Posts Tagged ‘Haiti earthquake’

12 Jan

Haiti One Year Later–and Your Help

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Inspiration, Support, volunteer. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Haiti Presidential Palace, Port-au-Prince

I was in Haiti over the summer, doing rebuilding/construction volunteer work at an orphanage in the seaside town of Jacmel. It was seven months after the devastating earthquake that smashed the island a year ago today—and had you told me then that the quake had happened just before I arrived, I would have believed you. Several months later, and all of my friends and connections I made while there make it clear that there hasn’t been a lot of forward progress. I know you know all this from the news—today’s anniversary, declared a national day of mourning in Haiti, is on every channel. One foundation worker in Port-au-Prince tweeted last night “New Theory: There are actually only 3 people in Haiti. Sean Penn, Bill Clinton, and Wyclef” and it is true, familiar faces get a lot of air time, and also bring a lot of international attention—which is good.

International help, actual help that makes it to the people, would be better…but it is rare. Billions of dollars were pledged to Haiti’s recovery from nations across the globe, but a tiny percentage of that has ever actually been given (including the US not getting pledged dollars down to the island). Money doesn’t solve every problem, but it would go a long way toward rebuilding homes (800,000 people are still living in desperate circumstances in tent villages), drinking water and sanitation systems (the cholera epidemic is still killing people who needn’t perish—and wouldn’t perish with access to safe water), and getting kids back into schools. Sure, the government would still be a mess (the recent elections, considered by almost all Haitians to have been a corrupt failure, have still not declared results…and most citizens know the results won’t represent them), but the people…the faces that aren’t movie stars or ex-presidents…might move back toward some semblance of normalcy. Ton upon cubic ton of rubble still lies unmoved; bodies still remain buried inside pancaked buildings; disease, unrest, rape, and assault still plague the tent cities where ten or more people are shoved into tiny canvas rooms; but still there is some joy. Music, laughter, dance, a community profoundly bound by one impossible circumstance after another—spending time outside, together, playing soccer in the street, braiding hair, celebrating birthdays, hundreds of merchants singing together in the market…Haiti has not spent a year crying, but has spent a year living and the living is mostly hard.

It can, and will, get better with our continued support. Private sector donations are the only ones making it through in great numbers. There are more than 10,000 NGOs (Non-Government Organizations—charities and foundations) working in Haiti—some far more effectively than others. Surely there is one that inspires you to help. Think about some of these, or use them as a jumping off point for your own commitment to healing.

The organization with whom I volunteered, who gives 100% of funds to construction crews and materials for orphanages in Port-au-Prince and Jacmel, is Hearts With Haiti.

Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres has treated more than 358,000 people in Haiti, performed more than 16,570 surgeries, and delivered more than 15,100 babies since the earthquake.

In addition to work in many other nations, the Rainbow World Fund has represented the international LGBT community outstandingly, and since the earthquake, has provided ongoing funding of “victory gardens” in Haiti to help fight against poverty and malnutrition, and sent thousands of pounds of supplies to help earthquake survivors rebuild their lives.

US Aid is the nation’s response to international emergency zones, and their Help Haiti programs cover a wide range of efforts, from rebuilding to medicine to investing in infrastructure.

The Clinton Foundation Haiti Fund has raised millions to build a better Haiti.

J/P HRO (J/P Haitian Relief Organization) is the group headed by Sean Penn, cutting through the bureaucratic BS and getting help directly to the people.

Here is a great map, showing where a great many of the NGOs are based and the work they are doing throughout Haiti—click around and be inspired.

9 Jun

Elevate Haiti

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Inspiration, Opportunities, Vacation Ideas, volunteer. Tagged: , , , , .

OK–this one has gotten hold of my imagination and won’t let go. My friends at Elevate Destinations are facilitating volunteer vacation trips to help the rebuilding efforts in Haiti. This is a 15-day trip in August or late November/early December, to do construction work at Jacmel, a port town where 70% of the buildings were damaged in the January quake. You’ll be doing construction work at a free community school, building a computer lab and classrooms. Conditions are tough, work is in the heat of the sun, accommodations are on the floor or in tents (or for an additional cost, at local hotels/guest houses), and meals are basic (peanut butter, bread, fruit, beans and rice. Grocery stores and restaurants are nearby), and the difference you will make is HUGE.

For a while there was no way for lay volunteers to be effective in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, if anything we would have been in the way during emergency rescue and recovery work, but the time has come for rebuilding and working alongside Haitians to recover and heal communities—an effort that will take years. This project, a blister-your-hands, exhaust-your-body, enrich-your-world, fill-your-heart work trip committed to the children of Haiti, is a chance to truly immerse yourself in service. Anyone who has ever done construction work knows, at the end of the day, you can look back and see what you created that was not there in the morning. At the end of these two weeks, there will be facilities that will be used by, and enrich the lives of, generations to come—because of you.

I’m already looking at trying to make my schedule work…shall we meet there?

13 Jan

Help Haiti

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in One click helping, Support. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , .

Haiti was struck yesterday, around 5:00PM local time, by a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Details will be streaming in for some time, but the presumption is that along with the loss of many, if not most structures in capital Port-au-Prince, casualties will likely number in the thousands.

Haiti is ill-equipped to deal with such a tragedy (not that any nation is well-equipped). Weather is cruel to the island nation, and flooding and hurricanes are a disproportionately common occurrence; deforestation allows rainwater to flood down along with mudslides; political turmoil plagues the cities and villages; a lack of potable drinking water and viable food sources makes life and physical health a challenge; poverty is the rule, not the exception, with many Haitians living on less than $2 per day. Any country would need help from individuals and governments the day, days, weeks, months, and probably years after such a cataclysm…and Haiti needs it perhaps more than most.

Musician Wyclef Jean’s charity, Yele Haiti, has long been a favorite charity, helping the people of Haiti with education and outreach programs, and they are aligned now with earthquake relief and aid.The Yele Haiti website is overwhelmed (a good sign–so many want to help), but persevere. Alternatively, your favorite international disaster relief organization will also be reaching out and mobilizing, so a donation to the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies or similar, a dedicated donation earmarked for Haitian relief, truly will make a difference. Many cities are also accepting aid donations and will mobilize civilian and military and government workers and relief products/supplies. More opportunities to give will undoubtedly arise as today goes on.

Don’t wait–be part of the solution.

Here is a link to MSNBC’s current (and updated) list of organizations actively involved in reaching out to Haiti, so you can find a place to have a profound effect.