Monday, January 25, 2010
the tippy tap, drops make ripples
many of the news articles i've read had said one of the immediate priorities for saving life in the aftermath of the haiti earthquake is the provision of clean water and sanitation. in crowded areas, without proper hygiene and sanitation, disease outbreaks can be fatal.
this brings us to the tippy tap, a simple device that enables handwashing in areas without piped water or plumbing infrastructure. many of the diseases--like diarrhea and respiratory infections--responsible for a significant portion of infant mortality in the developing world, can be largely prevented simply by washing hands. the rationale for handwashing is further explained at the global handwashing day website. handwashing is an irrefutable integral part of any water, sanitation, and hygiene project.
tippy taps allow people to wash their hands, often times with a foot-powered lever, make it extremely hygienic. in addition, tippy taps use much less water than faucet handwashing. i've heard estimates of up to 90% less. another bonus is that they are cheap to make and can be adapted to use locally available materials. you don't need much more than a water container with a handle, some rope, a machete, a nail, a hot fire, a container to hold liquid or hard soap, and sticks or bamboo.
i first heard about tippy taps at an international sustainable sanitation conference i was attending in inner mongolia in sept 2007. i made my first tippy tap in april 2008 before a training held along the thai-burma border. at the training, i set up 5 stations and gave a presentation to local karen on the importance of handwashing.
they are really quick and simple to make. i used the directions found here as a template. shortcomings of his design include a level that isn't firming fixed into the ground, but moves around; and the lever string that obstructs the act of handwashing. this design makes people wash their hands with the level string between their hands, which is inconvenient and leaves a potential for contamination through string-hand contact. i've improved upon this design by pegging in the foot lever on a track and putting it off to one side. i've also experimented with different types of sinks to catch and drain away dirty water. another thing i've been trying out is different ways to tie off the cap so that the lever string doesn't obstruct or come in contact with dirty hands. but i noticed that looping the string can damage the plastic water container. a better alternative for greater convenience and more hand clearance would be to drill the opening for water to come out close to the side of the container opposite to the side where the foot lever is pegged. i'll work on these next time i build tippy taps for a more functional 3.0 version.
we used locally available, free, and renewable bamboo. i've seen gourds used for containers to hold the handwashing water before as well. the container can last a while, as long as it's taken care of. a hose running from piped water can be used to refill the tippy taps, as lifting and unlifting a filled container can be too heavy a task for younger children.
i made 7 more foot-powered tippy-taps in november 2009, 6 of them at safe haven orphanage, mentioned in previous posts, and another at a displaced persons camp.
on positioning the outlet hole and foot lever
i used a small diameter nail to melt a hole about 2 cm down from the top lip. you can play around with this to a certain extent, balancing between the two competing priorities of water retention capacity and tilt ease. the higher up the hole is, the hard it will be to tilt the tap to dispense water. if the lever bottoms out, hits the ground, and water doesn't come out, it means that the level ran off the track or the rope loosened up. check the track pegs and then the rope. you might have to add tension by adjusting the rope knot.
advice on picking a container:
i've seen containers as small as 1.5 liter being used, but i've chosen to use 10 liter containers to accommodate greater flows of people. 20 liters is simply too big. it'd be difficult to find a stick cross bar that would hold up that weight.
i originally thought that clear translucent containers were the way to go, because you can visually check the water level. but at the orphange, only solid black ones were available. i used them reluctantly, but was surprised when the water heated up in the sun and provided a nice warm wash. the black color also blocks out light and helps curb algal growth inside the containers.
i've also seen and heard of hand-tipped designs, which can serve those with foot handicaps. i think these are more complicated, but may be appropriate, depending on what locals want or need. one of my friends works with these types of systems in india. his video on it can be seen below.
in addition to "hardware," which is the physical infrastructure, to wash hands, making sure that the "software," or knowledge, skills, and attitudes to foster regular handwashing practices are adopted needs to be stressed. it's pointless to construct handwashing facilities and provide soap unless the target community understands oral-fecal contamination routes and linkages between handwashing and good health. "software" training needs to happen early on and regularly so that communities buy into projects and are able to take ownership of them. this way, institutional sustainability is insured and community members can then spread knowledge to others.
on a side note, i recently heard some awesome news: it was one of my karen friends' b-day a few weeks ago, and i went over to his place to say hi and celebrate. one of his friends who also turns out to be a former co-worker was also there. i had taught him how to make tippy taps back in april 2008. (i was a bit defeated and considered those tippy taps a failure, as the place where we put up tippy taps was lost to pro-government troops and the people that i had built them for had to flee the fighting). but i was pleasantly surprised that the knowledge is slowly, but surely spreading. he told me that he had built 2 tippy taps in one of the refugee camps, copying the design that i had showed him months earlier.
this brings us to the tippy tap, a simple device that enables handwashing in areas without piped water or plumbing infrastructure. many of the diseases--like diarrhea and respiratory infections--responsible for a significant portion of infant mortality in the developing world, can be largely prevented simply by washing hands. the rationale for handwashing is further explained at the global handwashing day website. handwashing is an irrefutable integral part of any water, sanitation, and hygiene project.
tippy taps allow people to wash their hands, often times with a foot-powered lever, make it extremely hygienic. in addition, tippy taps use much less water than faucet handwashing. i've heard estimates of up to 90% less. another bonus is that they are cheap to make and can be adapted to use locally available materials. you don't need much more than a water container with a handle, some rope, a machete, a nail, a hot fire, a container to hold liquid or hard soap, and sticks or bamboo.
i first heard about tippy taps at an international sustainable sanitation conference i was attending in inner mongolia in sept 2007. i made my first tippy tap in april 2008 before a training held along the thai-burma border. at the training, i set up 5 stations and gave a presentation to local karen on the importance of handwashing.
they are really quick and simple to make. i used the directions found here as a template. shortcomings of his design include a level that isn't firming fixed into the ground, but moves around; and the lever string that obstructs the act of handwashing. this design makes people wash their hands with the level string between their hands, which is inconvenient and leaves a potential for contamination through string-hand contact. i've improved upon this design by pegging in the foot lever on a track and putting it off to one side. i've also experimented with different types of sinks to catch and drain away dirty water. another thing i've been trying out is different ways to tie off the cap so that the lever string doesn't obstruct or come in contact with dirty hands. but i noticed that looping the string can damage the plastic water container. a better alternative for greater convenience and more hand clearance would be to drill the opening for water to come out close to the side of the container opposite to the side where the foot lever is pegged. i'll work on these next time i build tippy taps for a more functional 3.0 version.
we used locally available, free, and renewable bamboo. i've seen gourds used for containers to hold the handwashing water before as well. the container can last a while, as long as it's taken care of. a hose running from piped water can be used to refill the tippy taps, as lifting and unlifting a filled container can be too heavy a task for younger children.
i made 7 more foot-powered tippy-taps in november 2009, 6 of them at safe haven orphanage, mentioned in previous posts, and another at a displaced persons camp.
on positioning the outlet hole and foot lever
i used a small diameter nail to melt a hole about 2 cm down from the top lip. you can play around with this to a certain extent, balancing between the two competing priorities of water retention capacity and tilt ease. the higher up the hole is, the hard it will be to tilt the tap to dispense water. if the lever bottoms out, hits the ground, and water doesn't come out, it means that the level ran off the track or the rope loosened up. check the track pegs and then the rope. you might have to add tension by adjusting the rope knot.
advice on picking a container:
i've seen containers as small as 1.5 liter being used, but i've chosen to use 10 liter containers to accommodate greater flows of people. 20 liters is simply too big. it'd be difficult to find a stick cross bar that would hold up that weight.
i originally thought that clear translucent containers were the way to go, because you can visually check the water level. but at the orphange, only solid black ones were available. i used them reluctantly, but was surprised when the water heated up in the sun and provided a nice warm wash. the black color also blocks out light and helps curb algal growth inside the containers.
i've also seen and heard of hand-tipped designs, which can serve those with foot handicaps. i think these are more complicated, but may be appropriate, depending on what locals want or need. one of my friends works with these types of systems in india. his video on it can be seen below.
in addition to "hardware," which is the physical infrastructure, to wash hands, making sure that the "software," or knowledge, skills, and attitudes to foster regular handwashing practices are adopted needs to be stressed. it's pointless to construct handwashing facilities and provide soap unless the target community understands oral-fecal contamination routes and linkages between handwashing and good health. "software" training needs to happen early on and regularly so that communities buy into projects and are able to take ownership of them. this way, institutional sustainability is insured and community members can then spread knowledge to others.
on a side note, i recently heard some awesome news: it was one of my karen friends' b-day a few weeks ago, and i went over to his place to say hi and celebrate. one of his friends who also turns out to be a former co-worker was also there. i had taught him how to make tippy taps back in april 2008. (i was a bit defeated and considered those tippy taps a failure, as the place where we put up tippy taps was lost to pro-government troops and the people that i had built them for had to flee the fighting). but i was pleasantly surprised that the knowledge is slowly, but surely spreading. he told me that he had built 2 tippy taps in one of the refugee camps, copying the design that i had showed him months earlier.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
jeremy's run for haiti fund
three miles a day. every little bit helps.
i'm going to start running 3 miles everyday for the next month, starting on thursday, january 21, rain or shine, to help raise funds for oxfam america through its fundraising page option. this will help oxfam continue its operations to supply clean water and emergency supplies to earthquake survivors in haiti.
if you want to sponsor my runs, i'm asking for $5 per each day of running. i know a mile may not seem like a big deal, but if you know me, i wouldn't be caught anywhere without my skateboard. running isn't my thing. i'm dead after a mile. if you're interested, my oxfam donation page is here.
i've never done more than 1 mile at a time. i've had knee problems and got an mri recently. so this is a bit suicidal in my opinion, and will be pretty painful. but i want to give you your money's worth. i'm pretty tempted to convert this to miles skated, but that would be too easy.
if there are other more impressive feats within my ability to accomplish, give me your ideas. the primary goal of this fundraising page is to raise money to help those in haiti and not to entertain, but i also want to work for your donation. again, all monies donated will go directly to oxfam's earthquake relief efforts.
you can be rest assured that any donation going to oxfam will be used well in haiti. oxfam america was awarded four out of four stars by charity navigator. oxfam is a member of the better business bureau's wise give alliance and meets their high standards of operation, spending, truthfulness, and disclosure. in addition, oxfam is rated highly by leading charitable watchdog organizations, including the american institute of philanthropy. please donate here.
if there are other more impressive feats within my ability to accomplish, give me your ideas. the primary goal of this fundraising page is to raise money to help those in haiti and not to entertain, but i also want to work for your donation.
if you think of any other ways that i can fundraise, or what challenges you'd like to see me complete for you to donate, let me know. as long as i'm not jumping off buildings or into lions' dens, it's fair game.
i really don't mean to put pressure on you, and i know that there are a lot of other worthwhile charities that are working on other issues. so whatever you decide to do is fine by me. my heart just goes out to the people in haiti when i see the pictures of the destruction. i just don't know what else i as an individual can do at this point but spread the word. thought that you'd be someone interested in possibly helping, but don't mean to come across as pedantic about this, so please forgive me if that's how i come across. i don't make appeals to family and friends often or lightly. if you do find this blog post about the haiti earthquake helpful/insightful, please feel free to pass it along to anyone you think might want to read it. those interested in donating, can do so here. hope things are going well.
thanks for your consideration.
take care and be well,
haiti earthquake backgrounder and how you can help
i'm sure you've heard of the earthquake in haiti. for those who haven't heard yet, a massive earthquake registering 7.3 on the richter scale struck haiti on january 12th. much of the damage was felt in the port-au-prince, the nation's capital. depending on what news source you read, as of january 17th, up to 200,000 people are thought to have perished, with about 3 million people affected. it is thought that about 1.5 milion people were made homeless overnight. thousands are injured and without food and water, and many are still stuck in collapsed buildings.
although world leaders have pledged millions in aid and have already sent search and rescue teams, food and medical aid, and other forms of disaster response assistance to haiti, help that has actually reached the ground is marginal, partly due to the destruction of much of haiti's transportation infrastructure and a lack of logistical support. it's really awful. i know money is scarce in these times, but if you have a few bucks to spare, i was wondering if you'd consider donating to the humanitarian effort to bring relief to haiti. i've done some research and listed ways you can help at my blog here:
http://jeremymak.blogspot.com/2010/01/help-haiti-now-you-can-make-difference.html
the blog lists many different reputable organizations working on the ground, and provides some more background information on the situation in haiti.
here is the latest update from oxfam, that i got yesterday, jan 16:
____________________________
"First, they want you to know that aid is getting through. Oxfam teams have been distributing water canisters since Thursday morning as well as bladders for water stations.
More Oxfam staff are arriving constantly, and we also have search and rescue teams deployed to pull survivors from the rubble.
But their supplies won't last long. And with nearly all clean water systems knocked out by the earthquake Oxfam urgently needs your help to get more aid to survivors.
Please, donate as generously as you can to Oxfam's Haiti Earthquake Response Fund.
As the roads open up in and around Port-au-Prince, we are working to truck more water supplies into the city and set up urban latrines but we can only do so with your help.
The scope of this disaster and the amount of time and resources it will take for Haiti to recover are coming into focus. One Oxfam contact on the ground in Port-au-Prince described the situation as:
"very chaotic with houses in rubble everywhere. There is a blanket of dust rising from the valley south of the capital. We can hear people calling for help from every corner. The aftershocks are ongoing and making people very nervous."
John Ambler, Oxfam's senior vice president, put it this way:
"This is much worse than the tsunami. The infrastructure during the tsunami was not destroyed. People could help their neighbors. In Haiti, everything is gone."
my background
a couple of years ago, i did some volunteer work for victims of the 2004 indian ocean tsunami in phang-nga, southern thailand. seeing the destruction there, even a year after, was powerful. one can only imagine what it must be like in haiti. if i had any real search and rescue or medical skills, i'd be there right now. but i don't, unfortunately. so this is the best i can do for now.
i'm going to start running 3 miles everyday for the next month, starting on thursday, january 21, rain or shine, to help raise funds for oxfam america through its fundraising page option. this will help oxfam continue its operations to supply clean water and emergency supplies to earthquake survivors in haiti.
if you want to sponsor my runs, i'm asking for $5 per each day of running. i know a mile may not seem like a big deal, but if you know me, i wouldn't be caught anywhere without my skateboard. running isn't my thing. i'm dead after a mile. if you're interested, my oxfam donation page is here.
i've never done more than 1 mile at a time. i've had knee problems and got an mri recently. so this is a bit suicidal in my opinion, and will be pretty painful. but i want to give you your money's worth. i'm pretty tempted to convert this to miles skated, but that would be too easy.
if there are other more impressive feats within my ability to accomplish, give me your ideas. the primary goal of this fundraising page is to raise money to help those in haiti and not to entertain, but i also want to work for your donation. again, all monies donated will go directly to oxfam's earthquake relief efforts.
you can be rest assured that any donation going to oxfam will be used well in haiti. oxfam america was awarded four out of four stars by charity navigator. oxfam is a member of the better business bureau's wise give alliance and meets their high standards of operation, spending, truthfulness, and disclosure. in addition, oxfam is rated highly by leading charitable watchdog organizations, including the american institute of philanthropy. please donate here.
if there are other more impressive feats within my ability to accomplish, give me your ideas. the primary goal of this fundraising page is to raise money to help those in haiti and not to entertain, but i also want to work for your donation.
if you think of any other ways that i can fundraise, or what challenges you'd like to see me complete for you to donate, let me know. as long as i'm not jumping off buildings or into lions' dens, it's fair game.
i really don't mean to put pressure on you, and i know that there are a lot of other worthwhile charities that are working on other issues. so whatever you decide to do is fine by me. my heart just goes out to the people in haiti when i see the pictures of the destruction. i just don't know what else i as an individual can do at this point but spread the word. thought that you'd be someone interested in possibly helping, but don't mean to come across as pedantic about this, so please forgive me if that's how i come across. i don't make appeals to family and friends often or lightly. if you do find this blog post about the haiti earthquake helpful/insightful, please feel free to pass it along to anyone you think might want to read it. those interested in donating, can do so here. hope things are going well.
thanks for your consideration.
take care and be well,
haiti earthquake backgrounder and how you can help
i'm sure you've heard of the earthquake in haiti. for those who haven't heard yet, a massive earthquake registering 7.3 on the richter scale struck haiti on january 12th. much of the damage was felt in the port-au-prince, the nation's capital. depending on what news source you read, as of january 17th, up to 200,000 people are thought to have perished, with about 3 million people affected. it is thought that about 1.5 milion people were made homeless overnight. thousands are injured and without food and water, and many are still stuck in collapsed buildings.
although world leaders have pledged millions in aid and have already sent search and rescue teams, food and medical aid, and other forms of disaster response assistance to haiti, help that has actually reached the ground is marginal, partly due to the destruction of much of haiti's transportation infrastructure and a lack of logistical support. it's really awful. i know money is scarce in these times, but if you have a few bucks to spare, i was wondering if you'd consider donating to the humanitarian effort to bring relief to haiti. i've done some research and listed ways you can help at my blog here:
http://jeremymak.blogspot.com/2010/01/help-haiti-now-you-can-make-difference.html
the blog lists many different reputable organizations working on the ground, and provides some more background information on the situation in haiti.
here is the latest update from oxfam, that i got yesterday, jan 16:
____________________________
"First, they want you to know that aid is getting through. Oxfam teams have been distributing water canisters since Thursday morning as well as bladders for water stations.
More Oxfam staff are arriving constantly, and we also have search and rescue teams deployed to pull survivors from the rubble.
But their supplies won't last long. And with nearly all clean water systems knocked out by the earthquake Oxfam urgently needs your help to get more aid to survivors.
Please, donate as generously as you can to Oxfam's Haiti Earthquake Response Fund.
As the roads open up in and around Port-au-Prince, we are working to truck more water supplies into the city and set up urban latrines but we can only do so with your help.
The scope of this disaster and the amount of time and resources it will take for Haiti to recover are coming into focus. One Oxfam contact on the ground in Port-au-Prince described the situation as:
"very chaotic with houses in rubble everywhere. There is a blanket of dust rising from the valley south of the capital. We can hear people calling for help from every corner. The aftershocks are ongoing and making people very nervous."
John Ambler, Oxfam's senior vice president, put it this way:
"This is much worse than the tsunami. The infrastructure during the tsunami was not destroyed. People could help their neighbors. In Haiti, everything is gone."
my background
a couple of years ago, i did some volunteer work for victims of the 2004 indian ocean tsunami in phang-nga, southern thailand. seeing the destruction there, even a year after, was powerful. one can only imagine what it must be like in haiti. if i had any real search and rescue or medical skills, i'd be there right now. but i don't, unfortunately. so this is the best i can do for now.
forced to pay back millions instead of rebuilding? SIGN THE OXFAM PETITION TO CANCEL HAITI'S FOREIGN DEBT
from oxfam america, literally takes less than 15 seconds. please sign the petition linked below to urge the international monetary fund (imf) to cancel haiti's foreign debt. read on:
_______________________________________________________
Dear Jeremy,
Sign the petition:
Cancel Haiti's debt NOW!Haiti could be forced to send millions to foreign lenders instead of using it to rebuild their country.Sign the petition to the IMF Board of Directors today!
As you read this, Oxfam's staff is rushing clean water and emergency supplies to earthquake survivors in Port-au-Prince, who are now reeling from a 6.1-magnitude aftershock yesterday.
But while our immediate focus will remain emergency relief, one major threat could still hamper all efforts to rebuild this country: Haiti's crushing foreign debt.
Oxfam and other groups have helped extract a laudable commitment from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to cancel Haiti's debt. But we need your voice to get them to actually follow through on their promise without delay.
Will you help? Please, join us in urging the IMF to cancel Haiti's foreign debt now – before the world looks away!
I can't stress enough how significantly debt cancellation would help the people of Haiti.
Even before the earthquake, Haiti was weighed down by debt. They owed over $891 million to the IMF and other lenders.
The worst part: it wasn't the fault of the Haitian people. Over and over again, Haiti's people have inherited a legacy of debt from loans taken out by dictators and un-elected governments.
If these debts aren't canceled, Haiti will be sending tens of millions to the United States, the IMF and other international bodies even as it struggles to rebuild.
Some countries' debts were canceled after the 2004 tsunami, so we have a chance to convince world leaders to do the same for Haiti. And time is of the essence – leaders are meeting on Monday to decide on the amount of aid they'll give Haiti, and though the IMF has said they will "work to cancel the debt," they haven't made any commitment about when this will happen. They have promised to convert a $100 million IMF loan to Haiti into a grant, but we must ensure they follow through on that as well.
You can make sure the IMF gets past the finish line and doesn't stop halfway.
Please sign our petition to the IMF right now! Urge them to cancel Haiti's debt – and make sure that earthquake relief doesn't create a new debt burden.
Here at Oxfam, we never tackle short-term problems without considering long-term solutions.
That's why – even as our relief teams on the ground are helping Haiti's people survive the short-term devastation – we are committed to addressing the debt that kept Haiti trapped in a cycle of deadly poverty even before the earthquake hit.
Please, add your name now!
Sincerely,
Raymond Offenheiser
Oxfam America
P.S. After you take action, please forward this email to a friend or post a message to Facebook or Twitter – help us spread the word!
P.P.S. I also wanted to share a remarkable article with you from today's Washington Post about the extraordinary courage of Yolette Etienne, Oxfam's lead staffer in Haiti, and the human toll the earthquake has taken. Read it here.
_______________________________________________________
Dear Jeremy,
Sign the petition:
Cancel Haiti's debt NOW!Haiti could be forced to send millions to foreign lenders instead of using it to rebuild their country.Sign the petition to the IMF Board of Directors today!
As you read this, Oxfam's staff is rushing clean water and emergency supplies to earthquake survivors in Port-au-Prince, who are now reeling from a 6.1-magnitude aftershock yesterday.
But while our immediate focus will remain emergency relief, one major threat could still hamper all efforts to rebuild this country: Haiti's crushing foreign debt.
Oxfam and other groups have helped extract a laudable commitment from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to cancel Haiti's debt. But we need your voice to get them to actually follow through on their promise without delay.
Will you help? Please, join us in urging the IMF to cancel Haiti's foreign debt now – before the world looks away!
I can't stress enough how significantly debt cancellation would help the people of Haiti.
Even before the earthquake, Haiti was weighed down by debt. They owed over $891 million to the IMF and other lenders.
The worst part: it wasn't the fault of the Haitian people. Over and over again, Haiti's people have inherited a legacy of debt from loans taken out by dictators and un-elected governments.
If these debts aren't canceled, Haiti will be sending tens of millions to the United States, the IMF and other international bodies even as it struggles to rebuild.
Some countries' debts were canceled after the 2004 tsunami, so we have a chance to convince world leaders to do the same for Haiti. And time is of the essence – leaders are meeting on Monday to decide on the amount of aid they'll give Haiti, and though the IMF has said they will "work to cancel the debt," they haven't made any commitment about when this will happen. They have promised to convert a $100 million IMF loan to Haiti into a grant, but we must ensure they follow through on that as well.
You can make sure the IMF gets past the finish line and doesn't stop halfway.
Please sign our petition to the IMF right now! Urge them to cancel Haiti's debt – and make sure that earthquake relief doesn't create a new debt burden.
Here at Oxfam, we never tackle short-term problems without considering long-term solutions.
That's why – even as our relief teams on the ground are helping Haiti's people survive the short-term devastation – we are committed to addressing the debt that kept Haiti trapped in a cycle of deadly poverty even before the earthquake hit.
Please, add your name now!
Sincerely,
Raymond Offenheiser
Oxfam America
P.S. After you take action, please forward this email to a friend or post a message to Facebook or Twitter – help us spread the word!
P.P.S. I also wanted to share a remarkable article with you from today's Washington Post about the extraordinary courage of Yolette Etienne, Oxfam's lead staffer in Haiti, and the human toll the earthquake has taken. Read it here.
Monday, January 18, 2010
day 6 update from partners in health
From Ted Constan, Partners In Health: "Crisis in Haiti" (this is from the PIH listserv, i just changed some formatting and put in links)
Watch a video of Katie Couric's interview with PIH Executive Director Ophelia Dahl on CBS here.
Donate now here.
-----------------------
Dear Jeremy,
Six days can seem like an eternity. It's hard to believe that so little time has passed since the earthquake shook Port-au-Prince. In the days since, we've worked around the clock to bring urgently needed surgical teams, medical supplies, water, and food into a devastated city.
Thanks to a true team effort, at the general hospital in Port-au-Prince alone, we helped get 7 operating rooms up and running, performing surgeries around the clock. By tomorrow night, we should have 10 or 12. At our sites in the Central Plateau and Artibonite regions, we have eight more functional operating rooms that are already supplying surgical and medical care to hundreds of earthquake victims fleeing the destruction of Port-au-Prince. And thanks to a partnership with many people and organizations here in the U.S., we've filled 10 planes with surgical teams and supplies, and have many more scheduled flights throughout this coming week.
However, the logistical challenges of our immediate response are only the beginning of our effort to bring relief to the people of Haiti. While our progress has been impressive and rapid, it is dwarfed by the immense need. At this stage, we are working on streamlining bulk deliveries of supplies, medicines, and human resources to help handle the thousands more patients that still await care. And we know that to truly help Haiti "build back better," as President Bill Clinton has said, we need to ensure that the aid doesn't stop when the final emergency surgical team returns home.
After having their lives saved, many of our patients' worlds are changed forever, many will require months or even years of physical and emotional therapy. Some are orphans. Many of them have lost their homes and jobs. On a larger scale, the earthquake will shake Haiti for generations--government buildings lie in shambles, as do schools, hospitals, and roads. Before the earthquake, Haiti was already the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Just getting the country back to square one requires more work than what can be delivered in a single news cycle. But with your support, we remain steadfast in our commitment to build back better. After all, we've been working in partnership with poor communities and the government in Haiti for 25 years, and we don't plan to leave any time soon.
Watch a PIH Executive Director Ophelia Dahl discuss the importance of long term rebuilding efforts with CBS's Katie Couric here.
Read an op-ed by PIH co-founder Paul Farmer focusing on the importance of building back better here.
In solidarity,
Ted Constan
Chief Program Officer
Watch a video of Katie Couric's interview with PIH Executive Director Ophelia Dahl on CBS here.
Donate now here.
-----------------------
Dear Jeremy,
Six days can seem like an eternity. It's hard to believe that so little time has passed since the earthquake shook Port-au-Prince. In the days since, we've worked around the clock to bring urgently needed surgical teams, medical supplies, water, and food into a devastated city.
Thanks to a true team effort, at the general hospital in Port-au-Prince alone, we helped get 7 operating rooms up and running, performing surgeries around the clock. By tomorrow night, we should have 10 or 12. At our sites in the Central Plateau and Artibonite regions, we have eight more functional operating rooms that are already supplying surgical and medical care to hundreds of earthquake victims fleeing the destruction of Port-au-Prince. And thanks to a partnership with many people and organizations here in the U.S., we've filled 10 planes with surgical teams and supplies, and have many more scheduled flights throughout this coming week.
However, the logistical challenges of our immediate response are only the beginning of our effort to bring relief to the people of Haiti. While our progress has been impressive and rapid, it is dwarfed by the immense need. At this stage, we are working on streamlining bulk deliveries of supplies, medicines, and human resources to help handle the thousands more patients that still await care. And we know that to truly help Haiti "build back better," as President Bill Clinton has said, we need to ensure that the aid doesn't stop when the final emergency surgical team returns home.
After having their lives saved, many of our patients' worlds are changed forever, many will require months or even years of physical and emotional therapy. Some are orphans. Many of them have lost their homes and jobs. On a larger scale, the earthquake will shake Haiti for generations--government buildings lie in shambles, as do schools, hospitals, and roads. Before the earthquake, Haiti was already the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Just getting the country back to square one requires more work than what can be delivered in a single news cycle. But with your support, we remain steadfast in our commitment to build back better. After all, we've been working in partnership with poor communities and the government in Haiti for 25 years, and we don't plan to leave any time soon.
Watch a PIH Executive Director Ophelia Dahl discuss the importance of long term rebuilding efforts with CBS's Katie Couric here.
Read an op-ed by PIH co-founder Paul Farmer focusing on the importance of building back better here.
In solidarity,
Ted Constan
Chief Program Officer
haiti update
although there's a backlog of other topics it'd like to hit upon that have been mulling in my head for some time, for the next couple of posts, i'm going to focus mostly on the haiti earthquake. having been traveling back to the states, it's been hard keeping up with the situation in haiti for the past couple of days...
when i got home last night, i read haiti articles from sunday's la times. this one stood out:
LOOTING: Looting continued in Haiti on the third day after the earthquake, although there were more police in downtown Port-au-Prince.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
TENT CITY: One of the many tent cities that have sprung up around Port-au-Prince catering to the thousands left homeless after a 7.0 earthquake.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)
another article today said that preliminary figures from haitian officials estimate that up to 100,000 are presumed dead.
an audio slide show entitled, "so many people need help" can be seen here.
graphic photos can be seen here. some images may be disturbing.
president obama has asked his former predecessors w bush and clinton to help with private fundraising efforts, and the ex-presidents have jointly launched the clinton bush haiti fund to solicit donations from the us and abroad.
i just transferred the leftover $200 from the power of one fund and an additional contribution to partners in health's stand with haiti campaign to deliver life-saving medical supplies and health-care to injured haitians. if you'd like to help with donations or would like more information on how you can help, please visit this post here for more information. every little bit helps.
i'll try to put up an oxfam donation page in the next day or so to try to do more direct fundraising.
when i got home last night, i read haiti articles from sunday's la times. this one stood out:
For the first time since a catastrophic earthquake shuddered across Haiti last week, there were real signs of relief Saturday, with U.S. helicopters ferrying emergency supplies from an aircraft carrier off the coast and bulldozers taking to the streets of Port-au-Prince to shove through mountains of debris.
But there also were signs of the immense problems ahead: the stench of decaying bodies rising from neighborhoods; the sprawling tent cities springing up across the capital; the challenge of getting help to the victims in the face of the breathtaking scale of destruction and need.
LOOTING: Looting continued in Haiti on the third day after the earthquake, although there were more police in downtown Port-au-Prince.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
TENT CITY: One of the many tent cities that have sprung up around Port-au-Prince catering to the thousands left homeless after a 7.0 earthquake.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)
another article today said that preliminary figures from haitian officials estimate that up to 100,000 are presumed dead.
an audio slide show entitled, "so many people need help" can be seen here.
graphic photos can be seen here. some images may be disturbing.
president obama has asked his former predecessors w bush and clinton to help with private fundraising efforts, and the ex-presidents have jointly launched the clinton bush haiti fund to solicit donations from the us and abroad.
i just transferred the leftover $200 from the power of one fund and an additional contribution to partners in health's stand with haiti campaign to deliver life-saving medical supplies and health-care to injured haitians. if you'd like to help with donations or would like more information on how you can help, please visit this post here for more information. every little bit helps.
i'll try to put up an oxfam donation page in the next day or so to try to do more direct fundraising.
Labels:
disaster relief,
haiti,
impact your world,
power of one fund
Friday, January 15, 2010
help haiti now! you can make a difference!
for those who haven't heard yet, a massive earthquake registering 7.3 on the richter scale struck haiti on january 12th. much of the damage was felt in the port-au-prince, the nation's capital. depending on what news source you read, up to 50,000 people are thought to have perished, with about 3 million people affected. thousands are injured and without food and water, and many are still stuck in collapsed buildings.
although world leaders have pledged millions in aid and have already sent search and rescue teams, food and medical aid, and other forms of disaster response assistance to haiti, help that has actually reached the ground is marginal, partly due to the destruction of much of haiti's transportation infrastructure and a lack of logistical support. read a general overview of the situation here.
close-up photos of the destruction can be seen here, here, and here.
if you can help, please do.
IMPACT YOUR WORLD BY CLICKING HERE! the link includes many of the most effective charities and relief organizations rated by charitynavigator.org, an independent, non-profit organization that ranks charities based on effectiveness in the field and financial stability.
YOU can choose to which field you want to donate to HERE. but before you do, please read this article from change.org about "what not to give in emergencies."
oxfam america's appeal for its haiti earthquake response fund can be viewed here. this is what al gore had to say about oxfam america's work in rebuilding haiti:
you can also text on your cell to donate $10 to the american red cross, one of many groups working to address the crisis in haiti. more info on that here.
for his contribution to the power of one fund, one friend donated $100 to oxfam america for haiti relief. my sister will donate $20 to one of the orgs working there. another one of my friends made separate contributions to oxfam america, partners in health, and doctors without borders/medecins sans frontieres. the $200 that was donated by 2 of my family members to the power of one fund, but not yet assigned to a particular cause, will be put towards partners in health. when i get back to the states in 2 days, i will put another $100 toward partners in health's stand with haiti campaign.
i'm sure that there are many credible and effective organizations working on relief in haiti; but i chose to donate to partners in health [pih] based on my own independent research of them and the testimony of one of my good friends who so happened to use to work with pih. this is what she had to say of them:
please help if you can. the people of haiti need us!
the preceding were my very amateur reflections on aid. a much more detailed and expert analysis on relief aid for the haiti earthquake can be found at saundra schimmelpfennig's blog here. she's one of the co-founders of the disaster tracking recovery assistance center, an ngo that works on aid coordination and ensuring better aid distribution.
_____________________________________________
if you'd like to email your family and friends to help too, feel free to use this template:. you can also copy avaaz's template, which you can get from here.
some new york times articles on the earthquake in haiti:
jan 13: haiti lies in ruins; grim search for untold dead
jan 13: in haiti, survivors search for the dead, and for solace
jan 14: tensions mount in devastated capital as nations step up aid pledges to haiti
jan 14: the missing in haiti
jan 15: rescuers race to find survivors in haiti as us troops work to speed aid flow
jan 15: relief groups seek alternative routes to get aid moving
jan 15: for those trapped, rescue is but the first hurdle
although world leaders have pledged millions in aid and have already sent search and rescue teams, food and medical aid, and other forms of disaster response assistance to haiti, help that has actually reached the ground is marginal, partly due to the destruction of much of haiti's transportation infrastructure and a lack of logistical support. read a general overview of the situation here.
close-up photos of the destruction can be seen here, here, and here.
if you can help, please do.
IMPACT YOUR WORLD BY CLICKING HERE! the link includes many of the most effective charities and relief organizations rated by charitynavigator.org, an independent, non-profit organization that ranks charities based on effectiveness in the field and financial stability.
haitians need immediate help with basic needs, shelter, medical aid, and food.
YOU can choose to which field you want to donate to HERE. but before you do, please read this article from change.org about "what not to give in emergencies."
oxfam america's appeal for its haiti earthquake response fund can be viewed here. this is what al gore had to say about oxfam america's work in rebuilding haiti:
The earthquake in Haiti has been catastrophic. More than three million people have been affected, and estimates are that over 50,000 have died. The human suffering is unimaginable.avaaz's appeal can be seen here.
That's why I'd like to pause from our usual conversation and ask for your help.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 85% of Haitians already living in desperate poverty. Now, with hospitals in ruin, dire shortages of even basic necessities like fresh water, and no way to find out whether family members are alive, the Haitian people urgently need our help.
A number of organizations are already engaged in critical relief efforts, and I urge you to support as many of them as you can. One of them, Oxfam America, has an emergency response team of more than 200 people already on the ground. The need for clean water and critical public health services is massive and immediate -- and our donations can help save lives.
you can also text on your cell to donate $10 to the american red cross, one of many groups working to address the crisis in haiti. more info on that here.
for his contribution to the power of one fund, one friend donated $100 to oxfam america for haiti relief. my sister will donate $20 to one of the orgs working there. another one of my friends made separate contributions to oxfam america, partners in health, and doctors without borders/medecins sans frontieres. the $200 that was donated by 2 of my family members to the power of one fund, but not yet assigned to a particular cause, will be put towards partners in health. when i get back to the states in 2 days, i will put another $100 toward partners in health's stand with haiti campaign.
i'm sure that there are many credible and effective organizations working on relief in haiti; but i chose to donate to partners in health [pih] based on my own independent research of them and the testimony of one of my good friends who so happened to use to work with pih. this is what she had to say of them:
[Partners in Health] They've been working in Haiti for two decades, and their facilities are outside of Port-au-Prince, so they're in a really good position to help with relief. Plus, very little of their money goes to admin/overhead costs, compared to other groups like the Red Cross. I've been encouraging people to donate to PIH. You should put their link in your blogother factors pushing me towards pih are that 1.) many pre-existing hospitals and clinics have been destroyed in port-au-prince, 2.) reports that i've heard have specifically asked for more medical aid and supplies, and 3.) a functioning emergency health-care system will undoubtedly save thousands of lives. (as a side note, according to this article, partners in health most likely just became the largest health-care provider still functioning inside haiti).
please help if you can. the people of haiti need us!
the preceding were my very amateur reflections on aid. a much more detailed and expert analysis on relief aid for the haiti earthquake can be found at saundra schimmelpfennig's blog here. she's one of the co-founders of the disaster tracking recovery assistance center, an ngo that works on aid coordination and ensuring better aid distribution.
_____________________________________________
if you'd like to email your family and friends to help too, feel free to use this template:. you can also copy avaaz's template, which you can get from here.
hey x_____________________________________________
how's it going? i'm x. anyways, i'm sure you've heard of the earthquake in haiti. it's really awful. i know money is scarce in these times, but if you have a few bucks to spare, i was wondering if you'd consider donating to the humanitarian effort to bring relief to haiti. if so, ways you can help out are listed on the blog of someone i know. it's linked below.
http://jeremymak.blogspot.com/2010/01/help-haiti-now-you-can-make-difference.html
i really don't mean to put pressure on you, and i know that there are a lot of other worthwhile charities that are working on other issues. so whatever you decide to do is fine by me. my heart just goes out to the people in haiti when i see the pictures of the destruction. i just don't know what else i as an individual can do at this point but spread the word. thought that you'd be someone interested in possibly helping, but don't mean to come across as pedantic about this, so please forgive me if that's how i come across. i don't make appeals to family and friends often or lightly. if you do find this blog post about the haiti earthquake helpful/insightful, please feel free to pass it along to anyone you think might want to read it. hope things are going well in x.
thanks for your consideration.
take care and be well,
x
some new york times articles on the earthquake in haiti:
jan 13: haiti lies in ruins; grim search for untold dead
jan 13: in haiti, survivors search for the dead, and for solace
jan 14: tensions mount in devastated capital as nations step up aid pledges to haiti
jan 14: the missing in haiti
jan 15: rescuers race to find survivors in haiti as us troops work to speed aid flow
jan 15: relief groups seek alternative routes to get aid moving
jan 15: for those trapped, rescue is but the first hurdle
Saturday, January 9, 2010
closing up at safe haven / the power of one update
i just got back into chiang mai from safe haven orphanage yesterday. my colleague josh and i spent the last couple of days fine tuning the water system that we put in. the second spring that we tapped went dry, so we connected a third one that will hopefully hold out and provide water to the orphanage through the dry season. in addition, we made some provisional improvements to the boys' shower area and fixed leaks in water storage tanks.
for those who have been following my power of one fund idea, here's how things panned out at the orphanage:
3 people decided to contribute to the fund, with donations totaling $220. One person donated $20 to Partners in Health Malawi, with the remaining $200 still yet committed to one cause. if you are interested in doing something similar and/or spreading the power of one idea, please do. every little bit helps.
i tried to match this to the best of my ability to buy lots of fruit for the kids (about 55 of them); outfitted the kitchen with some utensils, cutlery and other supplies; bought more drinking containers; and also bought more than 100 trees for the orphanage to start growing its own fruit and better develop its own food security and lessen dependence on outside party food donors. i was limited at times with what fruit were locally available for purchase, as the orphanage is located 3 hours from the nearest market hub either way on the road. i also put money towards odds and ends around the orphanage, like buying wire and electrical parts to put a light at the older girls' shower.
of 12,016 THB ($1 USD = 33.13 THB)going towards these expenses, i payed 6,116 THB ($184.61 USD) and was able to have my organization offset the reamining 5,900 THB ($178.09 USD). as $220 was pledged to other organizations, i still have to match another $35, and will donate the remainder to a charity when i get back stateside in a week.
just a quick update of itemized accounting-i will give more about my feeling and reflections on working at safe haven in the next post. [there are of course plenty of conflicting thoughts about how to best to help others, with much time and energy spent trying to reconcile good intentions versus actual impacts on communities. i.e. are we actually strengthening communities, or making them more dependent on others/ what is (mal)development? i'll try to flesh out some of these often times at-odds ideas in later posts].
december 28, 2009
20 apples
5 kilos of oranges
(free bag of tart, apple-like fruit)
total: 400 THB
december 29, 2009
9 bunches of bananas
10 small watermelons
5 bags of tamarinds
total: 395 THB
december 30, 2009
10 kilos oranges
5 pineapples
12 pomelos
total: 428 THB
december 31, 2009
12 pomelos
50 apples
total: 600 THB
january 1, 2009
10 kilos oranges
4 bunches bananas
15 small watermelons
total: 470 THB
january 2, 2009
none: got to town too late, stored closed
january 3, 2009
4 bags sweet guava
5 bags tamarind
5 pineapples
5 kilos dragonfruit
total: 588 THB
january 3, 2009 tree run to mae sot
5 lumyai trees @ 40 THB/each
20 chomphu / rose apple trees @ 35 THB/each (i gave one to one of the local workers)
10 orange trees @ 45 THB/each
10 mango trees @ 30 THB/each
20 papaya trees @ 20 THB/each
10 noina / custard apple trees @ 40 THB/each
10 pomelo trees @ 35 THB/each
10 guava trees @ 30 THB/each
10 mangosteen trees @ 35 THB/each
105 trees (104 for the orphanage, 1 for a local worker)
total: 3,500 THB
january 4, 2009
22 apple pears
10 kilos of oranges
3 pineapples
4 small watermelons
6-pack of liquid dishwashing soap
2 peelers
2 water scoops for kitchen
3 packs of steel wool/sponge/mini-soap sets
3-pack of sponges
1 ladle
1 12-pack of spoons
1 pair of school shoes for one girl
total: 1,480 THB
january 5-6, 2009
no fruit, in mae sot visiting migrant schools
january 7, 2009
50 apples
5 kilos of dragonfruit
total: 659 THB
january 8, 2009
20 kilos of oranges
8 pineapples
46 apples
1 small water container
wire, switch, and other electrical components for putting a fluorescent light at the older girls' shower
total: 1,725 THB
january 9, 2009
2 small water containers for widow weavers
16-pack of plastic cups
2 bags of tamarind
6-pack liquid dishwashing soap
2 laundry brushes
2 12-packs of spoons
40 apples
2 liters of gas for motorbike
total: 1,018 THB
for those who have been following my power of one fund idea, here's how things panned out at the orphanage:
3 people decided to contribute to the fund, with donations totaling $220. One person donated $20 to Partners in Health Malawi, with the remaining $200 still yet committed to one cause. if you are interested in doing something similar and/or spreading the power of one idea, please do. every little bit helps.
i tried to match this to the best of my ability to buy lots of fruit for the kids (about 55 of them); outfitted the kitchen with some utensils, cutlery and other supplies; bought more drinking containers; and also bought more than 100 trees for the orphanage to start growing its own fruit and better develop its own food security and lessen dependence on outside party food donors. i was limited at times with what fruit were locally available for purchase, as the orphanage is located 3 hours from the nearest market hub either way on the road. i also put money towards odds and ends around the orphanage, like buying wire and electrical parts to put a light at the older girls' shower.
picking up fruit trees in mae sot
of 12,016 THB ($1 USD = 33.13 THB)going towards these expenses, i payed 6,116 THB ($184.61 USD) and was able to have my organization offset the reamining 5,900 THB ($178.09 USD). as $220 was pledged to other organizations, i still have to match another $35, and will donate the remainder to a charity when i get back stateside in a week.
just a quick update of itemized accounting-i will give more about my feeling and reflections on working at safe haven in the next post. [there are of course plenty of conflicting thoughts about how to best to help others, with much time and energy spent trying to reconcile good intentions versus actual impacts on communities. i.e. are we actually strengthening communities, or making them more dependent on others/ what is (mal)development? i'll try to flesh out some of these often times at-odds ideas in later posts].
december 28, 2009
20 apples
5 kilos of oranges
(free bag of tart, apple-like fruit)
total: 400 THB
december 29, 2009
9 bunches of bananas
10 small watermelons
5 bags of tamarinds
total: 395 THB
december 30, 2009
10 kilos oranges
5 pineapples
12 pomelos
total: 428 THB
december 31, 2009
12 pomelos
50 apples
total: 600 THB
january 1, 2009
10 kilos oranges
4 bunches bananas
15 small watermelons
total: 470 THB
january 2, 2009
none: got to town too late, stored closed
january 3, 2009
4 bags sweet guava
5 bags tamarind
5 pineapples
5 kilos dragonfruit
total: 588 THB
january 3, 2009 tree run to mae sot
5 lumyai trees @ 40 THB/each
20 chomphu / rose apple trees @ 35 THB/each (i gave one to one of the local workers)
10 orange trees @ 45 THB/each
10 mango trees @ 30 THB/each
20 papaya trees @ 20 THB/each
10 noina / custard apple trees @ 40 THB/each
10 pomelo trees @ 35 THB/each
10 guava trees @ 30 THB/each
10 mangosteen trees @ 35 THB/each
105 trees (104 for the orphanage, 1 for a local worker)
total: 3,500 THB
setting up the tree nursery at safe haven
january 4, 2009
22 apple pears
10 kilos of oranges
3 pineapples
4 small watermelons
6-pack of liquid dishwashing soap
2 peelers
2 water scoops for kitchen
3 packs of steel wool/sponge/mini-soap sets
3-pack of sponges
1 ladle
1 12-pack of spoons
1 pair of school shoes for one girl
total: 1,480 THB
january 5-6, 2009
no fruit, in mae sot visiting migrant schools
january 7, 2009
50 apples
5 kilos of dragonfruit
total: 659 THB
january 8, 2009
20 kilos of oranges
8 pineapples
46 apples
1 small water container
wire, switch, and other electrical components for putting a fluorescent light at the older girls' shower
total: 1,725 THB
january 9, 2009
2 small water containers for widow weavers
16-pack of plastic cups
2 bags of tamarind
6-pack liquid dishwashing soap
2 laundry brushes
2 12-packs of spoons
40 apples
2 liters of gas for motorbike
total: 1,018 THB
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