As we hide and hunt for Easter eggs, as we celebrate and pray, as we eat lots of food and chocolate and enjoy our time with family, let us not forget about those in need.
An update from Past District Governor, Rotarian Dick McCombe, on what's happening in Haiti.
Another Mini update
March 30 2010
I have been remiss in not updating all of you on the continued progress with our Haiti Relief effort. As I mentioned in the last update our mid term focus was going to be schools and to complete the consolidation of relief supplies on the way to Haiti and to help facilitate that exercise through our Charter from Nassau. This charter is leaving with 68 20’ Containers or equivalents on it FULL of Rotary supplied or coordinated Relief supplies.
Many Districts and Clubs have continued to send relief goods to be consolidated and shipped through our shipper in the US. Thanks to Larry Labadie and Phil Lustig this has gone well state side. There has been one disappointment with this exercise but I believe it has been resolved.
The ship was to have left 3 weeks ago, but due to the following it has been delayed and leaves next week. The first obstacle was that we needed to get approval from the Bahamian Government to transship the ship load of containers through the Bahamas. This was necessary because some of the containers (23) were being filled in Nassau from Relief Supplies sourced in and through Nassau which meant that they had to be off loaded here. This approval process took a bit over a week. When approval had been received it took an additional week for ACL to coordinate the container movement to Nassau. The approval unfortunately came after the ship was scheduled for another Humanitarian trip to Haiti that had delays in the offloading. What does that mean? We are running very late!!!!!
We have containers of medical supplies, tents, Xtra Large School tents, building materials for school desks and benches, ambulances, busses, trucks, hospital beds, awnings, beds and mats, clothing, some food and water items, prepackaged meals, and much much more.
When the containers arrive in Haiti they will be distributed to the selected communities that they have been packed for, by Chatelain Cargo, a fellow Haitian Rotarian so we are confident that that exercise will be swift. On arrival in the communities the Rotarians will erect the tents and begin to make space for the expanded population of students while local labour will assemble the desks and chairs and get paid for doing so. This should help with the kids in school and add some local employment.
At our Haiti Task Force meeting in Miami, we had asked the Rotary Clubs through the Assistant governors to submit their needs lists so we could allocate additional resources depending on the latest needs identified. Unfortunately we are still waiting for submissions from some Club Presidents, and have others that are requests for well beyond what our funding capabilities are. We are working through this but it is taking some time. Once we have all the information consolidated we will try to make it available to all clubs in Zones 33 and 34.
We are anxiously awaiting the final draft of the PDNA (Post Disaster National Assessment) and the scheduled review of the document by all parties. Unfortunately this information has also been hard to come by in any reliable form so we are standing by for the information and ready to move when we get it.
Finally, the rainy season has begun and the challenges in Haiti for Shelter and Health issues will only grow exponentially, so pray hard and hope what we do achieve will make a difference to those that need it most.
PDG Dick
Have a blessed and happy Easter.
Showing posts with label Haiti. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Haiti. Show all posts
Friday, April 2, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Haiti Update
Here is the lastest update on Haiti. This letter was written by Past Rotarian International Direstor, Barry Rassin.
Rotarians and Haiti Earthquake Relief
Rotary relief efforts for Haiti are now in preparation for the next phase, which is sustainable restoration projects to enable long-term rehabilitation to begin, schools to reopen, and adequate housing for the future. To date, Rotary has delivered more than 100 plane loads and numerous containers of medical supplies, food, water, toys, clothes, bedding and tents. Many volunteer doctors, surgeons and nurses have also been transported by Rotary. $50,000 in seed has been organized to catch the planting season in Haiti.
A freighter with about 60 20 and 40 foot containers is still being organized to be partially filled (about 10 filled in Florida along with a truck two ambulances and a bus) and shipped to Nassau, Bahamas where the balance of the containers will be filled. Most of these items have been donated but some of the specific needs have been purchased to ensure we are meeting the real needs of the population. This freighter has been leased and the containers purchased by Rotary so they can be left in Haiti for other uses. This will be the last of phase one for providing immediate relief items. During this process the cost to Rotary in the Bahamas has been more than US$320,000 with $540,000 already raised. The Rotary District 7020 (D7020) account for Haiti Relief has about US$400,000 which will be used for the sustainable efforts in the next phase. The value of “in-kind” donations raised by D7020 is estimated at US$2 million.
The D7020 Committee overseeing the Relief efforts is developing specific recommendations for the future efforts based on comments and requests from the Government of Haiti and the Rotarian Leaders in Haiti. The focus will be in three areas:
1. The children are considered a priority and they must get back to school. In addition to literacy, this ensures one meal a day and keeps them occupied. The 17 Haitian Rotary clubs are developing a plan for at least one school to be restored back to operating capabilities. They will include desks, supplies and other necessary items that will bring the school back into operation.
2. It is estimated that about 4,000 individuals have had amputations and require prosthetics. D7020 has appointed a committee to coordinate the efforts locally with the numerous organizations interested in helping to provide prosthetics. Currently the committee is reviewing a proposal from the Rotary Jaipur Limb Project, which will provide free limbs once we provide clinics/laboratories for them to be produced. The containers may be used for this purpose. We are looking at perhaps three clinics at $50,000 each. This will not only provide limbs but also jobs to help build the economy. Within these clinics there could be physical therapy and psychological therapy, etc. to aid in the healing process but we may just focus Rotary on the prosthetics.
3. With 1.2 million now homeless, living in tents or under various types of material and the rainy/hurricane season approaching, sustainable housing must be addressed. D7020 has appointed a committee to investigate various types of appropriate ways to provide shelter that can withstand hurricanes and earthquakes. A possibility is to provide Rotary Villages that have the entire infrastructure a village needs such as water, sanitation, a clinic, a school, a community center, job creation, etc.
Rotarians and Haiti Earthquake Relief
Rotary relief efforts for Haiti are now in preparation for the next phase, which is sustainable restoration projects to enable long-term rehabilitation to begin, schools to reopen, and adequate housing for the future. To date, Rotary has delivered more than 100 plane loads and numerous containers of medical supplies, food, water, toys, clothes, bedding and tents. Many volunteer doctors, surgeons and nurses have also been transported by Rotary. $50,000 in seed has been organized to catch the planting season in Haiti.
A freighter with about 60 20 and 40 foot containers is still being organized to be partially filled (about 10 filled in Florida along with a truck two ambulances and a bus) and shipped to Nassau, Bahamas where the balance of the containers will be filled. Most of these items have been donated but some of the specific needs have been purchased to ensure we are meeting the real needs of the population. This freighter has been leased and the containers purchased by Rotary so they can be left in Haiti for other uses. This will be the last of phase one for providing immediate relief items. During this process the cost to Rotary in the Bahamas has been more than US$320,000 with $540,000 already raised. The Rotary District 7020 (D7020) account for Haiti Relief has about US$400,000 which will be used for the sustainable efforts in the next phase. The value of “in-kind” donations raised by D7020 is estimated at US$2 million.
The D7020 Committee overseeing the Relief efforts is developing specific recommendations for the future efforts based on comments and requests from the Government of Haiti and the Rotarian Leaders in Haiti. The focus will be in three areas:
1. The children are considered a priority and they must get back to school. In addition to literacy, this ensures one meal a day and keeps them occupied. The 17 Haitian Rotary clubs are developing a plan for at least one school to be restored back to operating capabilities. They will include desks, supplies and other necessary items that will bring the school back into operation.
2. It is estimated that about 4,000 individuals have had amputations and require prosthetics. D7020 has appointed a committee to coordinate the efforts locally with the numerous organizations interested in helping to provide prosthetics. Currently the committee is reviewing a proposal from the Rotary Jaipur Limb Project, which will provide free limbs once we provide clinics/laboratories for them to be produced. The containers may be used for this purpose. We are looking at perhaps three clinics at $50,000 each. This will not only provide limbs but also jobs to help build the economy. Within these clinics there could be physical therapy and psychological therapy, etc. to aid in the healing process but we may just focus Rotary on the prosthetics.
3. With 1.2 million now homeless, living in tents or under various types of material and the rainy/hurricane season approaching, sustainable housing must be addressed. D7020 has appointed a committee to investigate various types of appropriate ways to provide shelter that can withstand hurricanes and earthquakes. A possibility is to provide Rotary Villages that have the entire infrastructure a village needs such as water, sanitation, a clinic, a school, a community center, job creation, etc.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Haiti Update
A letter from Rotary's Past District Governor, Dick McCombe.
Things have been quiet since our last communiqué, but I wanted to update you on a couple of points. We are continuing to address our priority for the mid term which is to provide relief in the youth and education areas. We have purchased 10 large heavy duty 30’ wide x 48’ long x 16’ high Tents for additional classroom space in 10 communities. Additionally we are providing sufficient material to build 900 desks and Chairs to be constructed in Haiti by the refugee community in a number of regions giving them jobs for the short term. Additionally we are trying to get cash contributions to assist with the school fees for the many children that have been orphaned or displaced and whose parents are not in position to pay the fees. This is necessary as in almost all instances the school fees includes at least one meal which may be the one meal a day the student gets.
Your continued compassion and support is necessary and as always cash allows us to make the best contribution possible at the time the needs are identified. We have also agreed to fund $50,000 towards the Seed Program run by one of the Clusters overseen by the United Nations. I will keep you posted on that, as it seems to have a few levels of bureaucracy that we are not familiar with.
We continue to work with the Post Disaster National Assessment Committee and hope that the outcome of this committees work gives us some guidance going forward.
That’s it for now.
PDG Dick
Richard McCombeDistrict 7020
Things have been quiet since our last communiqué, but I wanted to update you on a couple of points. We are continuing to address our priority for the mid term which is to provide relief in the youth and education areas. We have purchased 10 large heavy duty 30’ wide x 48’ long x 16’ high Tents for additional classroom space in 10 communities. Additionally we are providing sufficient material to build 900 desks and Chairs to be constructed in Haiti by the refugee community in a number of regions giving them jobs for the short term. Additionally we are trying to get cash contributions to assist with the school fees for the many children that have been orphaned or displaced and whose parents are not in position to pay the fees. This is necessary as in almost all instances the school fees includes at least one meal which may be the one meal a day the student gets.
Your continued compassion and support is necessary and as always cash allows us to make the best contribution possible at the time the needs are identified. We have also agreed to fund $50,000 towards the Seed Program run by one of the Clusters overseen by the United Nations. I will keep you posted on that, as it seems to have a few levels of bureaucracy that we are not familiar with.
We continue to work with the Post Disaster National Assessment Committee and hope that the outcome of this committees work gives us some guidance going forward.
That’s it for now.
PDG Dick
Richard McCombeDistrict 7020
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Haiti Update
A letter from Past District Governor Dick McCombe on Rotary's continuing good efforts in Haiti.
At District 7020’s Leadership Training in Miami last weekend we had the opportunity to meet with most of the members of the Haiti Task Force at once. What a great opportunity to share our thoughts and experiences through all this.
The purpose of the meeting was as follows:
To understand the most current critical needs that our Haiti Ground Team feels we must focus on medium term while agreeing to commit to a long term sustainable solution for the country to be decided after the PDNA (Post Disaster National Assessment) is completed.
We went around the table and got everyone’s input as to what we needed to do next, and how we should approach the future needs of the country. The response was amazingly consistent. In the short term we need to address the overpopulation of the schools in the various regions and do what we can to get as many of the children as possible back to school. That will involve a number of things depending on the particular region, but classroom shelters by way of tents or other structures, desks, benches, materials for those items, meals and tuition fees are at the top of the list.
We have asked each Club President through the Assistant Governor to identify one school in each Rotary Community that needs our assistance and to provide us with an exact list of what we can provide for each school to meet our objective of providing a place for schooling and social activity for the refugee children. It was also suggested that the displaced senior students and university students be used as tutors in the school system to make up for the extra students and limited additional teachers.
This will be completed by week’s end and we will evaluate based on the magnitude of the requests, and decide what we can do. We urgently need 20’ through 60’ tents for this purpose and hope you can all call someone to who might have access to one or two. They do not have to be new or any exact shape or size. Please put the word out.
We have agreed that our response for the long term sustainable recovery will depend on the competition of the PDNA and the recommendations that come from the United Nations review of that document with the international rebuilding partners. We have agreed to put forward Haitian Rotarian Kyss Jean-Mary as our representative on the PDNA committee in Port au Prince. I will send a letter confirming that to the Prime Minister of Haiti later today.
Barry Rassin will be assisting with the Rotary presence at the United Nations when the recommendations are reviewed at that level.
We asked each assistant Governor to provide us with a synopsis of their respective clubs health and to report back to me by week’s end.
Barry is following up on our proposed $50,000 contribution for seeds through the UN Agricultural Cluster. I am getting information to clarify the routing of the funds.
ROTAH, Regroupement Oeuvrant a Travers des Actions Humanitaires en Haiti will have its NGO finalized this week and will be used as our primary consignee for the relief aid we send to Haiti.
We discussed many options and possible directions for Rotary to go in the rebuilding plan and were quoted a Haitian saying which I want to share with you all.
A dog has 4 paws, but can only go one place at a time.
PDG Richard McCombeDistrict 7020
At District 7020’s Leadership Training in Miami last weekend we had the opportunity to meet with most of the members of the Haiti Task Force at once. What a great opportunity to share our thoughts and experiences through all this.
The purpose of the meeting was as follows:
To understand the most current critical needs that our Haiti Ground Team feels we must focus on medium term while agreeing to commit to a long term sustainable solution for the country to be decided after the PDNA (Post Disaster National Assessment) is completed.
We went around the table and got everyone’s input as to what we needed to do next, and how we should approach the future needs of the country. The response was amazingly consistent. In the short term we need to address the overpopulation of the schools in the various regions and do what we can to get as many of the children as possible back to school. That will involve a number of things depending on the particular region, but classroom shelters by way of tents or other structures, desks, benches, materials for those items, meals and tuition fees are at the top of the list.
We have asked each Club President through the Assistant Governor to identify one school in each Rotary Community that needs our assistance and to provide us with an exact list of what we can provide for each school to meet our objective of providing a place for schooling and social activity for the refugee children. It was also suggested that the displaced senior students and university students be used as tutors in the school system to make up for the extra students and limited additional teachers.
This will be completed by week’s end and we will evaluate based on the magnitude of the requests, and decide what we can do. We urgently need 20’ through 60’ tents for this purpose and hope you can all call someone to who might have access to one or two. They do not have to be new or any exact shape or size. Please put the word out.
We have agreed that our response for the long term sustainable recovery will depend on the competition of the PDNA and the recommendations that come from the United Nations review of that document with the international rebuilding partners. We have agreed to put forward Haitian Rotarian Kyss Jean-Mary as our representative on the PDNA committee in Port au Prince. I will send a letter confirming that to the Prime Minister of Haiti later today.
Barry Rassin will be assisting with the Rotary presence at the United Nations when the recommendations are reviewed at that level.
We asked each assistant Governor to provide us with a synopsis of their respective clubs health and to report back to me by week’s end.
Barry is following up on our proposed $50,000 contribution for seeds through the UN Agricultural Cluster. I am getting information to clarify the routing of the funds.
ROTAH, Regroupement Oeuvrant a Travers des Actions Humanitaires en Haiti will have its NGO finalized this week and will be used as our primary consignee for the relief aid we send to Haiti.
We discussed many options and possible directions for Rotary to go in the rebuilding plan and were quoted a Haitian saying which I want to share with you all.
A dog has 4 paws, but can only go one place at a time.
PDG Richard McCombeDistrict 7020
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Haiti Update
Mini Update February 25th (From Past District Governor Dick McCombe.)
Just a quick update covering my trip Tuesday to Haiti and the meeting with Rotary International President John Kenny, with the temporary head of the civilian side of the United Nations, and the head of the Red Cross. The trip there and back with Captain Paul Luehrsen in his Mooney aircraft was wonderful. It was just the two of us in a small but comfortable plane and a good time to talk to a very well informed and intelligent person to test our theories of the recovery. (about 8 hours round trip with an additional 5 on the ground), and Thanks Paul. All meetings were very successful and informative and the trip was worth every minute.
Our meeting with President John Kenny was to bring him up to speed with the recovery efforts so far and to give him some idea of what was needed in the future.
We must now bridge the gap between the acute relief stage, and the recovery stage. As UNDP Ms. KIM Bolduc, Regional Representative for the United Nations stated at our meeting, “we cannot fail at this or Haiti will never be fixed”.
The Challenge is that this period requires solutions which might only provide temporary relief and will make the lives of individuals a little better, but must also be consistent with the long term sustainable recovery plan recommendations derived from the Post Disaster National Assessment and ratified at the United Nations. We would recommend the following priorities be established, for the near term by Rotary International.
Food
· Seeds (landed next 2 to 3 weeks only due to planting season)
· Beans
· Rice
· Vegetable oil
Shelter
· Large Tents
o 30’ X 30” through 60’ X 60’ for classrooms, recreation areas, community centers, therapy shelter etc.
o Semi permanent shelter buildings for families
· Awnings to create / build shelters
o 10” X 10’ and up to 30’ X 30’
· Tents
o Straight sides 6’ X 8’ to 10’ X 12’
Money
· Funds to allow us to get exactly what’s needed when we need it and where we need to get it from (to buy local or support local production whenever possible)
o Medical supplies and equipment
o Educational supplies and classroom needs
o All other random requests which meet the urgent priorities identified at the time
Medical supplies and support
· Medical supplies and equipment as specifically requested by specific location
· Physical Therapy equipment and resources to be specified
· Prosthetics
o Continued guidance and support by Jaipur with serious consideration of the Mobile units I have recommended
Agricultural and Industrial development support
o Tools and supplies for agricultural production
o Lists to be specified
o Equipment and supplies for light industry start ups
o To be specified by defined need
I appreciate the need to provide everyone a list of very specific items so we can focus on only them in the short term but given the varied needs and the varied regions, this is not as straight forward as it might seem. The priorities are changing as the elements of a sustainable future are studied and tested against the master plan being developed. I am confident that we will have a clearer picture of the long term needs in the near future and at that time I hope that we can re-inspire those who can help to “step up” again to help us achieve a long term sustainable healthy future for the country of Haiti.
We are meeting in Miami this weekend during the District Leadership Training with many of the key “On The Ground” players and the District Leadership. I hope to share more information with you shortly.
Richard McCombeDistrict 7020
Just a quick update covering my trip Tuesday to Haiti and the meeting with Rotary International President John Kenny, with the temporary head of the civilian side of the United Nations, and the head of the Red Cross. The trip there and back with Captain Paul Luehrsen in his Mooney aircraft was wonderful. It was just the two of us in a small but comfortable plane and a good time to talk to a very well informed and intelligent person to test our theories of the recovery. (about 8 hours round trip with an additional 5 on the ground), and Thanks Paul. All meetings were very successful and informative and the trip was worth every minute.
Our meeting with President John Kenny was to bring him up to speed with the recovery efforts so far and to give him some idea of what was needed in the future.
We must now bridge the gap between the acute relief stage, and the recovery stage. As UNDP Ms. KIM Bolduc, Regional Representative for the United Nations stated at our meeting, “we cannot fail at this or Haiti will never be fixed”.
The Challenge is that this period requires solutions which might only provide temporary relief and will make the lives of individuals a little better, but must also be consistent with the long term sustainable recovery plan recommendations derived from the Post Disaster National Assessment and ratified at the United Nations. We would recommend the following priorities be established, for the near term by Rotary International.
Food
· Seeds (landed next 2 to 3 weeks only due to planting season)
· Beans
· Rice
· Vegetable oil
Shelter
· Large Tents
o 30’ X 30” through 60’ X 60’ for classrooms, recreation areas, community centers, therapy shelter etc.
o Semi permanent shelter buildings for families
· Awnings to create / build shelters
o 10” X 10’ and up to 30’ X 30’
· Tents
o Straight sides 6’ X 8’ to 10’ X 12’
Money
· Funds to allow us to get exactly what’s needed when we need it and where we need to get it from (to buy local or support local production whenever possible)
o Medical supplies and equipment
o Educational supplies and classroom needs
o All other random requests which meet the urgent priorities identified at the time
Medical supplies and support
· Medical supplies and equipment as specifically requested by specific location
· Physical Therapy equipment and resources to be specified
· Prosthetics
o Continued guidance and support by Jaipur with serious consideration of the Mobile units I have recommended
Agricultural and Industrial development support
o Tools and supplies for agricultural production
o Lists to be specified
o Equipment and supplies for light industry start ups
o To be specified by defined need
I appreciate the need to provide everyone a list of very specific items so we can focus on only them in the short term but given the varied needs and the varied regions, this is not as straight forward as it might seem. The priorities are changing as the elements of a sustainable future are studied and tested against the master plan being developed. I am confident that we will have a clearer picture of the long term needs in the near future and at that time I hope that we can re-inspire those who can help to “step up” again to help us achieve a long term sustainable healthy future for the country of Haiti.
We are meeting in Miami this weekend during the District Leadership Training with many of the key “On The Ground” players and the District Leadership. I hope to share more information with you shortly.
Richard McCombeDistrict 7020
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Haiti Update - Part Three
Meeting with the Prime Minister
The meeting with the Prime Minister went very well. There were a number of issues we needed to discuss with him, and we also needed to hear from him, what he saw as priorities and issues as they pertained to the future of Haiti. Both these objectives were met. I will not cove rall the points, but summerize the most important ones.
We wanted to better understand the planning process for the medium and long term recovery efforts for the Country and the priorities that the Government of Haiti saw. There has been a Post Disaster National Assessment Committee (PDNA) put together to formulize a plan scheduled for local review in mid March and for presentation to the United Nations at the end of March. As of our meeting, the Prime Minister agreed to give Rotary a seat on that Committee and we will be involved in the development and production of the plan as a result. Barry Rassin will assist us with Rotary Internationals presence at the UN presentation to be sure we stay connected with the process at that level as well.
This is probably the single most important advancement we have made in identifying our role as we move forward. We are going to be a part of the planning process from the beginning and as such will be knowledgeable of all the elements and understand the full scope of the recovery initiative. This coupled with the Rotary Clubs in Haiti being in the communities will give us a very clear understanding of our role in whatever sustainable initiative we decide to undertake.
We discussed the idsue of Customs and the challenges we have faced and possibly may face as we continue our medium term relief efforts. We are assured that we could get a letter that would make clear our customs privilege and any other issue that may develop at any port of entry we chose to use. This was a great and necessary assurance.
We discussed the status of our NGO, (ROTAH) Regroupement Oeuvrant a Travers des Actions Humanitaires en Haiti. We have been given assurance that this would be approved very expeditiously and we would have temporary approval by next week.
We discuss the issue of trying to get supplies to La Gonave and the challenges therein. I had recommended that we have approval to ship directly by sea to La Gonave by sea. The Prime Minister said he would look into the possibility of that as a regular port of entry, but assured us that we could under special request do so. This will help the Island Community a lot.
We also discussed the overall response to the Disaster and the furure of Haiti. There are many VERY difficult decisions to be made and actions to be taken. At the forefront of all of them is the understanding by all involved that this may well be the only time that an effective calculated plan for a sustainable recovery may be possible, and we must do it right. The pressure to do it soon is also critical as the patience of the population is already being tested. They need to see and hear the plan and then immediately initiatives that indicate that it is a reality and not rhetoric.
We discussed the need for a quick switch in our recovery efforts from relief to sustainable initiatives. Don't continue to send drinking water when the local water production plant can produce the water. Support the local production plant by buying water from them to distribute. Don't send rice that can be produced in the Artibonite region, help them get back into full production and then help by buying some of it for the needy.
In the very short term, food, shelter for individuals and for schools, School, scholarships, water and specific medical supplies is still the priority but this should only be for the short period unless there is a very specific need identified.
I hope this update helps. On these trips, Captain Paul has taken photographs for us. He is downloading the latest one for me on a drive today, and Barry will take this and put a Photo presentation together for us all.
I am going back to Port au Prince Tuesday. Rotary International President John Kenny will be there and is wanting to discuss the relief efforts to date in Haiti and to meet with a number of NGO's. He is coming in from the DR as he is actually visiting that District. I think its important he is informed of our efforts and understands the direction we are taking.
A quick Thank You to Captain Paul Aranah for supporting us through all this and arranging flights and sponsorships. Thanks to again Barry for his unwavering support for anything this district does and for being there when we need him EVERY time. Thanks to Claude for his exceptional Leadership and support during what must be the most challenging period of his life, Thanks to all our Rotarians in Haiti who make our efforts so rewarding, and thanks to all of you for your continued interest and support.
I'll keep you posted
PDG Dick
The meeting with the Prime Minister went very well. There were a number of issues we needed to discuss with him, and we also needed to hear from him, what he saw as priorities and issues as they pertained to the future of Haiti. Both these objectives were met. I will not cove rall the points, but summerize the most important ones.
We wanted to better understand the planning process for the medium and long term recovery efforts for the Country and the priorities that the Government of Haiti saw. There has been a Post Disaster National Assessment Committee (PDNA) put together to formulize a plan scheduled for local review in mid March and for presentation to the United Nations at the end of March. As of our meeting, the Prime Minister agreed to give Rotary a seat on that Committee and we will be involved in the development and production of the plan as a result. Barry Rassin will assist us with Rotary Internationals presence at the UN presentation to be sure we stay connected with the process at that level as well.
This is probably the single most important advancement we have made in identifying our role as we move forward. We are going to be a part of the planning process from the beginning and as such will be knowledgeable of all the elements and understand the full scope of the recovery initiative. This coupled with the Rotary Clubs in Haiti being in the communities will give us a very clear understanding of our role in whatever sustainable initiative we decide to undertake.
We discussed the idsue of Customs and the challenges we have faced and possibly may face as we continue our medium term relief efforts. We are assured that we could get a letter that would make clear our customs privilege and any other issue that may develop at any port of entry we chose to use. This was a great and necessary assurance.
We discussed the status of our NGO, (ROTAH) Regroupement Oeuvrant a Travers des Actions Humanitaires en Haiti. We have been given assurance that this would be approved very expeditiously and we would have temporary approval by next week.
We discuss the issue of trying to get supplies to La Gonave and the challenges therein. I had recommended that we have approval to ship directly by sea to La Gonave by sea. The Prime Minister said he would look into the possibility of that as a regular port of entry, but assured us that we could under special request do so. This will help the Island Community a lot.
We also discussed the overall response to the Disaster and the furure of Haiti. There are many VERY difficult decisions to be made and actions to be taken. At the forefront of all of them is the understanding by all involved that this may well be the only time that an effective calculated plan for a sustainable recovery may be possible, and we must do it right. The pressure to do it soon is also critical as the patience of the population is already being tested. They need to see and hear the plan and then immediately initiatives that indicate that it is a reality and not rhetoric.
We discussed the need for a quick switch in our recovery efforts from relief to sustainable initiatives. Don't continue to send drinking water when the local water production plant can produce the water. Support the local production plant by buying water from them to distribute. Don't send rice that can be produced in the Artibonite region, help them get back into full production and then help by buying some of it for the needy.
In the very short term, food, shelter for individuals and for schools, School, scholarships, water and specific medical supplies is still the priority but this should only be for the short period unless there is a very specific need identified.
I hope this update helps. On these trips, Captain Paul has taken photographs for us. He is downloading the latest one for me on a drive today, and Barry will take this and put a Photo presentation together for us all.
I am going back to Port au Prince Tuesday. Rotary International President John Kenny will be there and is wanting to discuss the relief efforts to date in Haiti and to meet with a number of NGO's. He is coming in from the DR as he is actually visiting that District. I think its important he is informed of our efforts and understands the direction we are taking.
A quick Thank You to Captain Paul Aranah for supporting us through all this and arranging flights and sponsorships. Thanks to again Barry for his unwavering support for anything this district does and for being there when we need him EVERY time. Thanks to Claude for his exceptional Leadership and support during what must be the most challenging period of his life, Thanks to all our Rotarians in Haiti who make our efforts so rewarding, and thanks to all of you for your continued interest and support.
I'll keep you posted
PDG Dick
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Haiti Update - Part Two
The painful reality of the tour
After the distribution site we toured Port au Prince and Petion-Ville. I can only tell you that I felt my expectation of what I would see was based on my experience in Haiti and a very informed understanding of what the infrastructure was pre earthquake and how desperate the situation was pre earthquake. I must tell you that I was shocked beyond words at the destruction and magnitude of the disaster. While I expected to see thousands of crumbled buildings and the devastation I had no idea it could be so bad.
As we drove block after block, we saw either all, or every couple of buildings imploded. It pained me to know that in most of them there could have been anywhere from 1 to 50 or 60 dead people still in the rubble never to be found, claimed or even buried. Besides the imploded buildings, fallen walls, cracked and broken structures, the entire infrastructure was also laying on the ground pushed to the side. Things like powerlines, phone lines and water lines. This was amplified by the sewerage and water running down the streets carrying the garbage and loose possessions.
Anywhere that there was a clear spot, tent cities had popped up. There were 100's of them made up of 10's of thousands of tents and home made shelters, randomly placed and very tightly packed together. Tents of all descriptions made up the camps. Many UN or international agency tents that were identifiable by the orderly fashion they were placed but it was clear they were soon crowded out by tents made from everything one could imagine around them. Some tents were framed from reused rebar from a crumbled buildings and wrapped in cardboard and remnants of clothes found after the earthquake. Others were framed from sticks and covered with pieces of material rescued from the streets after the earthquake. Interestingly enough on our tour we saw very few shelterboxes. I saw a couple of them on the side of a street where they acted as the safe home for a displaced family from a home that still stood but was cracked and the residence were afraid to move back into it. I guess the lack of sightings could be because of the lack of on the ground Rotary involvement, and maybe they were in locations unknown to the local Rotary clubs. To bad!!
As a quick perspective I was told the following. 15% of the country is now homeless, additionally 10% are displaced. I was also told that they have estimated that if they take 1000 loads of rubble per day from the streets, it will take a full 2 years to remove all the destruction. I saw it and believe it, but can not comprehend what that means to those trying to chart the way forward for this desperate country.
We passed by the water commission where they were training some staff on the needs for the latrines and the message they needed to share with the Tent City residents pertaining to drinking water, sanitation and latrine use. If you can imagine, the latrines should ideally be distributed to a ratio of 1 per 50 shelter residents. They are currently about 1 per 2000+. I will leave your imagination to figure out the rest. The water commission is responsible for the delivery of clean drinking water to the camps. It is also charged with the deliver and maintenance of the latrines for those camps. They are really, like everybody else in Haiti being pushed to the limit, but they are doing an amazing job. They have an additional 4000 latrines coming but need another 10,000. Something to think about.
The water commission is also distributing the Water Survival Boxes from Rotary in the UK. They are the most qualified and informed team in Haiti to deliver these and are doing so on behalf of our Haiti Rotary Team. They know where the camps are and what the needs are in each camp so we feel they are the best distribution system we can use.
Part Three tomorrow.
After the distribution site we toured Port au Prince and Petion-Ville. I can only tell you that I felt my expectation of what I would see was based on my experience in Haiti and a very informed understanding of what the infrastructure was pre earthquake and how desperate the situation was pre earthquake. I must tell you that I was shocked beyond words at the destruction and magnitude of the disaster. While I expected to see thousands of crumbled buildings and the devastation I had no idea it could be so bad.
As we drove block after block, we saw either all, or every couple of buildings imploded. It pained me to know that in most of them there could have been anywhere from 1 to 50 or 60 dead people still in the rubble never to be found, claimed or even buried. Besides the imploded buildings, fallen walls, cracked and broken structures, the entire infrastructure was also laying on the ground pushed to the side. Things like powerlines, phone lines and water lines. This was amplified by the sewerage and water running down the streets carrying the garbage and loose possessions.
Anywhere that there was a clear spot, tent cities had popped up. There were 100's of them made up of 10's of thousands of tents and home made shelters, randomly placed and very tightly packed together. Tents of all descriptions made up the camps. Many UN or international agency tents that were identifiable by the orderly fashion they were placed but it was clear they were soon crowded out by tents made from everything one could imagine around them. Some tents were framed from reused rebar from a crumbled buildings and wrapped in cardboard and remnants of clothes found after the earthquake. Others were framed from sticks and covered with pieces of material rescued from the streets after the earthquake. Interestingly enough on our tour we saw very few shelterboxes. I saw a couple of them on the side of a street where they acted as the safe home for a displaced family from a home that still stood but was cracked and the residence were afraid to move back into it. I guess the lack of sightings could be because of the lack of on the ground Rotary involvement, and maybe they were in locations unknown to the local Rotary clubs. To bad!!
As a quick perspective I was told the following. 15% of the country is now homeless, additionally 10% are displaced. I was also told that they have estimated that if they take 1000 loads of rubble per day from the streets, it will take a full 2 years to remove all the destruction. I saw it and believe it, but can not comprehend what that means to those trying to chart the way forward for this desperate country.
We passed by the water commission where they were training some staff on the needs for the latrines and the message they needed to share with the Tent City residents pertaining to drinking water, sanitation and latrine use. If you can imagine, the latrines should ideally be distributed to a ratio of 1 per 50 shelter residents. They are currently about 1 per 2000+. I will leave your imagination to figure out the rest. The water commission is responsible for the delivery of clean drinking water to the camps. It is also charged with the deliver and maintenance of the latrines for those camps. They are really, like everybody else in Haiti being pushed to the limit, but they are doing an amazing job. They have an additional 4000 latrines coming but need another 10,000. Something to think about.
The water commission is also distributing the Water Survival Boxes from Rotary in the UK. They are the most qualified and informed team in Haiti to deliver these and are doing so on behalf of our Haiti Rotary Team. They know where the camps are and what the needs are in each camp so we feel they are the best distribution system we can use.
Part Three tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Haiti Update - Part One
Here is the latest update from Rotarian Past District Governor Dick McCombe, sent to me by my sister Rotarian Erva Denham of Rotary Club Saint-Thomas II. It is long and will be in three parts. As always, I hope you will take the time to read these eye-witness accounts of what is happening in Haiti, the progress being made, and the horrendous amount of work that still needs to be done. The rebuilding of Haiti will take a long, long time.
A bitter sweet day in 3 parts
Warehousing and supplies
We had a very exciting and productive day yesterday in Port au Prince. Although it was painfully real it also gave me a better sense of our direction going forward and a comfort that we were in Sync with the Rotarians in Haiti and the Government of Haiti.
I had arranged a meeting with the Prime Minister of Haiti to discuss numerous issues but mainly to understand if Rotary, and specifically our District 7020 was approaching our relief and recovery initiatives with the right priorities in the mind of the Haitien Government. I asked PRID Barry to go with me for wisdom and support and The Haitien Ambassador to the Bahamas as he has been very helpful and supportive to us.
Once again Odyssey, and Saga Boy Holdings provided the Caravan and their team of Captians, Paul Aranah and Paul Pyfrom took command of getting us to Port au Prince and back. We were wheels up at 5:00 AM and landed back in Nassau shortly before 7:00 PM, with on the ground time of approximately 6 hours.
As usual the Haiti on the ground team was extraordinary. Claude and his team met us at the airport and took us across the road to their warehousing centre. That in itself was an instant education. They are working from a yard and a couple of 40' containers as their distribution point. The reason the distribution had been stopped a couple of days back was because the perimeter wall had fallen down and all the people from the shelter camps that surround the area could not be controlled. The wall has since been rebuilt and they were distributing supplies when we arrived.
The two containers of supplies from St. Maarten have arrived and been distributed along with on additional one from the US, There are two there right now from the DR District 4060 which have been mostly emptied. They message is clear. We need to get them some containers. We have a vessel planned leaving Nassau the second week in March. It can carry 60 20' containers. We had planned to buy 20 or so containers and send them down full and to leave them. The balance of supplies we would palletize into containers and unload when we arrived in haiti. That will not do. I believe our objective now must be to buy all the containers on the ship and leave them all there. Containers are available in the United States from Omega Container Services for $1,375 for a 20' and a couple of hundred more for a 40'. Please see if your club , or corporate sponsor or someone can help with the funding for these additional containers.
Part Two tomorrow
A bitter sweet day in 3 parts
Warehousing and supplies
We had a very exciting and productive day yesterday in Port au Prince. Although it was painfully real it also gave me a better sense of our direction going forward and a comfort that we were in Sync with the Rotarians in Haiti and the Government of Haiti.
I had arranged a meeting with the Prime Minister of Haiti to discuss numerous issues but mainly to understand if Rotary, and specifically our District 7020 was approaching our relief and recovery initiatives with the right priorities in the mind of the Haitien Government. I asked PRID Barry to go with me for wisdom and support and The Haitien Ambassador to the Bahamas as he has been very helpful and supportive to us.
Once again Odyssey, and Saga Boy Holdings provided the Caravan and their team of Captians, Paul Aranah and Paul Pyfrom took command of getting us to Port au Prince and back. We were wheels up at 5:00 AM and landed back in Nassau shortly before 7:00 PM, with on the ground time of approximately 6 hours.
As usual the Haiti on the ground team was extraordinary. Claude and his team met us at the airport and took us across the road to their warehousing centre. That in itself was an instant education. They are working from a yard and a couple of 40' containers as their distribution point. The reason the distribution had been stopped a couple of days back was because the perimeter wall had fallen down and all the people from the shelter camps that surround the area could not be controlled. The wall has since been rebuilt and they were distributing supplies when we arrived.
The two containers of supplies from St. Maarten have arrived and been distributed along with on additional one from the US, There are two there right now from the DR District 4060 which have been mostly emptied. They message is clear. We need to get them some containers. We have a vessel planned leaving Nassau the second week in March. It can carry 60 20' containers. We had planned to buy 20 or so containers and send them down full and to leave them. The balance of supplies we would palletize into containers and unload when we arrived in haiti. That will not do. I believe our objective now must be to buy all the containers on the ship and leave them all there. Containers are available in the United States from Omega Container Services for $1,375 for a 20' and a couple of hundred more for a 40'. Please see if your club , or corporate sponsor or someone can help with the funding for these additional containers.
Part Two tomorrow
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Haiti Update
Here is a letter from Rotarian Dick McComb, Past District Governor, from February 7th, regarding the situation in Haiti. As long as my sister, Rotarian Erva Denham, passes them on to me, I will pass them on to you. These letters are small inside glimpses into what is happening, into what is needed and wanted. This letter is long. Bless each of you who takes a moment to read it.
Dear all,
I have just concluded our assessment of the situation in Haiti, and have just finished making a number of lengthy calls with the team on the ground in Haiti. Based on this I wanted to share with you the situation as I understand it today.
The position we took last week in which we said to hold off on further deliveries of medical supplies not already in route was the correct one. Currently in the Port au Prince area there is no shortage of these medical supplies. In fact the challenge is now the sorting and the distribution of these items. This is at a critical stage because of the volume of random medical inventory received and specific needs that may currently be outstanding. As far as medical supplies are concerned the advice from the team is "do not send anything else unless it is specific in terms of the location and the product". We need to be sure we coordinate this so we do not duplicate the supply chain and add to the problem.
There are a number of private Hospitals in the rural areas that are in need of some specific things, but there are also others that have an excess of supplies. We are in the process of balancing this as best we can now. After that specific orders will be processed as they come in. I am told that most of the Government Hospitals are getting the supplies they need with the exception of a few specifics which we are trying to address on their behalf through the Rotary Leadership in that area. That seems to be more equipment related than medical supplies.
The food and shelter needs are still very high on the priority list. The challenge we have on the ground now is the storage and distribution logistics of the food and shelter items. In Port au Prince in particular there are numerous International Organizations that are distributing food in the quake region. For the most part their capabilities for this are better than ours so most of those efforts should be left to them. Our Rotarians on the ground are doing some food and shelter distribution as well from the supplies Rotary has sent. It is important that they continue to do this and that we continue to supply them. Not only is it helping the most needy, but it seems to be providing our Rotarians a purpose on the ground in their respective communities. Keeping the Rotarian alive in spirit is essential at this difficult time and it must be rewarding for our Rotarians to be able to help their neighbours and their communities through this. I will try to get further specifics to you on what we should continue to supply, but bulk rice, beans, flour, proteins, vegetable oil etc and Tents are a safe bet for now.
There are in excess of 10,000 Shelter Boxes in Haiti and most of them set up or in the process of being set up. The distribution is being done through a number of international organizations. Rotary has had an allocation of them for the use of Rotarians and their families in need. As of today there are about 45 in our possession still not distributed but they will be sent out in the next couple of days.
There has been a great response with Water Boxes, Purification Systems and water supply. In many instances these resources have been sent directly to Rotary in Haiti for distribution. In my discussions with the team on the ground it appears that the distribution of these assets would be best handled by the Haiti Water Commission and the selected agency it is working with for the distribution. They are better equipped to know where the camps are set and what the needs are. They also know what supplies are available to each of them from the organizations currently on the ground. My advice to Claude was to help train the group doing the distribution on the use of the equipment before they deliver these units to families and groups. And then assist by providing the assets to them for distribution.
The rural situation remains the same. The need is for shelter, food, school supplies and the support for secondary medical, education etc. The bulk food supply is still available in most areas in the country. Our best help there is to fund the purchase of the basics while it lasts. This is what we have been doing and will continue although this can be very expensive and a little more difficult to manage.
I am expecting a specific request from our leaders for their regions that will identify the exact number of Schools, families and students we are talking about. The consensus is the rural areas have each grown by in excess of 20% since the earthquake.
The response to this has varied from funding bulk shelter and feeding camps, providing international NGO's that provide food and shelter with bulk food, to each Rotary family committing to look after a specific number of displaced families.
There is the potential for hoarding and other issues with this, but we are taking all precautions practical and possible at this time. Long term we will need to be better at this if we want to continue with it.
The long term response to this disaster is going to be an enormous drain on our human and financial resources for some time to come. I believe that we should begin discussing our role in the long term recovery and rebuild effort right away. I think our response going forward should be more and more in line with what we ultimately identify as our long term sustainable strategy. To do this we will need to get a sense very soon of where we are going to fit in the grand scheme of things in Haiti. Will it be an emphasis area, will it be communities, will it be in the planning? Who knows!
I have approached a well respected international investor and business man who has developed a sustainable settlement tradition in The Bahamas. He has a concept and some ideas that I believe could well be at the core of our response to the future development of Haiti. His concept addresses the creation of a sustainable settlement that takes into account social, financial, cultural, health, and environmental elements. I believe this is an opportunity that needs to be explored as a possible Rotary solution in its long term response. I will keep you posted on the progress of this idea when I hear back from those I have sent it to.
There are some immediate needs that will come up that we must still fulfill but we must also begin to recognize that response must move from the immediate to the medium and long term.
PDG Dick
Dear all,
I have just concluded our assessment of the situation in Haiti, and have just finished making a number of lengthy calls with the team on the ground in Haiti. Based on this I wanted to share with you the situation as I understand it today.
The position we took last week in which we said to hold off on further deliveries of medical supplies not already in route was the correct one. Currently in the Port au Prince area there is no shortage of these medical supplies. In fact the challenge is now the sorting and the distribution of these items. This is at a critical stage because of the volume of random medical inventory received and specific needs that may currently be outstanding. As far as medical supplies are concerned the advice from the team is "do not send anything else unless it is specific in terms of the location and the product". We need to be sure we coordinate this so we do not duplicate the supply chain and add to the problem.
There are a number of private Hospitals in the rural areas that are in need of some specific things, but there are also others that have an excess of supplies. We are in the process of balancing this as best we can now. After that specific orders will be processed as they come in. I am told that most of the Government Hospitals are getting the supplies they need with the exception of a few specifics which we are trying to address on their behalf through the Rotary Leadership in that area. That seems to be more equipment related than medical supplies.
The food and shelter needs are still very high on the priority list. The challenge we have on the ground now is the storage and distribution logistics of the food and shelter items. In Port au Prince in particular there are numerous International Organizations that are distributing food in the quake region. For the most part their capabilities for this are better than ours so most of those efforts should be left to them. Our Rotarians on the ground are doing some food and shelter distribution as well from the supplies Rotary has sent. It is important that they continue to do this and that we continue to supply them. Not only is it helping the most needy, but it seems to be providing our Rotarians a purpose on the ground in their respective communities. Keeping the Rotarian alive in spirit is essential at this difficult time and it must be rewarding for our Rotarians to be able to help their neighbours and their communities through this. I will try to get further specifics to you on what we should continue to supply, but bulk rice, beans, flour, proteins, vegetable oil etc and Tents are a safe bet for now.
There are in excess of 10,000 Shelter Boxes in Haiti and most of them set up or in the process of being set up. The distribution is being done through a number of international organizations. Rotary has had an allocation of them for the use of Rotarians and their families in need. As of today there are about 45 in our possession still not distributed but they will be sent out in the next couple of days.
There has been a great response with Water Boxes, Purification Systems and water supply. In many instances these resources have been sent directly to Rotary in Haiti for distribution. In my discussions with the team on the ground it appears that the distribution of these assets would be best handled by the Haiti Water Commission and the selected agency it is working with for the distribution. They are better equipped to know where the camps are set and what the needs are. They also know what supplies are available to each of them from the organizations currently on the ground. My advice to Claude was to help train the group doing the distribution on the use of the equipment before they deliver these units to families and groups. And then assist by providing the assets to them for distribution.
The rural situation remains the same. The need is for shelter, food, school supplies and the support for secondary medical, education etc. The bulk food supply is still available in most areas in the country. Our best help there is to fund the purchase of the basics while it lasts. This is what we have been doing and will continue although this can be very expensive and a little more difficult to manage.
I am expecting a specific request from our leaders for their regions that will identify the exact number of Schools, families and students we are talking about. The consensus is the rural areas have each grown by in excess of 20% since the earthquake.
The response to this has varied from funding bulk shelter and feeding camps, providing international NGO's that provide food and shelter with bulk food, to each Rotary family committing to look after a specific number of displaced families.
There is the potential for hoarding and other issues with this, but we are taking all precautions practical and possible at this time. Long term we will need to be better at this if we want to continue with it.
The long term response to this disaster is going to be an enormous drain on our human and financial resources for some time to come. I believe that we should begin discussing our role in the long term recovery and rebuild effort right away. I think our response going forward should be more and more in line with what we ultimately identify as our long term sustainable strategy. To do this we will need to get a sense very soon of where we are going to fit in the grand scheme of things in Haiti. Will it be an emphasis area, will it be communities, will it be in the planning? Who knows!
I have approached a well respected international investor and business man who has developed a sustainable settlement tradition in The Bahamas. He has a concept and some ideas that I believe could well be at the core of our response to the future development of Haiti. His concept addresses the creation of a sustainable settlement that takes into account social, financial, cultural, health, and environmental elements. I believe this is an opportunity that needs to be explored as a possible Rotary solution in its long term response. I will keep you posted on the progress of this idea when I hear back from those I have sent it to.
There are some immediate needs that will come up that we must still fulfill but we must also begin to recognize that response must move from the immediate to the medium and long term.
PDG Dick
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Haiti Update
My sister Erva, a member of Rotary St. Thomas II, District 7020, sent me the following letter from Past District Governor Dick McCombe, an update as of January 31st. It sheds some light on what is happening in Haiti, and the difficulties Rotary is experiencing.
Dear all,
Sorry about the delayed update but we are working on a number of issues and none of them seem easy right now. As you know we are re-evaluating the situation with an emphasis on our Haitien Family of Rotary and where we need to go from here. We obviously have many of the supplies and assistance that was originally called for still coming in and are processing it through onto the ground daily. The status reports by region and for our Quake Zone clubs should be in by later tomorrow so a clearer update will be posted then. We have Dr. Greg Hoeksema, a fellow Rotarian from Cayman on the ground doing a medical evaluation of supplies and equipment. He is done in the Pignon area and is going to Cap Haitien tomorrow and onto Port de Paix Tuesday (Feb. 2nd) evening.
President Shaun Ingraham, and Tyson from the Eluthera Rotary Club are on the ground and on their way into Port au Prince tomorrow morning with the Director of Habitat for Humanity. He is going to be texting out information to us, so that should help with our insight. I just spoke to him and he will be providing me with his sense of the situation later on today.
The entire education system in the country has been shut down. Not one child anywhere going to school. There is slow movement now to begin to reopen Missionary and Private Schools although the Education Ministry has not officially permitted that yet and they have no clear strategy to do so. The transient population with children arriving in their respective new communities may well never get back to school unless we do something. I have a call out for BIG Tents, Circus or MASH type tents. There were in excess of 300 schools destroyed in the PaP area alone so this challenge is a big one. The children, orphaned or not, need a place to get together and play and socialize at the very least soon, so keep that in mind as you search for the tents.
Food and Shelter is still a core need. For food be sure its more in the way of beans, rice, protein supplements, baby formula etc. Tents, sleeping matts, blankets, clean clothing etc. We have our Florida Rotary Friends setting up 10 40ft containers throughout the State to collect food and shelter items. We are hoping to ship 8 containers from Nassau as well this week. We are still at the point where we can buy supplies in Haiti so money still works. Certainly for the long term and for the bigger longer term projects, money will be the most necessary.
Through the high tech capability of our District I was able to go live on REACH radio in the BVI's yesterday thanks to Don. Good job Don.
Transportation into and on the ground is a difficult and an ever-changing process. The last flight we sent in was met by a road block and an unruly crowd with sticks. The UN, police, and Dr. Guy put down the unrest but it is getting more complicated and difficult there as you can imagine. The people are getting more and more desperate as the population numbers in these rural communities increases and supplies dwindle. There are also Political factions now using the opportunity to try to build a constituency and some control by having the goods in their possession. More to come on this as I better understand it.
We had some issues with some of our supplies being taken yesterday by force by the French Army. It's a clear sign that the coordination of all the relief in Haiti is and will continue to be a BIG challenge as we go forward. On a good note, 40,000 lbs of supplies from the Sint Maarten / St. Marten area clubs got through to Rotary's storage in PaP after a very complex transportation route, so we can get it done.
We are setting up a more permanent and defined response committee for the ongoing relief. Our 1st meeting is 4:00PM tomorrow and I will share the structure of it with you after the meeting.
Have a good day
PDG Dick
Dear all,
Sorry about the delayed update but we are working on a number of issues and none of them seem easy right now. As you know we are re-evaluating the situation with an emphasis on our Haitien Family of Rotary and where we need to go from here. We obviously have many of the supplies and assistance that was originally called for still coming in and are processing it through onto the ground daily. The status reports by region and for our Quake Zone clubs should be in by later tomorrow so a clearer update will be posted then. We have Dr. Greg Hoeksema, a fellow Rotarian from Cayman on the ground doing a medical evaluation of supplies and equipment. He is done in the Pignon area and is going to Cap Haitien tomorrow and onto Port de Paix Tuesday (Feb. 2nd) evening.
President Shaun Ingraham, and Tyson from the Eluthera Rotary Club are on the ground and on their way into Port au Prince tomorrow morning with the Director of Habitat for Humanity. He is going to be texting out information to us, so that should help with our insight. I just spoke to him and he will be providing me with his sense of the situation later on today.
The entire education system in the country has been shut down. Not one child anywhere going to school. There is slow movement now to begin to reopen Missionary and Private Schools although the Education Ministry has not officially permitted that yet and they have no clear strategy to do so. The transient population with children arriving in their respective new communities may well never get back to school unless we do something. I have a call out for BIG Tents, Circus or MASH type tents. There were in excess of 300 schools destroyed in the PaP area alone so this challenge is a big one. The children, orphaned or not, need a place to get together and play and socialize at the very least soon, so keep that in mind as you search for the tents.
Food and Shelter is still a core need. For food be sure its more in the way of beans, rice, protein supplements, baby formula etc. Tents, sleeping matts, blankets, clean clothing etc. We have our Florida Rotary Friends setting up 10 40ft containers throughout the State to collect food and shelter items. We are hoping to ship 8 containers from Nassau as well this week. We are still at the point where we can buy supplies in Haiti so money still works. Certainly for the long term and for the bigger longer term projects, money will be the most necessary.
Through the high tech capability of our District I was able to go live on REACH radio in the BVI's yesterday thanks to Don. Good job Don.
Transportation into and on the ground is a difficult and an ever-changing process. The last flight we sent in was met by a road block and an unruly crowd with sticks. The UN, police, and Dr. Guy put down the unrest but it is getting more complicated and difficult there as you can imagine. The people are getting more and more desperate as the population numbers in these rural communities increases and supplies dwindle. There are also Political factions now using the opportunity to try to build a constituency and some control by having the goods in their possession. More to come on this as I better understand it.
We had some issues with some of our supplies being taken yesterday by force by the French Army. It's a clear sign that the coordination of all the relief in Haiti is and will continue to be a BIG challenge as we go forward. On a good note, 40,000 lbs of supplies from the Sint Maarten / St. Marten area clubs got through to Rotary's storage in PaP after a very complex transportation route, so we can get it done.
We are setting up a more permanent and defined response committee for the ongoing relief. Our 1st meeting is 4:00PM tomorrow and I will share the structure of it with you after the meeting.
Have a good day
PDG Dick
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Haiti: Rotary's Unsung Relief Effort
My sister Erva is a member of Rotary. Her club is part of a district that includes Haiti. No where on the news has Rotary, and what they have done, been mentioned. They were the first ones on the ground after the quake, the first ones to begin bringing in supplies. And, as a side note, little Tortola one of the British Virgin Islands, an island smaller than St. Thomas, with a population of about 23,000, raised in one day, $100,000. They are aiming for $200,000. GO ROTARY! Below is an email I got from Erva describing some of what Rotary has been doing. Pleases go to the link and read about Rotary's efforts to relieve the suffering.
There are a lot of unsung heroes - including the Rotary Clubs in District 7020 (and Haiti has 17 Clubs and is a member of this District). As of yesterday, we have been responsible for 57 flights filled with medical personnel and (55,000 pounds of) medical supplies, plus we have, through the Clubs in Haiti, coordinated the ground efforts to get the stuff distributed where it needs to go.
Red Cross makes the news. Rotary doesn't. If you'd like to know more about what we've already done - and we're going to be doing a lot more, check out www.clubrunner.ca/7020. This site serves as a link to all of the Clubs in the District and to Rotary International as well. Through this site, you can see what's been happening internationally, too. However, since the Haiti Clubs are literally our sisters, District 7020 has really jumped on this one...and NO ONE knows about it!
We'll probably do more for the re-building of Haiti than just about anyone. We need to watch and see. Rotary has just about wiped out Polio.
Yeah - I'm a bit passionate about this one. Am doing my thing to make sure that our efforts are part of my Club's weekly radio program.
Want to make a donation? Send it to our Rotary District and we'll see to it that another plane lands where there are no airstrips!
There are a lot of unsung heroes - including the Rotary Clubs in District 7020 (and Haiti has 17 Clubs and is a member of this District). As of yesterday, we have been responsible for 57 flights filled with medical personnel and (55,000 pounds of) medical supplies, plus we have, through the Clubs in Haiti, coordinated the ground efforts to get the stuff distributed where it needs to go.
Red Cross makes the news. Rotary doesn't. If you'd like to know more about what we've already done - and we're going to be doing a lot more, check out www.clubrunner.ca/7020. This site serves as a link to all of the Clubs in the District and to Rotary International as well. Through this site, you can see what's been happening internationally, too. However, since the Haiti Clubs are literally our sisters, District 7020 has really jumped on this one...and NO ONE knows about it!
We'll probably do more for the re-building of Haiti than just about anyone. We need to watch and see. Rotary has just about wiped out Polio.
Yeah - I'm a bit passionate about this one. Am doing my thing to make sure that our efforts are part of my Club's weekly radio program.
Want to make a donation? Send it to our Rotary District and we'll see to it that another plane lands where there are no airstrips!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Hope for Haiti
So, did anyone watch the Hope for Haiti benefit concert last night? In my humble opinion all the performances were stellar. I think it was the best musical fund-raiser I've ever seen. George Clooney did a most excellent job.
Hubby really liked the song "Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)," that Rihanna, Jay-Z and Bono (with The Edge) did together. He particularly liked how Rihanna sang the chorus.
I really liked the Neil Young/Dave Matthews collaboration on "Alone and Forsaken." Niel looked SOOOOOOO intense, much more so than usual. The grandfather of grunge is looking kind of old, but his voice is still the same. A-Maze-Ing.
And here's a link to Hope for Haiti Now where you can donate. Although the focus is mostly on the city of Port Au Prince, there are towns and cities that have yet to see, eleven days later, any kind of relief or media coverage. And who knows how many small villages have been destroyed.
Hubby really liked the song "Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)," that Rihanna, Jay-Z and Bono (with The Edge) did together. He particularly liked how Rihanna sang the chorus.
I really liked the Neil Young/Dave Matthews collaboration on "Alone and Forsaken." Niel looked SOOOOOOO intense, much more so than usual. The grandfather of grunge is looking kind of old, but his voice is still the same. A-Maze-Ing.
And here's a link to Hope for Haiti Now where you can donate. Although the focus is mostly on the city of Port Au Prince, there are towns and cities that have yet to see, eleven days later, any kind of relief or media coverage. And who knows how many small villages have been destroyed.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Haiti
Poor Haiti!
Here we have one of the poorest nations in the world, hit by a totally devastating earthquake. Who knows how many have been killed, but millions are now homeless.
Columbus established his first colony in the New World here in 1492 after his ship was grounded and he had to leave 39 men behind. It didn't survive. However his second colony did.
In 1797 a genius slave by the name of François-Dominique Toussaint L'ouverture rallied his countrymen, fought France, and won freedom for all the slaves by 1804. A children's book by Katherine Scherman, called The Slave Who Freed Haiti, was the first biography I can remember reading.
Since the first day of independence, Haiti has struggled. The hillsides have been stripped of trees to make charcoal, which in turn has caused severe erosion of soil, making farming nearly impossible.
Here is a link to some fast facts about this island nation. If you have the ability to help, click here.
Here we have one of the poorest nations in the world, hit by a totally devastating earthquake. Who knows how many have been killed, but millions are now homeless.
Columbus established his first colony in the New World here in 1492 after his ship was grounded and he had to leave 39 men behind. It didn't survive. However his second colony did.
In 1797 a genius slave by the name of François-Dominique Toussaint L'ouverture rallied his countrymen, fought France, and won freedom for all the slaves by 1804. A children's book by Katherine Scherman, called The Slave Who Freed Haiti, was the first biography I can remember reading.
Since the first day of independence, Haiti has struggled. The hillsides have been stripped of trees to make charcoal, which in turn has caused severe erosion of soil, making farming nearly impossible.
Here is a link to some fast facts about this island nation. If you have the ability to help, click here.
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