They say that a journey begins as soon as you make a decision to take a certain path.
I completely believe this. Your headspace changes once you commit. So while I sit here in Atlanta, in my 36th hour of being awake, my head is already in Haiti (and to be honest, has probably been there more than anywhere else in the last 6 months)
Yes, 36 hours. Probably should have started packing before 2am rolled around last night, but that was just the way that particular cookie crumbled. So - 5 heavy bags later, off we were to the airport (ok, I'll admit it, I snuck a quick 30min power nap at 5:30am :)
Thankfully, the nice fella at the Continental counter took pity on my tired soul and helped me rework my bags so that I only had to pay $303 in excess baggage vs $450. Painful, but thankful that he allowed me to check so many.
Connected through Newark and landed in Hotlanta around 2:30pm. Got picked up by one of the guys and went to meet with some of the team that's local to Atlanta. We repacked some items and got some details on who is leaving Atlanta when. We go in 2 waves: 1 group leaves tomorrow for Ft Lauderdale, overnights, then flies to Port au Prince Sunday AM. Our group leaves Atlanta Sunday AM, connects in Miami to pickup a couple more ppl, and we land in Port au Prince 40 min after group 1.
A few hours ago I received a message on Twitter that a contact at the HUEH General Hospital in PauP is in need of tents for her TB patients - they were released from the hospital without any, and TB can spread like wildfire, so they need to remain in quarantene for a number of days. It will be great to meet her in person after all this time and be able to hand deliver some to her.
Time to turn in. Tomorrow will be spent meeting up with the rest of the team as they arrive and going over final details.
Going to head upstairs to enjoy one of my last nights on a real bed for awhile.
Future posts will be much shorter as this is my last opportunity at a computer. You can all breathe a sigh of relief now :)
Much love,
Mely
Friday, July 23, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Starting to set in
We just did a video conference with the the majority of the team. 68 people will be going on this trip (some for the first week, some for the second, some for both). 68 people! Amazing!
I've got almost all of the donation supplies purchased - have one more run to do to Walmart tomorrow and that should do it. I'm stunned at the generousity of my friends and family. My goal was to hit $1500. I came in at $1725!!! Incredible! Most of my purchases have focused on medicine, which gets pricey. But with this kind of money, I've been able to get way more than I thought I would and still have some left over for some toys and games. Here's a pic of 2/3's of the donations - I couldn't resist but to share this with everyone who has helped me purchase it all. I'll snap another when I'm 100% done tomorrow.
My boys (7 & 5) are being very brave about the fact that Mommy will be gone for two weeks. My little one asks often if I'm leaving soon - I can tell it will be a teary goodbye. But they fully understand where I'm going and why, and I'm hoping that they see that it's important that we all help each other on our small little planet.
My husband. Well. My gratitude for his immediate response of "DO IT" from Day 1 is only overpowered by my appreciation for his constant support and help over these past two crazy weeks of preparation. Especially this last week. As I was driving home from the office at 8:30pm to make my 9pm team call, I realized that in theory, I've already left. I haven't seen him for more than 30min a day this week and he's been picking up the pieces of all the things I'm now not doing. It takes a strong man to let a woman follow a dream. May you all find a partner in life as I have.
Time to start thinking about packing my own supplies. I've been told to pack the MAC DADDY of carry-ons as there's a good chance our checked bags will go MIA for a couple days between Miami (also MIA...hmmm) and Port au Prince.
G'nite all!
xox,
Mely
Monday, July 12, 2010
Same same...but different
Trying to get everything done with less than 2 weeks to go makes my head spin. You'd think I'd be used to the pressures of tight deadlines with the industry I work in, but this seems different. The combination of nerves, excitement, fear of the unknown, etc, makes for many sleepless nights lying awake trying to figure it all out.
And then I watch the "6 months since" recaps on TV tonight and the images and personal stories bring everything back into focus.
And my heart breaks all over again for this country and it's people. It's small, vulnerable people. How is it that one country has been cursed with such poverty and pain, yet has also been gifted with the most beautiful children on earth? Such is the dichotomy of this nation.
At the same time, I feel such amazing frustration that the same issues we encountered weeks after the earthquake continue to this day, namely the coordination and distribution of aid. NGO's are working in silos, hospitals can't access stockpiles of supplies, no one knows who has what, and the result is that people continue to suffer and those in dire need are dying.
I'd like to believe that it doesn't come down to money. I'd like to believe that NGO's aren't working in secrecy in order to foster chaos and justify their existence. Surely the human capacity for compassion must be more powerful than that. Surely if a system for coordination was created, it would be used. All of these organizations, systems, logistics, in place and no one seems to be managing the big picture of coordination.
I wish there was an overarching organization that held the mandate to coordinate the efforts of various agencies to ensure efficiencies of scale and partnership during times of crisis. It doesn't even need a fancy name or anything...something simple, like, I don't know, the United Nations? Hmmm...sounds familiar. Too bad.
And then I watch the "6 months since" recaps on TV tonight and the images and personal stories bring everything back into focus.
And my heart breaks all over again for this country and it's people. It's small, vulnerable people. How is it that one country has been cursed with such poverty and pain, yet has also been gifted with the most beautiful children on earth? Such is the dichotomy of this nation.
At the same time, I feel such amazing frustration that the same issues we encountered weeks after the earthquake continue to this day, namely the coordination and distribution of aid. NGO's are working in silos, hospitals can't access stockpiles of supplies, no one knows who has what, and the result is that people continue to suffer and those in dire need are dying.
I'd like to believe that it doesn't come down to money. I'd like to believe that NGO's aren't working in secrecy in order to foster chaos and justify their existence. Surely the human capacity for compassion must be more powerful than that. Surely if a system for coordination was created, it would be used. All of these organizations, systems, logistics, in place and no one seems to be managing the big picture of coordination.
I wish there was an overarching organization that held the mandate to coordinate the efforts of various agencies to ensure efficiencies of scale and partnership during times of crisis. It doesn't even need a fancy name or anything...something simple, like, I don't know, the United Nations? Hmmm...sounds familiar. Too bad.
Friday, July 9, 2010
FYI
Regarding the name of my blog: "Ayiti" is the Haitian Creole name for "Haiti", and the phrase you see at the top, "through unity we find strength" appears on the Haitian flag. I thought it appropriate for this journey.
Monday, July 5, 2010
6 Months in the making
It's been almost exactly 6 months since the Jan 12 earthquake that devastated a nation already living on the extremes of poverty. For those of you that follow me on Twitter, or connect with me on Facebook, you know that I've tried to do my part to help Haiti from afar. I've witnessed the very best in humanity, and I've seen the shortcomings of organizations that run archaic systems that are no longer relevant. I've seen the eyes of the world avert their focus from the harshness of how these people are expected to live. Eyes that I myself had closed until January 12, 2010. But they are open now. Wide, wide open. And amazed.
Amazed by the intolerable living conditions, 6 months later. Amazed by the children, expected to look after children. Amazed that, in 2010, politics are permitted to keep an entire nation living in such extreme poverty that people have to give their children away for fear of them starving (I am aware that there are countries with situations similar to Haiti in terms of oppression - I still find it amazing)
Post EQ, I worked with an amazing group of dedicated volunteers on Twitter to facilitate communication systems, distribute aid, report emergencies and provide support in any way we could. We beta tested a ground-breaking SMS emergency response system called Ushahidi that will change the world of disaster response forever. We've seen the shortcomings of traditional NGO systems and hope to work with them to transition to a new way of working.
In short, I've been able to help in my own small way. But as the months rolled on, and the red tape got thicker, I was able to help less and less.
Feeling a void, I knew in my heart that I needed to get to Haiti to connect with a people that have touched my soul. So, on July 24th, I'll be joining wwwAHomeInHaiti.org as they break ground on newly purchased property to build a school for an orphanage and do census-style interviews with locals to begin plans for sustainable housing.
A Home In Haiti (AHIH) has shipped over $1.5MILLION worth of tents that provide over 30,000 people temporary shelter. I'm honoured to be asked to be a part of Phase 2 of this amazing organization (started by ONE 25 year old from Atlanta. ONE person. Stunning)
In the coming weeks I will be updating this blog with information on the trip and hope that you find it interesting and educational. If you feel inclined to help in any way, please let me know. I am hoping to go with a number of medical supplies (gauze, bandages, gloves, etc), over the counter medications (vitamins, Tylenol, etc), and childrens clothes. I would be forever grateful for any donations of these items, or donations of money to purchase them. My PayPal information is melissa.elliott@blackboxcommunications.ca
Thanks for taking the time to read this post! I'll try to make future ones a little less...wordy.
Mèsi & Bonswa!
Melissa
Amazed by the intolerable living conditions, 6 months later. Amazed by the children, expected to look after children. Amazed that, in 2010, politics are permitted to keep an entire nation living in such extreme poverty that people have to give their children away for fear of them starving (I am aware that there are countries with situations similar to Haiti in terms of oppression - I still find it amazing)
Post EQ, I worked with an amazing group of dedicated volunteers on Twitter to facilitate communication systems, distribute aid, report emergencies and provide support in any way we could. We beta tested a ground-breaking SMS emergency response system called Ushahidi that will change the world of disaster response forever. We've seen the shortcomings of traditional NGO systems and hope to work with them to transition to a new way of working.
In short, I've been able to help in my own small way. But as the months rolled on, and the red tape got thicker, I was able to help less and less.
Feeling a void, I knew in my heart that I needed to get to Haiti to connect with a people that have touched my soul. So, on July 24th, I'll be joining wwwAHomeInHaiti.org as they break ground on newly purchased property to build a school for an orphanage and do census-style interviews with locals to begin plans for sustainable housing.
A Home In Haiti (AHIH) has shipped over $1.5MILLION worth of tents that provide over 30,000 people temporary shelter. I'm honoured to be asked to be a part of Phase 2 of this amazing organization (started by ONE 25 year old from Atlanta. ONE person. Stunning)
In the coming weeks I will be updating this blog with information on the trip and hope that you find it interesting and educational. If you feel inclined to help in any way, please let me know. I am hoping to go with a number of medical supplies (gauze, bandages, gloves, etc), over the counter medications (vitamins, Tylenol, etc), and childrens clothes. I would be forever grateful for any donations of these items, or donations of money to purchase them. My PayPal information is melissa.elliott@blackboxcommunications.ca
Thanks for taking the time to read this post! I'll try to make future ones a little less...wordy.
Mèsi & Bonswa!
Melissa
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