Philip Kiracofe · Adventure Capitalist

This school is adjacent to our school project and now serves as a distribution point for disaster aid

I am writing from my mobile, so will keep this brief.

As I sit on the roof of the HODR compound, it is easy to find examples of disaster-induced misery or incredible human resiliency. We are surrounded by makeshift camps of tents (referred to as Internally Displaced Peoples – IDP camps). Nearly 100% of people are living in camps or temp shelters on their properties, because even the few remaining structures are not trusted by the residents.

In the IDP camps, you hear children laughing and playing, people singing, and see signs of routine life.

There is also a large soccer field immediately outside our walls and I am watching dozens of men and boys playing freely.

Today was the first day on the job sites and our primary role is to clear rubble down to the foundations, which make the families eligible to receive new semi-permanent housing which should protect them against the rains and storms that start in late spring. One German organization that plans to provide 1400 of these is building a prototype adjacent to the sites we were clearing today, so hopefully we will get to see these go up while I am still here.

The Haitian people seem very appreciative of the outside help but there is also a palpable sense of resignation. When you experience these conditions and consider that it will be many years before all this is cleared away, its easy to relate to that outlook. Many people will watch us clearing home sites (theirs and their neighbors) without offering to help and sometimes resisting our invitations.

At other times, as reflected in these pictures, many family members of all ages will join in and put in hours of labor alongside us, which is extremely fulfilling.

Dinner is being served, so I will sign off for now.

Cheers.

Its hot, and there are never ending piles of rubble to clear. The goal is to clear off one household foundation at a time so that they can have a solid place for a replacement home/shelter. The families join in to help and to recover personal items that were buried, so it is a very moving experience.

I volunteered with HODR in Thailand in 2005 post Tsunami and it is an unrivaled experience.   Click thru to sign up.

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Today we are announcing Project Leogane, Haiti 2010. This extraordinary disaster has had a devastating impact on the entire fabric of Haiti, and we are anxious to help.

The country has suffered over 110,000 lives lost; in Leogane, where we will focus our efforts, an estimated 90% of the buildings were destroyed. This will be a serious project, cooperating with other local and international NGOs, to help the community of Leogane recover from this massive event.

We are committed to a minimum period of 6 months, beginning February 15, 2010, when the project will be open to volunteers. As always, we tailor our projects and work on the ground to the unique needs of each community and disaster. Since this event and challenge is so large, serious, and we’ve received unprecedented volunteer interest, we have established specific rules and structure for this HODR deployment:

See Details about Hands On Disaster Response Project Leogane