been flattened, devastated. My friend, her daughter’s house was leveled, now she has her daughter and grandchildren living with her. She’s trying to get the money together to get her business started again. And also, they feel there’s more opportunity now that the earthquake happened to rebuild the society. Part of it is building a stronger platform in the upcoming elections. This is a strong group of women who believe in social justice.
How will the proceeds from the pendant effect the lives of these women?
Vital Voices is an incredible organization that empowers women worldwide politically and economically, and this is their Haitian chapter. Go to the site and click on Haiti and you’ll understand the power of what they’re doing there.
Is this your first foray into designing? How did this collaboration come about?
My best friend Amy Carpenter is the publicist in LA for Judith Leiber and I met Mary Gleason and Anna Goldman and was so impressed with them. They were about social justice and helping women. My biggest fear and the fear of those working to help Haiti is that after the initial shock and awe that people are going to forget. So I came up with the phrase “Don’t Forget,” and their designer came up with the design.
How would you describe your personal style? How does it fit into this project?
I was shopping at the mall with my 9-year-old son for jeans — he wanted some colored denim or something. He’s finally at an age where he wants stuff like that. He said to me, ‘Why don’t we ever go to the mall? Why don’t we shop?’ And then he said, ‘I know why … it’s because you wear the same thing every day!’ I live in Venice beach and we wear jeans, t-shirts, flip-flops and sweaters. When I go to events, I am so lucky because I get to borrow the most beautiful dresses. And when I go to these events, my style is tailored with an edge. And I feel like the necklace represents that edge with the pewter and leather strings.
Any surprising facts about the state of affairs in Haiti, particularly for women, that Americans may not be aware of?
I don’t know if it’s a surprising fact, but the big agencies, I’m not going to name them by name, but the big ones, they have been so slow and bureaucratic with getting things done. All the food aid was taken away and people are very hungry. We have to push the UN and top aid agencies by writing letters to our representatives and calling the agencies to ask where our money went.
How can people stay involved with the relief effort in Haiti?
The next step is to keep on top of them and ask, ‘Where did my money go and how was it used?’ Find out exactly what they’re doing there. And an organization like ours, you’re giving money where it’s needed but you’re also benefiting from it by getting a beautiful piece of jewelry in return. If this goes well, we want more of them to be made in Haiti so the women can be empowered and benefit from it even more directly.
Thanks for talking to Tonic about this. Sounds like you’re doing amazing work.
Yeah, I gotta run so I can kick some ass. I’m training for a movie with Taylor Lautner and I’m training for a fight today with two stuntmen — it’s so fun I can’t stand it. It’s Muay Thai kickboxing with some knife moves. So fun but so hard.
The Don’t Forget pendant features a clear crystal ring and a faceted pewter Don?t Forget medallion, which hangs from an adjustable leather cord. The piece retails for $95 with 100 percent of profits benefiting Femmes En Démocratie, a chapter of Vital Voices Global Partnership based in Haiti that gives women the tools to fulfill their potential in the areas of economic and entrepreneurial opportunity, political participation, and legal/human rights. You can purchase the necklace at JudithLeiber.com.
Photos courtesy of Judith Leiber.