I’d originally intended to blog and tweet our progress, but the sheer logistics of what we’d gone to do as well as reliable Internet access made that difficult. And so, I wanted to fill you in on what happened during that visit.

People were really confused. Communication is scarce and it’s difficult for them to know when and where they will receive aid. For example, no one in my mother’s neighborhood, Turgeau, knew where to go to receive food or why they were being left out of the information loop.

Fragmented communication between organizations on the ground is also distressing. At one point, I tried to talk to a representative from World Vision about their water program, but getting her to tell me where they were placing filters so we could avoid duplicating efforts was all but impossible.

After much haranguing, she finally gave me a contact with her organization. When we met with him he said, “You guys are way ahead of me” because we had already installed two community water filtration systems serving 1,200 families or about 7,000 people—one at my mother’s house and Delmas 3, a “tent city” of 900 families in a former Olympic training center. We had also set up a trade system where people could bring in unfiltered water in return for purified water. I was definitely not happy to hear that we were ahead of an established aid agency.

While I’m there, there’s no time to feel. All you can do is do, help as much as resources will allow, make the necessary sacrifices, and keep it moving. When you get back, that’s when you can feel.

The happy moments come in providing people with the resources we brought with us. We bought one man’s entire inventory, more than 525 lbs. of rice, to his amazement. Not knowing when he would sell another bag of rice was a reality, especially since it seemed that the United Nation’s World Food Programme didn’t seem to be buying the food they were distributing from Haiti.

We also bought all of a pregnant woman’s sweet potatoes; she was clearly trying to make ends meet to take care of her family.  When drove down the street delivering the food, people were grateful and happy. When we ran out of food and were no longer able to give, people were sad. And so was I.

I’ll never forget how happy the lady in charge was when we installed the water filtration for Delmas 3. It was a scary feeling when it began to rain because so many people are still without housing, sleeping on the ground in front of their destroyed homes. This prompted our early departure from Haiti to the Dominican Republic to look for tents.

One of the most rewarding parts of the trip was getting people to believe in the movement. They understand what it means to be empowered and they understand what it means to be united. The awesome thing about the Haitian culture is that we don’t beg. Everyone was doing something or trying to do something to aid in their survival.

Like Richard: A business owner and a friend of my Mom’s. His motel/pawnshop was completely demolished, but he was already working on his business proposal to rebuild, and men were working on breaking up and removing the rubble of his shop with sledge hammers.

Our time in Haiti was short, but here’s a brief diary of what we got done while there. (We plan to return in March.):

February 1
~ Fundraiser in New York at Questans
~ Raised $200 and gathered notes from school children for Haiti

February 2
~ Landed in Santo Domingo where we connected with Marly Pierre-Louis, Qaid Jacob, and Jesus Gonzales
~ Went shopping for additional medical supplies, food, and supplies for Haitian communities

February 3
~ Left for Haiti
~ Reconnected with partners at Hotel Oloffson to get up to speed with the latest local goings on

February 4
~ Established base camp
~ Began assessing the situation in Turgeau for installing the water filtration system
~ Divided medical supplies for distribution to local to clinics
~ Distributed the first round of tents to needy families
~ Connected with the Turgeau medical clinic managed by Humanity First

February 5
~ Installed first water filtration system at base camp in Turgeau
~ Started the water trade program

February 6
~ Established relationships with NGOs at U.N. meetings and at food and shelter meetings
~ Bought food: 525 lbs. of rice, 600 lbs. of beans, 118 lbs. of cornmeal, 155 lbs. of barley, and 120 lbs. of pasta

February 7
~ Organized a Medical Clinic administered by New York partners (Marly and Qaid) in conjunction with doctors and nurses from Humanity First
~ Met with head of World Vision’s water program to discuss their plans for providing clean water to areas
~ Provided additional medical supplies to the Clinic in Turgeau
~ Distributed food to families in Turgeau’s 3rd Avenue de Travaille neighborhood

February 8
~ Installed water filtration system at Delmas 3
~ Bought art from local artists to be sold in Seattle at a March fundraiser
~ Departed for Santo Domingo

February 9
~ Bought 100 large temporary housing structures made with canopies (10ft x 12ft) and tarps

February 10
~ Shipped structures to contact in Haiti
~ Our one-man staff in Haiti–fondly called, Luxon–delivered water truck of 1,800 gallons of filtered, potable drinking water
~ Luxon also distributed 25 percent of temporary housing
~ Silent Art Auction in Seattle raised $765
~ Departed for Seattle

February 11
~ Luxon distributed remaining temporary housing
~ And delivered water truck of 1,800 gallons of filtered, potable drinking water

February 13
~ Luxon delivered water truck of 1,800 gallons of filtered, potable drinking water

Thank you for staying up-to-date with our efforts and for supporting the Haitian people. Stay tuned for more details on fundraising efforts in the U.S. before our return to Haiti and more on what we plan to accomplish.

Remember, there is strength through unity,

David

On January 14, two days after a massive 7.1 earthquake hit the country of my heritage, I set out to find my mother, who was just three miles south of the quake’s epicenter. After finding her alive, I turned my attention to my people and a country in pain.

Our primary focus now is to contribute to the immediate needs of the Haitian people and to find solutions to help rebuild and sustain their communities. My people are resilient, but they need direction toward recovery. Our goal is to help them help themselves. We pledge to be with them as their country is rebuilt one brick, one heart, and one mind at a time.

We are re-establishing a presence in the area of Laville, where my mother’s community is based. In addition to providing the vulnerable with necessary aid, we will create a “progress-for-aid” system where people will be rewarded with additional or specialty foods for friends and family after helping with re-building, aid projects, and community progress efforts. They will be unified under the banner of “L’ Union Fait La force” (Strength through unity).

Everyone working with us will be given green T-shirts with those encouraging words to stress the importance of unity and staying strong through adversity. More than anything else, this message is essential. This is a time of new beginnings and Haiti will finally get the attention and love it deserves.

How?

1. Purchase with cash as many items as we can from local merchants–”the mache”

Efficiency and mobility are the plan. To have the greatest impact, we will purchase the supplies that we can from local markets instead of transporting goods from the United States. This will inject much-needed dollars into local communities, dollars that will cycle around and have a more lasting effect. Items that can only be procurred in the U.S. will be shipped in.

2. Partner with NGOs in the Dominican Republic that facilitate aid.

During the initial trip, partnerships with aid groups in the Dominican Republic were formed and aid was delivered through close communication and coordination. We will continue these partnerships and use supply shipments from there to supplement goods purchased locally.

PHASE ONE: February 2010: BASE CAMP SET-UP

Medical Supplies

• Equip already established make-shift clinic at 3rd Avenue De Travaile in Laville
• Make contact with other clinics and assess the surrounding area to determine if additional clinics will be necessary
• Purchase and provide additional medical supplies to already established clinics
• Look for location to house additional U.S. nurses and doctors

Nutrition

• Establish Water Filtration System
• Option 1: The most easily accessible method of cleaning water is through the use of water filtration tablets. Since the process of purifying the water with these tablets is four hours, our goal will be to immediately create a reserve system by purchasing as many 5-gallon containers as possible. An still-erect house in the community will be used for water storage and distribution. We will create a trade system where people will bring their contaminated water to swap for purified water. We are still in the process of researching the best price for  tablets.
• Option 2: Purchase Outpost12 Water filtration system. Cost = $10,000 or 3 for $20,000. This machine produces 720 gallons of water per hour. Although it is the best option in terms of longevity, it might not be the best use of our limited resources, such as cash and fuel. With this system we would have to consider the cost of maintenance.
• Vitamins and vitamin-rich foods

Electricity

• Provide temporary power with the use of power inverters. We are traveling with six power inverters to be attached to car batteries bought on arrival in the Dominican Republic. These inverters will provide electricity for emergency communications, light for night-time work, and heat for cooking and sanitation.
• We also plan to bring turn-crank kinetic emergency radios, flashlights, and communication devices.

Sanitation & Rebuilding

• Garbage/refuse removal: Since there is not an established sanitation program, part of cleaning and re-building will include removing and properly disposing of garbage from the streets. By enlisting some of the locals we will work to clean the streets of all garbage in as many areas as possible.
• Clearing debris/rubble: To prepare for re-building of homes, we will help remove rubble from various locations to provide a clear foundation. We will gather any reusable material and salvageable supplies. Any bodies found will be bagged and separated from the main population centers.

HELP US BY MAKING A DONATION

*New structures will be part of our 3rd phase, and will begin when additional funds have been raised and more than likely during the 3rd visit.

PHASE TWO: Spring 2010

• Solar Power
• “On-the-ground” partnerships with other NGOs such as Haiti ReWired, CrisisCommons.org et al.

PHASE THREE: FALL 2010

• New construction of homes, community buildings, schools, etc.

But amid the planning and sending of final e-mails, fliers, and event lists, 30 seconds rocked an island nation. And those 30 seconds shifted my life. 

What I learned during my trip to Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake gave me purpose. Haiti’s situation has given me the extra motivation to breathe new life into the reconstruction of the country’s broken heart and spirit. Why did I react that way? 

I knew in my heart that my mom was OK because of how resilient she is, how loved and admired by the people in her neighborhood. She’s phenomenal. I don’t really think I went completely for my mom. I went for Haiti; Mom was the conduit.

I realized it more after I gave her a few hundred dollars and it was all gone next day because she gave it away to those in need in her neighborhood. She started me on this path, a path where helping others is more important than comfort. My mom doesn’t talk about what needs to be done, she just does it selflessly. She’s the inspiration for what we do now.

What I witnessed during my visit to Haiti was real: To be so close to death, to smell it in every breath. I can still smell it. And when I close my eyes, I see the bodies I walked over as I helped carry a woman for medical attention. I can still see the smile on people’s faces when they received medical supplies.

It’s a great place to be, I tell you. It is amazing to have this chance to give. Before I left, I shook people’s hands, looked them in the eye, and promised, ”I’ll be back with more help. I promise. I mean it.”

I share this to remind you that it is because of you that we are able to help Haiti. Your love and prayers mean so much as we move forward to help, lead, inspire, and change.

Thank you, all,

David

“I’m just walking, trying to find my mom,” he said.

He walked through the skeletal remains of the neighborhoods he once knew, to the block where his mother’s house once stood – not knowing what he’d find.

CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric reports there was an emotional reunion for mother and son.

David and Mother reunite  [vid]

Not knowing what he would find, David made his way to a neighborhood he once knew looking for the block where his mother, Augusta Pierre-Louis’ house once stood.

Read the rest at Examiner.com

“I can’t just sit back and not doing anything, you know,” said Pierre-Louis, “and for whatever path I’m supposed to be walking this definitely falls along the same lines.”

Read the rest at NWCN

Read the rest on the3six5.com