05/09/10
7:45 AM Finished packing. No joke. I’m a night owl and procrastinator. I just can’t seem to help myself.
12:00 PM I wake to my mother calling. She’s dropping off my car. Good thing too I forgot my rain gear in it.
I hop out of bed. Throw some clothes on. I go down to meet my mom. She tells me to be careful. I tell her not to worry. Still I find that I’m still always a little short with her. It’s unfair I know. Things are pretty friendly these days, but it’s hard to break old habits. An awkward goodbye and I head back inside.
1:25 PM I finally roll out of bed to meet Roy Lahnam. Last Check, Bags, Shoes, Potty…Bags.
I hobble down my stairs with a carry-on and my messenger bag.
“Sorry I had to do a last minute once over.” I apologize.
Considering the nature of the trip I’m surprised to find Roy lying across my front stoop basking in the sun.
“No problem. We’ve got plenty of time.” he replies. “This is it? You might be our lightest packer.”
“Lightest? That’s a first.” My mind drifts towards the half a dozen times I paid for overweight luggage, carrying 40lbs+ for a two week trip.
He scoops himself up and dusts himself off. He’s wearing a faded polo, khakis that ride just a little short on his lanky frame, and a broad smile. We climb into the maroon passenger van and begin our journey.
Our conversation is all over the place. We talk about rock climbing, work, football, seminary, past regrets, missed opportunities. As we near Bloomington Roy asks me to give Jason a call.
“Good afternoon Jay this is your ride calling. We have here that we should be picking you up at Sherrington.” I say in my best customer service impersonation.
“Sherrington? Oh that’s my parents place don’t go there.” He delivers simple and clear directions.
We miss the turn regardless.
As we pull up Jay is standing on his balcony directing air traffic. He’s a big guy, older than I expected late 20s early 30s perhaps? He’s got a neatly trimmed goat and I can guess by his visor that he hunts.
We head up to his apartment. As I walk in there is a Picasso on the wall. The place t smells like blackberries and vanilla and is home to a 9ft Burmese Python and a Picasso and a lot of hunting gear. His roommate is sweet and apologetic as she unnecessarily tidies up.
We load the van up with his luggage and boxes and boxes of work shoes he got as a donation.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Reflections
Day 1
I can't begin to summarize so I won't. I'm also keeping a journal so I can give you all a more full bodied experience later but here goes.
Stepped off the plane to the sound of an island emanating from a group of young men wearing bright cherry red shirts and white pants.
Pants why is everyone wearing pants? I'm struck by the sweltering heat.
It's 8 am and I'm in a steel shed waiting at immagrayson, immigration, immagracion. The multitudes mutter a mix of Creyole, French, and English.
Shouting, French military conveys, the Haitian men fight over who will help us with our luggage. There are guns everywhere, AK's were at the airport, while shotgun armed guards patrol the grocery store and the gas station.
Outside Avis I meet Jackson. He's in his 40's sports one arm and tells me "Boss, you do anything you like." "Boss, Ms. Emily I won't forget your face." He learned English in school, he didn't finish because he had to go to work for his family. They are poor and live in the country where they have a wonderful "jardin" where they grow potatoes, corn, beans, mangoes, and a few things I didn't recognize. He tells me he loves me too much to see me again. It makes me laugh to flirt with this guy, but at the same time his comfort with deference to Americans is painful. He tells me how honest American's are and I squirm.
He and Watson give me my first lesson in Creyole. Watson was a handsome guy in his 20's, he wasn't self-depreciating like his older friend. His English was wonderful. He finished school but had no money for University. He has worked at the airport for 1 year. He watches a great deal of American TV. I tell him that's how all of my friends had such good English. felt more like a peer until he asked me to take him home where he can teach me Creyole. I declined. He told me he'd remember my face and we would meet again.
I sit and banter with these guys on the stairs waiting for our truck to arrive as the children laugh at my butchered pronunciation. One boy Flori who tried to sell me bracelets even ran home to get me a book with French, English, and Creyole.
"Muy rele Emily" My name is Emily.
"E say i" I'll try.
I gave the young boy my phone number and email. Maybe I shouldn't have but I did.
Race relations here are strange. So far no one has mistaken me for a Mexican, but I seem to be the only Asian person I've seen so far in Haiti. A few "blancs" but only at places we had on our itinerary. Never on the streets. My companions don't seem to interact with the locals. Instead they hang in a circle talking amongst themselves.
One of my companions brought candy for the children. I don't know how that makes me feel. On one hand it gives the kid some joy. On the other hand I feel like the candy is more to assuage our guilt than it is to bring happiness to another. I feel like it brands us, like nobles tossing pennies to the poor. I don't like the social distance it creates. You don't hand out candy to equals. You might share it some or give it as gift, but something handing out candy to the street kids makes me uneasy. Nonetheless, I too gave a piece of gum to a street boy because I had nothing else to give him.
That's a lie. I'm carrying 200 US dollars with me. The average Haitian lived on one dollar a day before the quake.
I just bought a timbuk2 bag to suit my hipster lifestyle. Yeah it's pretty amazing, it converts from a one shouldered backpack to a professional briefcase, it's waterproof, it has a corduroy lined compartment for my awesome new laptop, and it distributes the weight nicely while I cruise on my coaster bike. The bag itself cost 100, not terrible considering it's actually functional and not just an accessory.
$100=10 tents (Home for 10 families, possibly 70 people by Haitian standards)
$100=Food for 2 Haitian Students for a year
$100=Immunizations for 50 children in Burma
$100=School tuitions for 10 girls in Afghanistan
I've eaten meals that cost that much, I've spent that on booze for a party, and a sewing machine. I've always had an overdeveloped sense of guilt. Maybe it comes from being a recovering Catholic or being the daughter of Chinese immigrants. The more and more I know about the world, the more and more I have a problem with being an American.
Were they worth it?
Yes.
An evening at a schizophrenically eclectic Mediterranean diner meets sports bar enjoying an elegantly prepared taste extravaganza during a summer romance. Priceless.
New Year's Speakeasy I'll never forget and many of my friends will never remember. Priceless.
Seeing my friends face light up when he saw the "Project Runway" edition sewing machine as he got ready to apply to Columbia for fashion design. Priceless.
No.
How do excuse myself for squandering money on niceties that could have saved lives?
This is what I'll be struggling with as I lay my head to sleep in my private bedroom in a gated house surrounded by barbed wire.
I can't begin to summarize so I won't. I'm also keeping a journal so I can give you all a more full bodied experience later but here goes.
Stepped off the plane to the sound of an island emanating from a group of young men wearing bright cherry red shirts and white pants.
Pants why is everyone wearing pants? I'm struck by the sweltering heat.
It's 8 am and I'm in a steel shed waiting at immagrayson, immigration, immagracion. The multitudes mutter a mix of Creyole, French, and English.
Shouting, French military conveys, the Haitian men fight over who will help us with our luggage. There are guns everywhere, AK's were at the airport, while shotgun armed guards patrol the grocery store and the gas station.
Outside Avis I meet Jackson. He's in his 40's sports one arm and tells me "Boss, you do anything you like." "Boss, Ms. Emily I won't forget your face." He learned English in school, he didn't finish because he had to go to work for his family. They are poor and live in the country where they have a wonderful "jardin" where they grow potatoes, corn, beans, mangoes, and a few things I didn't recognize. He tells me he loves me too much to see me again. It makes me laugh to flirt with this guy, but at the same time his comfort with deference to Americans is painful. He tells me how honest American's are and I squirm.
He and Watson give me my first lesson in Creyole. Watson was a handsome guy in his 20's, he wasn't self-depreciating like his older friend. His English was wonderful. He finished school but had no money for University. He has worked at the airport for 1 year. He watches a great deal of American TV. I tell him that's how all of my friends had such good English. felt more like a peer until he asked me to take him home where he can teach me Creyole. I declined. He told me he'd remember my face and we would meet again.
I sit and banter with these guys on the stairs waiting for our truck to arrive as the children laugh at my butchered pronunciation. One boy Flori who tried to sell me bracelets even ran home to get me a book with French, English, and Creyole.
"Muy rele Emily" My name is Emily.
"E say i" I'll try.
I gave the young boy my phone number and email. Maybe I shouldn't have but I did.
Race relations here are strange. So far no one has mistaken me for a Mexican, but I seem to be the only Asian person I've seen so far in Haiti. A few "blancs" but only at places we had on our itinerary. Never on the streets. My companions don't seem to interact with the locals. Instead they hang in a circle talking amongst themselves.
One of my companions brought candy for the children. I don't know how that makes me feel. On one hand it gives the kid some joy. On the other hand I feel like the candy is more to assuage our guilt than it is to bring happiness to another. I feel like it brands us, like nobles tossing pennies to the poor. I don't like the social distance it creates. You don't hand out candy to equals. You might share it some or give it as gift, but something handing out candy to the street kids makes me uneasy. Nonetheless, I too gave a piece of gum to a street boy because I had nothing else to give him.
That's a lie. I'm carrying 200 US dollars with me. The average Haitian lived on one dollar a day before the quake.
I just bought a timbuk2 bag to suit my hipster lifestyle. Yeah it's pretty amazing, it converts from a one shouldered backpack to a professional briefcase, it's waterproof, it has a corduroy lined compartment for my awesome new laptop, and it distributes the weight nicely while I cruise on my coaster bike. The bag itself cost 100, not terrible considering it's actually functional and not just an accessory.
$100=10 tents (Home for 10 families, possibly 70 people by Haitian standards)
$100=Food for 2 Haitian Students for a year
$100=Immunizations for 50 children in Burma
$100=School tuitions for 10 girls in Afghanistan
I've eaten meals that cost that much, I've spent that on booze for a party, and a sewing machine. I've always had an overdeveloped sense of guilt. Maybe it comes from being a recovering Catholic or being the daughter of Chinese immigrants. The more and more I know about the world, the more and more I have a problem with being an American.
Were they worth it?
Yes.
An evening at a schizophrenically eclectic Mediterranean diner meets sports bar enjoying an elegantly prepared taste extravaganza during a summer romance. Priceless.
New Year's Speakeasy I'll never forget and many of my friends will never remember. Priceless.
Seeing my friends face light up when he saw the "Project Runway" edition sewing machine as he got ready to apply to Columbia for fashion design. Priceless.
No.
How do excuse myself for squandering money on niceties that could have saved lives?
This is what I'll be struggling with as I lay my head to sleep in my private bedroom in a gated house surrounded by barbed wire.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Shot Shot Shot Shot
Ok. Maybe not that many. I did get two shots today Typhoid and Hepatitis A (which hurt alot) and I start my Malaria pills in 3 days.
As I felt the sting of the needle and that uncomfortable pressure started to fill my upper arm, I was felt as though I had just been shot with reality.
I am leaving for Haiti in less than 10 days. O_O
I started reading over my itinerary
Sunday:
Depart Chicago 7:15 pm.
Arrive - Miami at 11:13 pm.
Monday:
Depart Miami 6:40 am.
Arrive - PAP at 7:45 am.
A night in Miami and then to Port au Prince. I am so excited and nervous about the upcoming events and the trip I can barely sleep. We're asked to keep a journal, and I think I'm going to upload all of my entries as soon as I'm home. My hope is to meet people and collect their stories. I want to share their hopes, dreams, memories, triumphs and tribulations with people here. I feel that very often Haiti is thought of as a cause and not a country. We focus on the poverty and ignore the fact that Haiti filled with an incredibly rich culture and history.
I'm very lucky to be travelling with EIU Haiti Connection. They have been doing work with Haiti for over 20 years, not just after the earthquake. I genuinely appreciate their emphasis on solidarity. Standing with our friends, not just giving charity. I like that their mission is to, "aid our Haitian brothers and sisters rebuild their lives." An important thing to understand is that the people of Haiti don't need to be rescued, they need resources. We don't need to tell them what to do to fix the problems, we need to listen as ask what if they would like our support.
I don't know exactly what work I will be doing in Haiti. I know we will be doing some water quality work, helping out at a local school, and generally lending a hand wherever we are asked. We will also be meeting with some representatives from Fonkoze, the leading microfinance institution. This is one of the primary reasons why I was interested in this trip. I want to establish some contacts and continue our conversation once I leave. I want people to be able to lend their earnings through "1 Hour for Haiti." In this way I believe we can establish a long term relationship between Americans and Haitians, rather than supporting a culture of one-time donations.
To be completely honest, I have very little idea what is going on in Haiti at the moment. I do know there is an outbreak of Dengue Fever, but that's about it. Even though I'm quite curious, I'm avoiding reading news about Haiti because what we receive here is extremely biased and limited. I don't want to go in with a presumptuous attitude that I know what is going on or that I understand what people have been through. I would very much rather go in with as few preconceptions as possible, and talk to people face to face with an open mind and heart.
As I felt the sting of the needle and that uncomfortable pressure started to fill my upper arm, I was felt as though I had just been shot with reality.
I am leaving for Haiti in less than 10 days. O_O
I started reading over my itinerary
Sunday:
Depart Chicago 7:15 pm.
Arrive - Miami at 11:13 pm.
Monday:
Depart Miami 6:40 am.
Arrive - PAP at 7:45 am.
A night in Miami and then to Port au Prince. I am so excited and nervous about the upcoming events and the trip I can barely sleep. We're asked to keep a journal, and I think I'm going to upload all of my entries as soon as I'm home. My hope is to meet people and collect their stories. I want to share their hopes, dreams, memories, triumphs and tribulations with people here. I feel that very often Haiti is thought of as a cause and not a country. We focus on the poverty and ignore the fact that Haiti filled with an incredibly rich culture and history.
I'm very lucky to be travelling with EIU Haiti Connection. They have been doing work with Haiti for over 20 years, not just after the earthquake. I genuinely appreciate their emphasis on solidarity. Standing with our friends, not just giving charity. I like that their mission is to, "aid our Haitian brothers and sisters rebuild their lives." An important thing to understand is that the people of Haiti don't need to be rescued, they need resources. We don't need to tell them what to do to fix the problems, we need to listen as ask what if they would like our support.
I don't know exactly what work I will be doing in Haiti. I know we will be doing some water quality work, helping out at a local school, and generally lending a hand wherever we are asked. We will also be meeting with some representatives from Fonkoze, the leading microfinance institution. This is one of the primary reasons why I was interested in this trip. I want to establish some contacts and continue our conversation once I leave. I want people to be able to lend their earnings through "1 Hour for Haiti." In this way I believe we can establish a long term relationship between Americans and Haitians, rather than supporting a culture of one-time donations.
To be completely honest, I have very little idea what is going on in Haiti at the moment. I do know there is an outbreak of Dengue Fever, but that's about it. Even though I'm quite curious, I'm avoiding reading news about Haiti because what we receive here is extremely biased and limited. I don't want to go in with a presumptuous attitude that I know what is going on or that I understand what people have been through. I would very much rather go in with as few preconceptions as possible, and talk to people face to face with an open mind and heart.
Sorry if this is redundant.
Just to let you all know Illinois for Haiti is hosting two amazing events next week on the night before Reading Day!
Wednesday 05.05.10
1. iRock for Haiti 8-11pm
Foellinger Auditorium. $8 presale | $10 at the door.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118532371493493&ref=ts#!/event.php?eid=118532371493493&ref=ts
2. iDance for Haiti: DJ Battle (OFFICIAL iRock Afterparty) Doors Open 10pm Battle:11-2am
Canopy Club No Cover Suggested donation $2-$5
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=103137329731557&ref=ts
1. iRock for Haiti is a benefit concert comprised of performers from the University of Illinois and organized by Illinois for Haiti, a collaborative, unified effort among students at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign to raise money for emergency relief and rebuilding in Haiti, a country hit with a devastating earthquake in January, 2010.
For more ticket information, visit http://www.illinoisforhaiti.org/irock
TICKETS WILL BE ON SALE ON THE QUAD FRIDAY, APRIL 30 & MAY 3-5!!
All proceeds go to World Vision and the University of Illinois School of Architecture Haitian School Project
*Sponsored by Illinois for Haiti, Office of Volunteer Programs, & University YMCA
PERFORMING:
MCs: Krukid, Shannon Swords, Emily Sha
DJ: Epilep[c]
Dave Coresh
The Definition
Floor Lovers
Girls Next Door
Identity Irish Dance
No Strings Attached
Organic Flow
The Unwritten Amendment (Porsha Olayiwola, Jake Cummings & Onyema Azunna)
Tricia Scully
Trikhala
With the Morning
2. Official Afterparty iDance for Haiti: DJ Battle
After iRock for Haiti, finish the night right at Canopy Club.
This night will feature:
10pm: m5
11pm: Tigorilla vs John Han
12am: Famicom vs CZO
01am: Space Police vs Ruckus
Suggested donation of 2-5 dollars sponsors a trip to Haiti thru EIU Haiti connection.
To make an online donation please visit: https://www.wepay.com/donate/start/1678
To find out more about this trip visit my blog: http://1hourforhaiti.blogspot.com/
Wednesday 05.05.10
1. iRock for Haiti 8-11pm
Foellinger Auditorium. $8 presale | $10 at the door.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118532371493493&ref=ts#!/event.php?eid=118532371493493&ref=ts
2. iDance for Haiti: DJ Battle (OFFICIAL iRock Afterparty) Doors Open 10pm Battle:11-2am
Canopy Club No Cover Suggested donation $2-$5
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=103137329731557&ref=ts
1. iRock for Haiti is a benefit concert comprised of performers from the University of Illinois and organized by Illinois for Haiti, a collaborative, unified effort among students at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign to raise money for emergency relief and rebuilding in Haiti, a country hit with a devastating earthquake in January, 2010.
For more ticket information, visit http://www.illinoisforhaiti.org/irock
TICKETS WILL BE ON SALE ON THE QUAD FRIDAY, APRIL 30 & MAY 3-5!!
All proceeds go to World Vision and the University of Illinois School of Architecture Haitian School Project
*Sponsored by Illinois for Haiti, Office of Volunteer Programs, & University YMCA
PERFORMING:
MCs: Krukid, Shannon Swords, Emily Sha
DJ: Epilep[c]
Dave Coresh
The Definition
Floor Lovers
Girls Next Door
Identity Irish Dance
No Strings Attached
Organic Flow
The Unwritten Amendment (Porsha Olayiwola, Jake Cummings & Onyema Azunna)
Tricia Scully
Trikhala
With the Morning
2. Official Afterparty iDance for Haiti: DJ Battle
After iRock for Haiti, finish the night right at Canopy Club.
This night will feature:
10pm: m5
11pm: Tigorilla vs John Han
12am: Famicom vs CZO
01am: Space Police vs Ruckus
Suggested donation of 2-5 dollars sponsors a trip to Haiti thru EIU Haiti connection.
To make an online donation please visit: https://www.wepay.com/donate/start/1678
To find out more about this trip visit my blog: http://1hourforhaiti.blogspot.com/
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Fast forward
Sorry it's been a while, I've been very very busy so I'll have to continue my story about C-U Haiti Relief another time because I have great news!
Ok lots of great news.
First iRock for Haiti is happening on May 5th 8-10pm at Foellinger Hall! We are having tons of great performers including: Epilep[c], Dave Coresh, Floor Lovers Illinois, Girls Next Door, Idenity Irish Dance, No Strings Attached, Organic Flow, Porsha Olayiwola, Jake Cumming, Onyema Azunna, Tricia Scully, Trikhala, and With the morning.
I will be MCing the event (and honestly I'm terrified) along with my good friend Shannon Swords so be sure to check it out! You can find us on Facebook or on the Illinois for Haiti page.
I'm selling presale tickets for $8 and they will be $10 at the door get them early!
Ok and even though I'm super pumped about iRock...I'm even MORE excited about iDance for Haiti!
iDance for Haiti is the afterparty hosted by Canopy Club featuring 3 DJ Battles: Famicom vs CZO, The Ruckus vs. Space Police, and another to be confirmed.
It is going to be a night of dancing mayhem. So if you like Daft Punk, Dead Mau5, Justice, MSTRKFT, DJ Funk, and Rusko come and work it.
Another reason why I'm so ecstatic about this is because the event is FREE, but we are asking a suggested donation of 2-5 dollars and 100% of your hard earned dollars will go to sponsor my trip to Haiti! If you can't make it but would still like to donate you can online but then only 96.5% will go to Haiti, which honestly is still a pretty awesome thing.
Ok lots of great news.
First iRock for Haiti is happening on May 5th 8-10pm at Foellinger Hall! We are having tons of great performers including: Epilep[c], Dave Coresh, Floor Lovers Illinois, Girls Next Door, Idenity Irish Dance, No Strings Attached, Organic Flow, Porsha Olayiwola, Jake Cumming, Onyema Azunna, Tricia Scully, Trikhala, and With the morning.
I will be MCing the event (and honestly I'm terrified) along with my good friend Shannon Swords so be sure to check it out! You can find us on Facebook or on the Illinois for Haiti page.
I'm selling presale tickets for $8 and they will be $10 at the door get them early!
Ok and even though I'm super pumped about iRock...I'm even MORE excited about iDance for Haiti!
iDance for Haiti is the afterparty hosted by Canopy Club featuring 3 DJ Battles: Famicom vs CZO, The Ruckus vs. Space Police, and another to be confirmed.
It is going to be a night of dancing mayhem. So if you like Daft Punk, Dead Mau5, Justice, MSTRKFT, DJ Funk, and Rusko come and work it.
Another reason why I'm so ecstatic about this is because the event is FREE, but we are asking a suggested donation of 2-5 dollars and 100% of your hard earned dollars will go to sponsor my trip to Haiti! If you can't make it but would still like to donate you can online but then only 96.5% will go to Haiti, which honestly is still a pretty awesome thing.
Friday, April 9, 2010
A breakthrough
I really have no idea how anyone got anything done without the internet.
I was convinced someone in this small town would be doing something and I was determined to find them. I got on Facebook and Gmail and started messaging everyone and anyone who does anything activistish with the question, "Who do you know that knows about disaster relief? What's going on with Haiti relief." The vast vast majority replied that they didn't know and that I could txt donate the money that I don't have.
The breakthrough came when I gchatted my former psych grad advisor. (I honestly have no shame when it comes to asking favors of people who I haven't talked to in years. I recently got some incredible feedback from the chess champion of my 4th grade class.) He told me all the work he has done was in India, but he knew someone that did disaster relief.
"My name is Emily Sha, and I'm interested in coordinating some relief efforts for the disaster in Haiti. I spoke with Karl and he pointed me to you, and expert with very little time. I'm working at this moment to secure some bulk medical supplies for Doctors without Borders. I am also working on a fundraiser but I would like these efforts to be sustainable as well as efficient. If you could spare any of your valuable time or expertise i would be eternally grateful.
Sincerely yours,
Emily"
Thanks to FB she replied in 20 minutes letting me know that she focuses on long-term recovery rather than disaster relief, but put me in touch with Melissa who I immediately got in contact with.
We decided to meet the very next day, and thus began my work with C-U for Haiti Relief.
I was convinced someone in this small town would be doing something and I was determined to find them. I got on Facebook and Gmail and started messaging everyone and anyone who does anything activistish with the question, "Who do you know that knows about disaster relief? What's going on with Haiti relief." The vast vast majority replied that they didn't know and that I could txt donate the money that I don't have.
The breakthrough came when I gchatted my former psych grad advisor. (I honestly have no shame when it comes to asking favors of people who I haven't talked to in years. I recently got some incredible feedback from the chess champion of my 4th grade class.) He told me all the work he has done was in India, but he knew someone that did disaster relief.
"My name is Emily Sha, and I'm interested in coordinating some relief efforts for the disaster in Haiti. I spoke with Karl and he pointed me to you, and expert with very little time. I'm working at this moment to secure some bulk medical supplies for Doctors without Borders. I am also working on a fundraiser but I would like these efforts to be sustainable as well as efficient. If you could spare any of your valuable time or expertise i would be eternally grateful.
Sincerely yours,
Emily"
Thanks to FB she replied in 20 minutes letting me know that she focuses on long-term recovery rather than disaster relief, but put me in touch with Melissa who I immediately got in contact with.
We decided to meet the very next day, and thus began my work with C-U for Haiti Relief.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
What's a girl to do?
So there I am, still sitting on my bed wondering what on earth I could do to help. I mean sure I could donate money, and that's what all the news sources were telling me to do, but frankly I'm broke. I just got out of college in the midst of a financial crisis and I'm a part-time server at Steak n' Shake.
I cracked open my laptop and got to work. Luckily Google had a list of major non-profits that were providing aid in Haiti. These included well known organizations including Doctors Without Borders (DWB), UNICEF, and Partners in Health. There were also a number of organizations I had never heard of like Lambi Fund and Yele Haiti. I immediately starting making phone calls, and despite the painfully long wait times, for the most part I got to speak with a real live person.
Knowing their time was extremely valuable and their resources were probably stretched to the max, I tried my best to keep it short.
"Hi my name is Emily. Do you know where I can submit non-monetary donations such as medical supplies? Do you know what kind of supplies are needed most at this time? Do you have any suggestions for where I might find more information?"
Most of them politely declined the donations, citing the fact that the earthquake destroyed the infrastructure necessary to sort and distribute these resources. I must say that I was incredibly impressed with both UNICEF and DWB. Both of these organizations returned my phone call within 24 hours.
DWB put me in touch with their Assistant Procurement Director. He let me know that they would be accepting gauze, tape, and bandages, but only large pallets would be accepted. He also told me that I could have them shipped to their office in LA and they would finish the transfer to doctors stationed in Haiti.
UNICEF also said that they couldn't accept non-monetary donations at that time. They put me in touch with their partner organization...whose number didn't work...so then I called them back...and then we had a bad connection. Anyhow it didn't work out, but I can not express how grateful I am for their volunteer's help and endless patience.
Then both my ex and I called around all of our medical contacts, but they all had just donated substantial sums of money and didn't have bulk quantities of the supplies necessary. They suggested instead I contact their suppliers for donations. (I'm a little overextended right now but if someone wants to head up a call-at-thon to solicit donations of medical supplies let me know and I'll help you get organized)
A little exhausted, but firmly convinced that there had to be something I could do, I then turned to Facebook.
I cracked open my laptop and got to work. Luckily Google had a list of major non-profits that were providing aid in Haiti. These included well known organizations including Doctors Without Borders (DWB), UNICEF, and Partners in Health. There were also a number of organizations I had never heard of like Lambi Fund and Yele Haiti. I immediately starting making phone calls, and despite the painfully long wait times, for the most part I got to speak with a real live person.
Knowing their time was extremely valuable and their resources were probably stretched to the max, I tried my best to keep it short.
"Hi my name is Emily. Do you know where I can submit non-monetary donations such as medical supplies? Do you know what kind of supplies are needed most at this time? Do you have any suggestions for where I might find more information?"
Most of them politely declined the donations, citing the fact that the earthquake destroyed the infrastructure necessary to sort and distribute these resources. I must say that I was incredibly impressed with both UNICEF and DWB. Both of these organizations returned my phone call within 24 hours.
DWB put me in touch with their Assistant Procurement Director. He let me know that they would be accepting gauze, tape, and bandages, but only large pallets would be accepted. He also told me that I could have them shipped to their office in LA and they would finish the transfer to doctors stationed in Haiti.
UNICEF also said that they couldn't accept non-monetary donations at that time. They put me in touch with their partner organization...whose number didn't work...so then I called them back...and then we had a bad connection. Anyhow it didn't work out, but I can not express how grateful I am for their volunteer's help and endless patience.
Then both my ex and I called around all of our medical contacts, but they all had just donated substantial sums of money and didn't have bulk quantities of the supplies necessary. They suggested instead I contact their suppliers for donations. (I'm a little overextended right now but if someone wants to head up a call-at-thon to solicit donations of medical supplies let me know and I'll help you get organized)
A little exhausted, but firmly convinced that there had to be something I could do, I then turned to Facebook.
In the beginning...
Alright, I suppose I should let you all know how I got involved with Haiti.
It all started one afternoon I was sitting on my bed having a rather terse conversation with my ex-boyfriend. In attempt to find some common ground the conversation drifted away from our apparent differences towards current events. This was just a few days after the earthquake and although I do not watch the news, read the newspaper, or have cable, even I had heard rumors of the devastation.
He has a lot of family in the medical community and he wanted to send packages to Haiti, but all of the airports had been shut down. I told him the truth, I had absolutely no idea how he could help.
In fact in my enthnocentric American way, I knew virtually nothing about Haiti. I knew it was somewhere in the Caribbean and that one guy from Heroes was Haitian. I also knew that it was poor and possibly French speaking.
I certainly didn't have any answers, but Google always does.
It all started one afternoon I was sitting on my bed having a rather terse conversation with my ex-boyfriend. In attempt to find some common ground the conversation drifted away from our apparent differences towards current events. This was just a few days after the earthquake and although I do not watch the news, read the newspaper, or have cable, even I had heard rumors of the devastation.
He has a lot of family in the medical community and he wanted to send packages to Haiti, but all of the airports had been shut down. I told him the truth, I had absolutely no idea how he could help.
In fact in my enthnocentric American way, I knew virtually nothing about Haiti. I knew it was somewhere in the Caribbean and that one guy from Heroes was Haitian. I also knew that it was poor and possibly French speaking.
I certainly didn't have any answers, but Google always does.
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