HAITI: Project Director’s Update – 12 May 2010

Today marks the 4-month anniversary of the Haiti earthquake that permanently changed the lives of so many on 12 January, 2010. Life quietly, proudly, adamantly goes on. Here at Project Leogane we are surrounded by the pulse of progress amidst the ruins - there is heavy equipment on the roads, construction at schools, and bustle in the markets. There may seem to be rubble mountains beyond rubble mountains, but together the tenacious people of Leogane and our volunteers embody incredible heart, resilience, generosity, and solidarity. For that, may we all be profoundly touched and changed.

Extension!
Project Leogane has achieved remarkable progress in our first 12 weeks of operation. Due to the incredible scale of the needs and what we feel we are still capable to help with, Project Leogane will now run until 15 January 2011! While we expect our programs to gradually transition from early recovery and cleanup to rehabilitation and sustainable development, we will remain committed to our dual goals of benefiting the local community while providing worthwhile, enriching volunteer experiences.

If you’re interested in volunteering , please click over to our Project Leogane Volunteer Information page. The project is full through August but we anticipate some openings in May and June due to rescheduling; we expect to be able to accommodate 60 volunteers at a time on our base through January.

Rubble
Our crews have earned a reputation around town as being an incredibly hard-working, productive force! We’ve cleared 75 homes and 3 schools so far, and have begun doing technical demolition of structures that are dangerously damaged and on the verge of collapse. Often these homes are built in areas too tight for machines to maneuver, so manual work is the only way to get this done. We’ve especially been targeting “vulnerable” families – households with single-parents, female-headed households, expectant mothers, elderly, very young children, etc.

Also, thanks to a very generous donation, we now have 2 Bobcats sitting in our yard! Now we’ll be able to take our demolition and rubble clean-up work to the next level!

School Build
Getting children back in school is one of the most effective ways to re-establish routine and normalcy to the lives of youth affected by the earthquake. Two weeks ago, HODR started work on our first transitional school build. The design features a wood frame clad in metal mesh that is plastered to create a finished, masonry look without the collapse risk of block masonry construction. The structures feature earthquake-resistant bracing and hurricane strapping. They’re designed and prefabricated in a way that allows for easy installation, thus ensuring the quality of production and maximizing the opportunity for community participation in the building process. If this all sounds familiar, that’s because this is the same earthquake-resistant design that we used to build homes in West Sumatra, Indonesia earlier this year!

Local Volunteer Program
Our Local Volunteer Program in Leogane has officially launched! Community participation is a hallmark of HODR programs around the world. Initially community members started informally helping on our jobsites, and they’ve naturally transitioned into our more structured program. Three weeks in, an average of about 15 young men and women per day actively participate in the cleanup and rebuilding of their own homes, schools, and community spaces alongside our brigade of volunteers from around the world. This program is a unique opportunity for cultural exchange and professional development on all sides!

ShelterBox
ShelterBox is a Rotary project, providing families with a kit that includes all of the non-food material items that they need to survive the immediate months after a natural disaster. Due to the incredible scale and impact of this event, they’ve returned to Leogane to continue distribution and determine how they can continue to support the community in the months to come. Following a quick training on ShelterBox tent assembly, HODR volunteers registered beneficiary families, ran a tent assembly training, and distributed tents to 190 tents in the rural community of Merger.

Joint Logistics Base
Ground preparation has finally begun on our Joint Logistics Base, the multi-agency warehouse and workshop space hosted in our rear field. Working directly with a number of partner NGOs included CHF International and Canadian Red Cross, we’ll build up the space into a hub of transitional shelter prefabrication and assembly in Leogane.

Plaza Playtime
Dancing, laughing, singing, playing with children – there’s no better way to spend a day! Volunteers continue to run weekly activities for local children, adding Tuesdays and Thursdays at a local orphanage to our Saturday community program. We’ve also expanded our games and activities selected by the children to include art therapy in the program. Whether it’s using crayons, construction paper, markers, leaves, or twigs, the children have demonstrated beautiful creativity, hopes, fears, and dreams through their artwork.

Structural Evaluations
Specialized volunteers play a special role on this project, bringing their structural engineering and architecture expertise to the community through HODR. We continue to complete ATC-20 evaluations for public buildings and private residences (800 in the last week alone!), as well as talk with homeowners about repairs, identifying safe evacuation routes, and how to build back better. These evaluations clarify the true state of damaged structures and offer psychological closure to families grappling with whether to continue living in fear of a home or demolish it. All of our evaluations will be included in the national database of structural evaluations being developed by the United Nations.

ShelterQuest
ShelterQuest! We’ve finally settled on a name for the trio of New York entrepreneurs who brought their simple, cost-effective temporary shelter idea to Leogane and who have now sheltered thousands. Using lightweight PVC piping and heat-shrink boat plastic wrap, ShelterQuest creates family-sized tents for those still living in camps. Every day, volunteers help to unload materials, prefabricate tent parts, and troubleshoot aspects of the design. To date, we’ve prefabricated 1000 tents, installed 200 in camps, and have produced 80 larger units for use as classrooms.

Water System Mapping
Natural disasters often underscore the underdeveloped and poorly maintained infrastructure of vulnerable communities. Leogane is currently receiving potable water from trucks which fill large “bladders” around town – the municipal system has not been operating for years. With the goal of re-establishing long-term, sustainable water service to the town, HODR has partnered with the WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) Cluster and the municipal water authority to map the water system. Teams traced the reservoirs, pipes, and valves in the field, marking them with GPS to create a map that will help to plan current repairs and also document the system for posterity.

Field Hospital
We continue to supply volunteer “runners” who help with the logistics of day-to-day operations at our local field hospital. From finding supplies, transporting patients, and building shelves to fixing cots, repairing electrical equipment, and inventorying medications, HODR volunteers are filling the gaps and supporting the hospital in providing the highest quality of care to the residents of Leogane.

And the work goes on…
Every day, HODR volunteers find new ways to plug in and support the recovery work in Leogane, as well as to develop our base and volunteer community. Earthquake safety training continues, with over teachers trained to date in how to prepare and respond to earthquakes in the classroom and at home. Following our landlord’s announcement that he was closing the camp in our front yard, we organized and managed a distribution of shelter materials to those 70 families. We’ve prototyped furniture for school classrooms, started a composting system to handle our organic waste, helped UN OCHA to map NGO activities and divide Leogane into zones of activity, and have started working in the mayor’s office to support their operations and information management.

The Volunteers
To date 365 volunteers have joined Project Leogane from 17 different countries. Hundreds more are in the pipeline, and we're eager to put their skills, talents, creativity, and energy to use here at Project Leogane.

Visitors and Guests
The HODR base is a lively meeting point for the NGO community in Leogane! In addition to Tuesday Night (Salsa Night) at Joe’s Bar, we’ve also hosted NGO staff from ShelterBox, stART International, CHF, and GOAL. HODR board members Pete Kirkwood and Mike McQueeney have volunteered with their families, and we were even joined by the Haiti Lonely Planet author for a week of service. Check out his experience here!

***

HODR is also active around the world, raising awareness and sustaining the relationships from our international programs. Congratulations to all of our volunteers and donors for the successful conclusion of our 6-month earthquake response program in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Thank you to everyone who attended our Haiti awareness event in London in April! We have a number of upcoming events in the US as well:

• 20 May – Microbrews, wine, and Haitian-inspired tasting menu in Shawnee, Pennsylvania
• 24 May – Benefit dinner at Aldea Restaurant in NYC (One of the 10 Best New Restaurants of 2010 according to NY Magazine and GQ)
• 2-3 July – Campout for the Cause in Rancho del Rio, Colorado

If you have other events planned, please let us know so we can spread the word!

We’re three months in to our work, but it feels like we’ve just scratched the surface of what we can achieve with the community of Leogane. Thank you to all of our volunteers, donors, and followers for your hard work, love, and support.

Stefanie Chang
Project Director
Project Leogane
Hands On Disaster Response

HAITI: Project Leogane 30 Day Report

It’s been 30 days of Project Leogane, and we’re off to a running start! Check out this brief video recapping our first month of programs, as well as our Haiti photo collection on flickr.

Here’s a quick look at what we’ve been working on and how we’ve ramped up.

Rubble
In one month, we’ve cleared over 30 slabs! Land is extremely limited in the urban/semi-urban areas most affected by the earthquake, so each home that we clear is a chance at a fresh beginning, a jumpstart to the rebuilding process. Our volunteers have thrown themselves into the work, sledge hammering concrete roofs and columns, hack sawing twisted rebar, and pushing loaded wheelbarrows. Also emerging from the rubble are the stories of each family who lived there; they’ve worked alongside us to clean up, salvage what they can, and begin rebuilding.

Special thanks to the kids of Leogane who work cheerfully and energetically with our teams each day! Their attention to safety is rewarded with a wheelbarrow ride through the neighborhood. The Canadian army has also been a tremendous asset to the city of Leogane with their heavy equipment and can-do attitude. Once HODR teams fill the streets with rubble, they arrive to truck the debris away.

Wilner’s House
At one potential rubble site we noticed that the homeowner, Mr. Wilner, had a sizeable quantity of salvageable materials that could be converted into a self-built temporary shelter. Some kind of built shelter is preferable to a tent because it can be designed to have a larger floor area, higher clearance (you can stand up inside it), it can be partitioned for privacy, and it can be expanded and modified as needed. Mr. Wilner asked if we could work with him to demolish, salvage, and then rebuild. Four days later, he and his family moved in to their new shelter. The wood frame/corrugated iron roof and wall structure will keep them dry and means that they no longer need to live in a camp.

Infrastructure
One of our biggest programs has been building our own infrastructure so we can house the hundreds of volunteers scheduled to come lend a hand. We started with an enclosed basketball court/defunct nightclub and have spent the last four weeks wiring electricity, installing plumbing, outfitting a kitchen, building shelves, bunk beds, showers, and connecting the internet. Our setup is still a rustic work in progress, but it allows us to get our work done each day and enjoy a (cold bucket) shower each night! The intensive (and ongoing) infrastructure process has also allowed us to hone our skills and support other organizations with their infrastructure needs.

Hopital St. Croix Field Hospital
Next door to our base is a field hospital which will transition into the permanent medical facility for Leogane, the Hopital St. Croix. Teams of Haitian and international doctors are working together to provide a full range of clinical and hospital services at no charge to the community. HODR is supporting the hospital with both infrastructure build-out and operations/administration.

We started with a fencing project around the perimeter of the hospital; now we’ve expanded and are framing and building triage and clinic buildings. On the admin/operations front, we have a crew organizing the extensive supply/pharmacy inventory at the hospital and developing an inventory system that can be transferred to the local staff. Volunteers are also slotting in as “runners,” helping the doctors to move patients, run tests, take vitals, get supplies, and whatever else is needed to keep the hospital moving.

Ayuda Haiti Field Hospital
Another clinic/hospital in town is the Ayuda Haiti facility, which hosts a variety of medical groups. We’re working with their logistics people to build showers, hand washing stations, shelves, and more. Helping these other organizations with their infrastructure is a way for us to share our skills and support the work that these groups are doing in the community.

JLB
The HODR base may be different than you’ve ever seen it. In addition to our building, we also have a 5 acre field as a backyard. We plan to develop the field into a joint logistics base (JLB), where we’ll provide storage, prefabrication, and staging facilities to a number of partner NGOs working in the area. These NGOs are launching significant transitional shelter programs, and our combination of volunteers and space will allow us to help them in their efforts to help our neighbors here in Leogane.

To begin with, a team of Canadian Army engineers and heavy equipment operators spent 5 days building a gravel road and platform for us. Then the World Food Program (WFP) donated 2 Wiikhalls (30’x100’ tents) and a team of their engineers erected both tents in about 1 ½ days! Next is a perimeter security fence and then we hope to have multiple NGOs sharing space with us.

Team Tarp
HODR volunteers are great at exceeding expectations to the point of ridiculousness. Oxfam America contacted us because they’re cutting rolls of UV-resistant tarp into large pieces for distribution to families in camps. However, after a couple weeks of work, they weren’t processing the tarp fast enough. In 3 days, our team cranked through 120 rolls, cutting and packaging 1200 tarps and ropes for distribution. This morning, a truck picked them up, and they’re on their way into communities that need them.

Plaza Playtime
Another HODR tradition is to facilitate “safe space” play for children in the local community. Each weekend, volunteers put down their shovels and pick up soccer balls, jump ropes, and markers, for an exuberant afternoon of laughter and play. We’ve taken this program to various camps in our area, and children of all ages (adults too!) join in the games.

Hosting
With the lack of accommodation options in Leogane, we’ve been able to host multiple groups of architects and structural engineers who came as volunteers to inspect the buildings in our community.  We had special guests from the Mentor Initiative pass through our base as they strive to control mosquito born diseases in our area. Last weekend we had a team from Acupuncturists without Borders provide a group therapy session. The stress reduction treatment was needed and appreciated by the volunteers and some of the community members alike.

Thanks to our volunteers, donors, and followers for your tremendous support through this event. The momentum from those initial 3000 volunteer inquiries continues and powers us as we work, live, and learn with our neighbors in Leogane.

I’d also like to thank a few key volunteers who helped International Operations Director Marc Young, Project Director Jeremey Horan, and myself to set up and launch this program. Sinead Clear, Chris Turner, Lenka Blanarova, Gilbert Fortil, and Richardson Pierre all arrived during our setup period and have worked tirelessly to get HODR Project Leogane operational. Because of their help and that of the first wave of volunteers we are up and running!

Stefanie Chang
Project Director
Project Leogane
Hands On Disaster Response

INDONESIA: Project Sungai Geringging!

On Sunday, October 25, 2009, we opened our doors to volunteers to join us as we live and work with the people of Sungai Geringging to recover and rebuild from the recent earthquakes.

We are assisting survivors of the 7.9 earthquake which rocked Western Sumatra on 30 September, 2009, and was followed by a separate 7.0 earthquake the following day. The earthquake damaged over 200,000 homes and survivors now struggle to remove rubble and erect shelter as the rainy season quickly approaches. We anticipate working for four months, with the possibility of month-to-month extensions as needed. (If you watched this video of the assessment, you can catch a glimpse of our new base in Padang Pariaman, Sumatra, Indonesia!)

The HODR assessment team has been on the ground since 11 October, 2009, identifying key areas where volunteers can support the community's mid-term recovery. For specific details of the project and how to get involved take a look at the Volunteer Info section of this site. Please contact Tom at info@hodr.org if you are interested in joining us for Project Sungai Geringging (please put project name as the subject)!

HODR previously worked in Jogjakarta, Indonesia following a 6.3 earthquake in 2006.

Thank you for your support. Donations to our South Pacific Disaster Recovery Fund will go towards Project Sungai Geringging. You can continue to follow our progress via Twitter (@HODRops).

We hope to see you soon!

INDONESIA: Earthquake Assessment Announcement

On September 30, 2009, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Sumatra, Indonesia. In addition to severe damage in the cities of Padang and Pariaman City and surrounding areas, heavy rains and landslides that followed the earthquake resulted in additional damage and displacement. The government of Indonesia reports over 200,000 homes damaged; the majority of earthquake survivors have remained at their homes, struggling to remove rubble and erect shelter as the rainy season quickly approaches.

HODR is sending a team to Indonesia to assess whether we can establish a volunteer response project. International operations director Marc Young and project director Stefanie Chang will arrive in Jakarta on Sunday, October 11, 2009 and continue on to Padang.

HODR previously worked in Jogjakarta, Indonesia from May-October 2006 following a 6.2 earthquake.

If you're interested in volunteering at a potential Indonesia response project, we encourage you to email Tom at info@hodr.org. If you have Indonesia contacts that you're able to share, please send them to stef@hodr.org.

Thank you for your support. In addition to watching this space for updates, you can also follow the assessment team on Twitter: @HODRops. HODR is also accepting donations for our South Pacific Disaster Recovery Fund here.

PHILIPPINES: Assessment Conclusion

After a one-week assessment in the Philippines, we have decided not to launch a HODR volunteer project in response to tropical storm/typhoon Ketsana. (Local name: Ondoy).

During the course of our assessment, we visited the most critical areas in terms of people affected and homes damaged/destroyed. (Local term: ocular inspection.) In the National Capital Region (NCR), Rizal, and Laguna provinces we observed wide swaths of area that were flooded, but once the water receded there was little structural damage. Government and the local population quickly moved forward with the short-term cleanup. Some neighborhoods are still flooded and are expected to remain so through the end of the year. These areas may need rehabilitation work in the months to come, but at present they are inaccessible, susceptible to further flooding, and the extent of damage is unknown. Riverside communities clearly suffered the most devastation. The rivers, swollen by heavy rains, jumped their banks and powered through whatever stood in their path. Sadly, these areas are primarily inhabited by "informal settlers," non-landowners who have made their homes in flood-prone areas. Instead of supporting rebuilding in the same place, the government and NGO community seek to relocate these families to safer areas. The issue of exactly how to go about this procedure of relocation is complex, long term, and beyond the scope of traditional HODR programs.

When HODR looks to establish a project, we try to identify opportunities that leverage our unique strength - you, our volunteers. As a result, our programs produce tangible recovery benefits for affected communities and rewarding work experiences for volunteers. There has been suffering and damage here and there is even an ongoing need. However, the remaining needs are not in an area that HODR is well-suited to address.

We'd like to thank all of our friends and partners on the ground in the Philippines. Your valuable time and generous assistance allowed us to conduct this assessment quickly and effectively.

Next up is our "on the ground" assessment of the Sumatra earthquake in Indonesia. We hope that you will continue to follow our progress there.

As always, thank you for your support!

PHILIPPINES: Assessment Video Update

HODR dispatched an assessment team to the Philippines on Oct 3, 2009 in the wake of record flooding from tropical storm Ketsana/Ondoy. Here, the team reports on their findings during their first three days on the ground.

You can continue to follow the assessment team's progress via Twitter and flickr.

HODR is accepting donations for our South Pacific Disaster Recovery Fund.

PHILIPPINES: Typhoon Assessment – On the Ground

A HODR assessment team is on the ground in the Philippines following severe flooding from Typhoon/Tropical Storm Ketsana (local name: Ondoy). International Operations Director Marc Young and Project Director Stefanie Chang arrived in Manila on Sunday, October 4. The team is visiting the affected areas, meeting with local government units, and seeking to build partnerships within the NGO community. We are also monitoring the earthquake and tsunami situations in Indonesia, American Samoa and Western Samoa, and will determine further action in response to those disasters over the next several days as information becomes available.

Typhoon Ketsana inundated central Luzon on Saturday, September 27, 2009, and an extensive area has experienced unprecedented flooding. The National Disaster Coordinating Council reports that nearly 2 million people have been affected as authorities work to assess damages to thousands of homes.

If you're interested in volunteering at a potential Philippines response project, we encourage you to email Tom at info@HODR.org. If you have Philippines contacts that may help in our assessment, please send them to stef@HODR.org.

Thanks for your support! In addition to watching this space for updates, you can also follow the assessment team on the ground at Twitter at HODRopsIN.

HODR in San Francisco! Thursday, July 30 2009

Join HODR on Thursday, July 30 in San Francisco! Executive director David Campbell is in town and we'll be hanging out at The Royal Exchange for drinks and food from 5PM to 8PM. Volunteers, friends - everyone's welcome! We hope to see you there.

Unfortunately Marc and his mom won't be there, but David, Jeremey, John, and Stefanie will be! The Royal Exchange is right in the financial district and is just a few blocks from BART. Street parking is available.

HODR at The Royal Exchange Thursday, July 30, 5PM - 8PM 301 Sacramento St, San Francisco, CA View Larger Map & Directions

Please RSVP to stef@hodr.org

HAITI: Project Gonaives Final Report

On 28 March 2009 HODR's five-and-a-half-month project in Gonaives, Haiti drew to a close. Over the course of this project we expanded our technical skills, built new partnerships, and continued to shape the direction and spirit of this organization. Project Gonaives drew 151 volunteers from 14 nations to join hands and dig in. These volunteers contributed 32142 hours of work and directly benefited 5490 families. We estimate that we indirectly served 15000 families through our partnerships and the technology that we developed and transferred to other organizations. Here is a summary of our last month of work.

Mud Buddies
HODR was the only organized group that worked alongside individuals to clean out their homes. Without any machines, we moved more mud than anyone would have thought humanly possible. A simple task, humble work, but absolutely necessary. We helped people take a first step towards restarting their lives. We even created a mud taxonomy and whether it was marpet, slud, memud, meese, or highly desirable clud, it all ended up out on the street one bucket or one wheel barrow at a time. During our last month, local volunteers led almost all of the work crews, with almost everyone taking a turn at least once. In total, HODR volunteers completed 110 sites, allowing 310 families to return home.

CRS CFW (Catholic Relief Services Cash-for-Work)
Following a successful month-long cash-for-work program collaboration in February, CRS invited us to continue our work on a second program in March. Our team of field coordinators (HODR local alumni volunteers hired by CRS) and David E. assessed, hired, and managed 220 local residents in a cleanup program that re-established road access and drainage canals in the neighborhood of Assifa. This program, benefiting 440 families in total, also capped off months of successful collaboration between CRS and HODR, starting with our assessment back in September 2008. We are proud of our partnership with CRS and the work we did together to help the people of Gonaives.

International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) Latrine Slabs
This project was a HODR partnership with the IFRC to install 300 latrines in the village of Badjo, a rural community whose sanitation facilities were damaged in the hurricanes and subsequent flooding. HODR volunteers and local residents, lead by Aaron S., poured 330 latrine slabs over two weeks as the first step of a multi-phase project. We also prototyped and made design recommendations for the wood and tin privacy cabin, which sits on top of the slab to complete the latrine. As part of this program, we trained local workers to produce the slabs on their own. The challenges of operating in this rural community was offset by the warm people, beautiful scenery, and tasty food prepared by a local resident.

Well Masonry
In March we continued to implement the contamination-mitigating well masonry that we prototyped with UNICEF. In addition to 40 masonry installations for Oxfam Great Britain and 20 for Action Again Hunger, we closed out this program by installing on 21 wells for the families of our local volunteers. It was with great pride that volunteers worked on the wells of their peers. The skills gained over months of work were on display in our final weeks, as almost all volunteers worked on or led a well crew during this time.

Out with a Bang
In HODR tradition, we closed our project with a party to say thank you and goodbye to our friends. Our local volunteers and staff and their friends and family joined us to reflect on our collective work as well as the friendship and community that grew around us. We had amazing musical performances by creative HODR volunteers - who will ever forget Djemson’s karaoke? Neil, Keely, and Charise also performed a medley in tribute to all of our local volunteers. Kirsty put together a HODR photo slideshow, which was a bit hit. There were clearly two stars up on the screen – the volunteers, and the mud. We capped off the evening with a feast prepared by Norma and dancing to live music.

Giving it Away
The other half of HODR closedown tradition is to give the tools and materials that we've accrued to the community that has hosted us and taken care of us. We held a raffle in 3 stages, one each for local volunteers, staff, and then the general community. The grand prize of the raffle was the HODR generator that was won by long-term local volunteer Gilbert. Always fun is the actual give-away day, when the recipients come to our base to carry away their winnings. We saw fans carried away on the knees of motorbike drivers, beds carried away atop heads (the generator left in a wheelbarrow), and smiles, smiles, smiles.

HODR? No... IFRC
Although HODR no longer inhabits the former Hotel Sterling, we are happy to report our base continues to nurture and facilitate productive work. In recognition of the challenges of finding and establishing a base of operation, the IFRC decided to take over our facility upon our exit. We negotiated an agreement and turned over our base to the IFRC, equipping them with basic work tools and household infrastructure to continue their work in the area. IFRC plans to work through August 2009 on shelter and distribution programs, continuing the long and gradual process of recovery.

*****

Project Gonaives was the most collaborative effort to date for the international operations of HODR. It is in part because of these relationships that we (and they) were able to help so many survivors of the 2008 hurricane season. We are thankful for our partnerships with the wonderful people of CRS, UNICEF, Oxfam Intermon, Oxfam Great Britain, IFRC, UN OCHA, OIM, and Action Against Hunger.

We would also like to thank our staff for their steady support throughout our project. Thanks to Jacob for his unflappable guidance and impeccable translation. Thank you Norma, Anata, Oranitte for keeping our bellies full with the best of Haitian cuisine and taking care of us at the base. Thanks to Michelet and Cadem for their watchful presence in our yard. Thanks to Raoul, Noel, Gerard, and Sylvain for keeping our teams moving around town. Finally, thanks to Gedeon for shuttling our volunteers to and from Gonaives.

We owe tremendous thanks to all of our volunteers. An early turning point of Project Gonaives was when a young man, a local resident by the name of Luckner, asked if he could help. He was the first of what would grow to a 30-person local volunteer program, contributing 7112 hours of volunteer service. In the past we actively engaged the beneficiary community to participate in our programs. We have had hundreds of community members do everything from cut down trees to help us build schools, but this time was different. This group of local volunteers worked with us every day, all over the city on all of our projects. Their strength helped us move mountains of mud, their cultural knowledge helped us navigate complex societal norms, and their language skills helped us daily on the worksites. Finally their passion, desire, and drive won our hearts. It was through their efforts that we came to understand and love Haiti. Mesi ampil! We were also joined by 120 foreign volunteers from 14 different countries. It is the energy, creativity, and willingness to help of all our volunteers that moved this project from its beginning to its ultimate success. It is because of you that we exist, it is because of you that people receive help, and it is because of you that we will continue our work.

I'd also like to give a special thanks to John Hancock, Project Gonaives project coordinator who worked with me from assessment to closedown. John's valuable insight and experience were critical in establishing partnerships, shaping the local volunteer program, and ultimately in ensuring the success of Project Gonaives.

In five and a half months, we shoveled mud , cleaned a school, played games with children, managed distributions, assessed homes, wells, and families, trained NGO staff on GPS, built latrines, and installed well masonry and much, much more. We worked, laughed, ate, hurt, shared, grew, loved, sweated, and when it was over, I cried. Thank you to all of our volunteers, donors, and HODR family for your support throughout Project Gonaives.

Until we meet again,
Stefanie Chang
Project Director
Project Gonaives - Haiti

ITALY: L’Aquila Earthquake Assessment

Hands On Disaster Response will dispatch an assessment team to the Abruzzo region of Italy in the aftermath of the powerful 6.3 earthquake that struck Monday, 6 April 2009. The damage to schools, churches, and homes is significant with an estimated 28,000 people left homeless. HODR executive director David Campbell and international operations director Marc Young will meet in Rome on 20 April 2009, once the emergency phase has ended, to begin an assessment and evaluate the need for a HODR project.

If you have local contacts in Italy that may assist in the assessment (e.g. area residents, translators or community leaders), please email Marc at Marc@HODR.org. If you are interested in volunteering in Italy, should a project develop, please email Tom at info@HODR.org.

Watch over the shoulder of the assessment team by following us at twitter.com/HODRopsIN and click here for the most recent updates.

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