CHILE: Earthquake Update

On Saturday February 27, 2010 an 8.8 earthquake struck Chile.

The United Nations confirmed Monday, March 1 that Chile had requested assistance and the UN was ready to help. Chile asked for mobile bridges, field hospitals with dialysis centers, satellite phones, electric generators, salt water purification systems and field kitchens, according to Elizabeth Byrs of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Megan Mattson said the Chilean government “has not yet accepted additional offers of assistance, pending the completion of an assessment of specific needs.” She noted Santiago’s airport remained closed to foreign aid.

At this time, based on HODR’s current engagements in Indonesia and Haiti, we are not planning to send an assessment team.

SmarterTravel: Vacations with a Heart

Vacations With a Heart:
Voluntourism Opportunities Around the World

by Jaclyn Liechti, SmarterTravel.com Staff – February 11, 2010

What better time to show your love for the world than Valentine’s Day? Volunteer vacations provide a way to lend a helping hand, whether it’s across the globe or close to home. And with Disney’s new Give a Day, Get a Disney Day promotion, you can even earn a free ticket to a Disney park. Whether you want to spend a few weeks building communities, or just tack on an extra day to your vacation, you can make a difference by donating your time and efforts to places in need.

Disaster Relief

With the Haiti earthquake so fresh in the minds of people around the world, many are seeking to do more than donate money. Currently, most organizations are not taking volunteers for service in Haiti, but keep an eye out for announcements from organizations like the Red Cross, United Way, Oxfam, and others on ways you can help. One charity, Hands On Disaster Response, just announced Project Leogane, and volunteers can sign up to help remove rubble and eventually build transitional shelters. There is no fee to help out, but airfare is not covered by the organization.

Five years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is still trying to recover from the disastrous effects, and those interested in volunteering relief assistance have a variety of options. New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity provides opportunities for groups or for individuals with all levels of experience, and volunteers can serve for a minimum of one day, leaving plenty of time to explore the jazz clubs and cuisine of the city. The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau lists several more opportunities for volunteers, including painting and landscaping with Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans; repairing homes with Beacon of Hope; gutting and rebuilding houses and mentoring with Katrina Corps; and many others. Tourists can also assist in the recovery of City Park by helping to plant trees and plants; although much of the debris has been cleared away, the park is still in long-range recovery to replace what was lost. Most organizations require a minimum of a half day or one day of service. Some of the groups request a small fee ($10 to $50) to cover equipment, insurance, and administration costs.

Indonesia is still recovering from the devastating earthquakes that shook the nation in September 2009. Hands on Disaster Response’s Project Sungai Geringging in Sumatra is accepting volunteers through April 2 to assist with salvaging materials, building transitional shelters, and more. The organization provides housing, meals, and tools at no charge, but travelers must pay their own transportation costs. There is no minimum time requirement, which means that those interested in seeing the rest of the country can drop in for a day before heading out to see the sights, or stay as long as there is a need for help.

The recent floods in Peru have displaced many people, including those in the Ccaccaccollo community, where Planeterra provides tours to a women’s weaving co-op through Gap Adventures. The organization is asking all travelers to Cusco, including those on its Cusco Kids Project and Project Peru volunteer vacations, to bring donations of blankets, sleeping bags, tents, and dried food to the Hotel Tupac Yupanqui.

Teaching

Although many teaching programs require long-term commitments, there are several organizations that offer shorter vacations for English speakers. Global Volunteers, a private, non-profit organization, offers volunteer vacations to teach conversational English in countries such as Ecuador, Ghana, Italy, Poland, and Vietnam. All that’s needed is a native level of speaking, and standard programs are two weeks, though shorter, one-week trips are also available. In Italy, for example, volunteers will teach middle and high school students for a standard 40-hour week, and have weekends free to explore the Puglia region. The trip costs range from $995 to $3,195, and include lodging, meals, in-country transportation, and a project donation; the fee is also tax deductible. Additionally, returning volunteers, families, and students receive a discount on the price.

Work & Volunteering Abroad (WAVA) also provides volunteers with opportunities to teach in other countries, either in a formal or informal setting. In Prague, English-speakers can spend three weeks with a Czech family assisting children with English skills. The cost of £490 (about $671, see XE.com for current conversion rates) covers meals and accommodations in a homestay. Or, volunteers can spend two or more weeks teaching in a secondary school in Uganda. For stays shorter than one month, guests can teach sports or painting to students. The program fee starts from £420 (about $575) and includes a project donation, lodging, and meals.

Environmental Conservation

Environmental voluntourism can take many different forms, from sea turtle conservation to hiking trail construction, and opportunities exist both near and far. The American Hiking Society offers six- to ten-day volunteer vacations year-round in several states, including Hawaii, Minnesota, and West Virginia. Volunteers can help eliminate invasive weeds in Alaska’s Chugach National Forest, repair the Shepherd Pass Trail in California, or help stop trail erosion in Virgin Islands National Park. Nonmembers can join the trips for a $275 ($250 if registered before February 28) fee, which includes meals, park fees, a crew leader, and often airport pickups. Accommodations for most trips are based on camping, and participants must provide their own tents, as well as airfare costs.

Sierra Club members can take advantage of service trips that help preserve public lands but still offer time to explore a destination. Its volunteer vacations are typically less expensive than its other outings, but still include plenty of time for leisure activities. Offerings this year include removing non-native plants at Point Reyes National Seashore in California. This week-long trip includes two days off for exploring the surrounding area, and the price of $595 includes meals, accommodations, and necessary tools. Members can also take an eight-day expedition to assist the U.S. Forest Service on various projects in Kentucky’s beautiful Red River Gorge. One free day and one day dedicated to boating in Mill Lake or hiking provide ample opportunities to explore this national natural landmark. The $375 trip price includes meals and necessary tools; participants must bring their own tents. Membership to the Sierra Club is available for a nominal $15 donation.

The Earthwatch Institute is a global program that offers expeditions around the world ranging from three days to two weeks. Participants can assist with archaeology, ocean health, and threatened animals. Trips for 2010 include assisting with research at the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia; counting lizards or frogs, tagging vine species, and testing ways to sustainably manage tropical rainforests in Puerto Rico; and studying small mammals or coyotes in New York City. Prices and their inclusions vary.

Gap Adventures also provides opportunities to work with and protect endangered or threatened animals. Project China is a two-week expedition through Shanghai, Xi’an, and Beijing. Five days are spent volunteering at the Bifengxia Panda Center, and the rest of the time is used to explore the Terra Cotta soldiers, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and other Chinese sites. The trip costs $1,899, which includes orientation walks of Shanghai and Xi’an; tours of the Shaolin Kung Fu Display, the Terracotta Warriors, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square; the volunteer stay at the Panda Reserve; in-country transport; and accommodations. The 15-day Project Costa Rica tour includes five days on a Sea Turtle Conservation Project monitoring a baby turtle hatchery, counting and releasing baby turtles, and cleaning the beach. The remainder of the trip provides time to explore the Monteverde cloud forest and the town of La Fortuna. The $949 price tag covers a horseback riding excursion, a guided visit to the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, the sea turtle conservation project, some meals, in-country transportation, and accommodations.

Community Building

Habitat for Humanity works in many cities and towns across the United States, but it also offers volunteer vacations with its Global Village program, through which travelers help construct houses and spend a few days exploring an area. Trips range from far-flung destinations such as Kenya, New Zealand, Poland, and Brazil to U.S. locations, including Alaska, Mississippi, and South Carolina. International trips cost between $1,200 and $2,500, while U.S. trips cost between $900 and $1,900. Costs include room and board, travel insurance, and a donation, but airfare is additional.

Gap Adventures offers several volunteer vacations that promote community in different ways. The nine-day Project Ecuador Highlands includes five days helping an indigenous family with daily activities, volunteering at the local daycare and school, or working on the organic farm. For one person, the cost is $839, but groups of two or three can save about $200 per person. The price also incorporates guided tours to the equator, indigenous villages, and Peguche Waterfall and Cuicocha Lake; a visit to Otavalo Market; some meals; in-country transportation; and accommodations. During the 10-day Project Galapagos vacation, travelers will volunteer with the local community to build an eco-playground out of recycled materials, and have time to visit the Charles Darwin Research Station and swim, dive, and snorkel in the crystal-blue waters. The trip cost of $1,299 includes accommodations, but not meals or airfare.

Globe Aware, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization, offers volunteer vacations around the globe, including Brazil, Jamaica, Romania, and Thailand. In Romania, travelers will spend a week improving a kindergarten, building homes, or working with needy children. The price of $1,390 includes meals, accommodations, on-site transport, administrative costs, and a donation. The Thailand expedition focuses on assisting Buddhist monks by helping at a nursery, teaching basic English, giving fundamental computer instruction, assisting the elderly, and other outreach activities. The cost for the week-long trip includes the same amenities as the Romania trip for $1,090.

Destinations

If you already have a vacation planned or have your heart set on a certain destination, it’s still possible to volunteer your time with local organizations. Many convention and visitors bureaus have a voluntourism section on their websites. For example, travelers to Aruba can sponsor a mile of beach on the third Wednesday of each month. In Colorado, visitors can spend three days building or re-routing trails with the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative. And if you’re heading to Vancouver for the Olympics, opportunities for volunteering include pulling invasive ivy with the Stanley Park Ecology Society on February 13 or 28 (contact the park for more details and further dates).

Your Turn

The opportunities for volunteer vacations are nearly endless, and I’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg. What trips sound like the most fun to you? Have you taken a voluntourism expedition? Do you know of any organizations or expeditions not mentioned here? Please share in the comments section below. [Visit this article at SmarterTravel.com to share your comments on their website.]

MEDIA RELEASE:
Important Message for Volunteers in the Immediate Aftermath of Haiti Earthquake

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 13, 2010
For more information please contact:
Beca Howard, Communications Manager
781.570.9412Beca@HODR.org

IN IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF TRAGIC EARTHQUAKE, HANDS ON DISASTER RESPONSE SENDS IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO THOSE INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING

CARLISLE, MA, USA 1/13/2010 – On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake followed by a series of strong aftershocks devastated Haiti. Initial reports indicate overwhelming damage in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, affecting an estimated 3 million people with as many as 100,000 lives lost. Hands On Disaster Response (HODR), a US-based 501(c)3 nonprofit, has launched an emergency appeal and assessment in response to the recent earthquake, and has created the Haiti Earthquake Recovery Fund to accept monetary donations to support these efforts. The seasoned volunteer coordination organization welcomes interest from volunteers, but cautions that search and rescue missions are still underway.

“We had an incredibly successful six-month project in Haiti last year, and are anxious to be of assistance again,” says David Campbell, Founder and Executive Director of HODR who plans to return to Haiti as part of the organization’s assessment team. “That being said, we are not a search and rescue or medical response organization. In the immediate aftermath of such a tragic event, we need to let search and rescue efforts do their work before any potential volunteer initiatives can be explored, and I encourage those interested in volunteering to be patient as emergency services take their course.”

The HODR assessment team is reaching out to local networks and agencies in Haiti and plans to arrive in Haiti next week. The organization will be meeting with local officials, visiting affected areas and evaluating the recovery needs in order to determine further involvement and the potential for volunteer projects.

Often, following large-scale natural disasters there is an overwhelming need for able and willing hands to help families pick up the pieces and move forward. HODR harnesses the power of volunteers to bring direct assistance to survivors of natural disasters in the US and around the world. The organization has responded to 13 natural disasters in seven countries, including a deployment in Haiti from October 2008 to March 2009 in response to Hurricane Ike and a series of other hurricanes. Those interested in volunteering, should HODR launch a project in the coming weeks, are encouraged to stay tuned to the organization’s website at www.HODR.org for the latest updates from the assessment team.

HODR programs are tailored to the unique needs of each community and range from debris removal to rebuilding homes and schools. In the organization’s hurricane response project in Haiti, volunteers assisted more than 5,000 families through programs such as “mud removal” (digging homes out from severe mudslides) and well masonry. HODR is actively engaged in a volunteer project in Indonesia in response to the September 2009 earthquakes, focusing on home deconstruction and transitional shelters.

To make a tax-deductible donation to the Haiti Earthquake Recovery Fund in support of HODR’s efforts please visit www.HODR.org/HaitiEarthquake today.

For more information on HODR and how to help, visit the organization’s website at www.HODR.org and follow our team on Twitter @HODRops

For media inquiries, please contact Beca Howard – 781.570.9412, Beca@HODR.org
For donation information, please contact Andrew Kerr – 919.830.3573, Andrew@HODR.org

About Hands On Disaster Response:
Hands On Disaster Response (HODR) is a MA-based, 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides hands-on assistance to survivors of natural disasters around the world, with maximum impact and minimum bureaucracy. By supporting volunteers with housing, meals, tools, and organized work at no charge HODR is able to provide free and effective response services to communities in need. The organization welcomes both returning volunteers as well as spontaneous volunteers, people not previously affiliated with any disaster organization, but who are willing to help with whatever needs to be done – from clearing rubble to building homes and schools, from sanitation projects to children’s programs. Previous projects include: Indonesia (2009 Earthquakes – On-going project), New York (2009 Flooding), Arkansas (2009 Tornado), Haiti (2008-2009 Hurricanes), Iowa (2008 Flooding), Missouri (2008 Tornado), Arkansas (2008 Tornado), Bangladesh (2007-2008 Cyclone), Peru (2007-2008 Earthquake), Philippines (2006 Typhoon), Indonesia (2006 Earthquake), Mississippi (2005-2006 Hurricane Katrina), and Thailand (2004 Tsunami). For more information or to donate visit www.HODR.org.

HAITI: Earthquake Assessment

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, a massive 7.0 earthquake and dozen aftershocks struck Haiti, near the capital of Port-au-Prince. Initial reports are of overwhelming damage in the capital city, affecting an estimated 3 million people.

HODR has launched an assessment team to determine how and where we can be most effective in the recovery efforts. Search and rescue will be critical over the next weeks, and then the work of helping the country recover will begin. Our team arrived in Haiti January 21. We have been and will continue to network with contacts from our 2008-2009 Haiti hurricane response (Project Gonaives) as well as other responding agencies, and meeting with local officials, visiting affected areas and evaluating the recovery needs in order to determine further involvement and the potential for volunteer projects.

To support our efforts please make a donation to our Haiti Earthquake Response Fund today. If you are interested in volunteering, please read our Volunteer Info page.

We will update www.HODR.org as more information becomes available. You can also follow us on Twitter @HODRops for daily updates and progress.

View our 1/23/10 “Notes from the Field” by clicking here.

For media inquiries, please contact Beca Howard – 781.570.9412, Beca@HODR.org
For donation information, please contact Andrew Kerr – 919.830.3573, Andrew@HODR.org

Thank you for your interest in supporting HODR and the people of Haiti in their time of need.

INDONESIA: Project Sungai Geringging Update – Week 12

PROJECT EXTENSION
Project Sungai Geringging will be accepting volunteers until April 2, 2010! Please join us in helping West Sumatra recover from the devastating earthquakes of September 2009. We have some great projects currently running and more exciting things in the pipeline. If you are unable to volunteer at the moment we could use your help in other ways; please see our donation page and check out other ways you can help.

THE NUMBERS
Almost three months into the project, and already we’ve welcomed nearly 150 volunteers from 19 countries! Since we opened our doors on the 25th October, we’ve clocked up over 19,000 volunteer hours of service in the community! A huge thank you to all the hard-working, dust-loving volunteers, donors, and supporters who have made this an incredible first three months here in West Sumatra. Here’s a look at what we’ve accomplished so far.

T-SHELTER PROGRAM
We broke ground for our first transitional shelter in Sungai Geringging this week! (On the first day alone the volunteer team built the entire wooden frame!) We modeled our 24 square meter home on a design originated by the Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN). The earthquake-resistant structure (timber frame, plastered concrete walls, and galvanized iron roof) will last for years. The timbers are laid out and pre-cut and the roof trusses built at the HODR base; then the homeowner beneficiary works with a team of volunteers to begin the set-up. The homeowner builds the foundation and floor, provides the windows and doors from their salvaged materials, and contributes to the labor for building the home; the whole process takes only about a week! This is one of the most substantial shelter-building projects HODR has been involved in. If you would like to sponsor a home for one of the most needy and earthquake-impacted families, please give today.

DECON 5 (Deconstruction)
One of our staple programs in Project Sungai Geringging is the “safeing” of unstable homes; those deemed too dangerous to inhabit or rebuild. To date we have taken down 58 structures and created clean slabs for homeowners to rebuild on. As part of this program, we’ve also developed a ‘Safe Deconstruction’ community awareness poster and reference information. These materials have been shared with other organizations and are currently being used to support their outreach programs.

SALVAGE
Following the decon phase a swarm of volunteers swing into action, disassembling the roof and salvaging windows, doors, wood, bricks and/or stone. The work is hard and long but the value of the re-usable construction materials makes it all worthwhile (especially when the ice cream man stops by!). A special thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who have toiled in the hot sun or rain to see this work through.

SCHOOL DRR (disaster risk reduction)
At a nightly All-Hands meeting, two volunteers commented that when we had a recent 6.0 earthquake they observed schoolchildren appropriately flee their classrooms only to take shelter under a damaged school roof across the yard. They suggested something should be done…. and something has. A team of volunteers created earthquake safety procedures, evacuation plans and drills, and disaster education activities for children. To date we’ve brought the program to 10 schools and will develop a teacher guide so that these skills are passed on after HODR’s program concludes.

IBU FOUNDATION PATHWAY
HODR, working in close collaboration with IBU Foundation built 30m of concrete footpath at a remote water catchment/pumping facility. The plant supplies water to more than 1,200 local families and was surrounded by a nearly impassable mud trail. IBU rebuilt the building following the earthquakes and invited HODR to help lay out, place the river rock base, and pour the finish surface of the walk. It was an “all hands” morning, where the full team of HODR volunteers set to moving tons of material from the closest road, through the coconut trees, down a hill, across the river, and up terraced rice paddies to the construction site, a distance of 500m (or more depending on how heavy your load)! I suppose it’s easier to push a heavy wheelbarrow when you’re in a beautiful setting.

IBU FOUNDATION WATER CATCHMENT CLEANING
It was like a day at the beach. Except it was miles inland, the water was actually flowing, and there was no sand – only algae. A team of HODR volunteers armed with scrub brushes, shorts, and micro-weave nets descended into the above-mentioned water plant storage tanks for a good scrubbing. The algae build-up was no match for their energy and was cleaned without a trace after a day’s work. It was also unusual to have a team return from a day’s work in the field cleaner than when they left!

VDO’s
I have always felt that some of the most creative thinkers in the world volunteer their time at HODR projects. I have attended hundreds and hundreds of nightly “all hands meetings” and heard probably thousands of “reports from the field” at those meetings, but a few weeks ago I heard the best report ever, honestly! Three volunteers stood and performed a work recap/rap parody of a Saturday Night Live parody complete with beat box, dancing, and of course rap. The response of the other volunteers was uproarious and the next day they recorded their own video. You can see it and other creative videos uploaded to YouTube. In the weeks to come, we’ll be adding more volunteer-made videos detailing the work and the day-to-day here in Indonesia.

I would like to give a special thank you to Stefanie Chang who will be leaving Project Sungai Geringging to lead our earthquake assessment team headed to Haiti. I have worked with Stef for the past 3+ years and can think of no one who is more qualified in that role, however she will be missed here in West Sumatra. Be careful and all the best to Stef, David Campbell, and Jeremey Horan on the assessment.

-Marc Young
Operations Director, Project Sungai Geringging

HAITI EARTHQUAKE: Monitoring the Situation

On Tuesday January 12, 2010, a major earthquake of magnitude 7.0 struck Haiti. We are monitoring the situation and reaching out to networks and friends from our 2008-2009 Haiti hurricane response to help us gain local information and perspective.

We will post more information and any HODR updates over the next several days as more details become available. Stay tuned to www.HODR.org for the most current posts, and follow our International Team via Twitter at twitter.com/HODRops

NH Public Radio: Helping After the Tsunami

Five years ago the Southeast Asian tsunami struck, triggered by a 9.0 earthquake, one of the largest in history. The level of devastation shocked the world and motivated many, including HODR’s founder and Executive Director David Campbell, to do something to help those in desperate need. David traveled to Thailand, encountered many other individuals who had similarly showed up with a pure desire to help, and Hands On Disaster Response was born.

Click here to listen to an interview with HODR’s Executive Director David Campbell on New Hampshire Public Radio’s ‘Word of Mouth’ program about what he encountered in Thailand back in 2005 and what HODR’s been up to since. December 24, 2009.

www.nhpr.org

Community Stories: Ibu Kasmabati, Indonesia

This is Ibu Kasmabati and her Mother (70 yrs), amidst the ruins of their family home in Sungai Geringging, Indonesia. On 30 September 2009, the 1st of two earthquakes struck West Sumatra and destroyed the dwelling that had housed their extended family since 1965.

Kasmabati works security and cleaning at the elementary school while her husband, Wan, sells chickens in the local market and works as a day laborer. Kasmabati and Wan’s joint income falls below the average monthly income for the area of $70 USD. Almost all of Kasmabati’s wages go towards uniforms, books, and school supplies for their 3 children, leaving the family with only Wan’s income to rebuild and meet the rest of the family’s needs.

HODR volunteers worked with Wan to deconstruct the home and salvage valuable materials for rebuilding. The trauma of seeing their collapsed home is now over and the rebuilding process begins.

With your donations and support we can help more families like theirs. With $250 we can supply a team of volunteers with tools to deconstruct earthquake-condemned homes, providing a clean slate to rebuild and as many as two-months-wages’ worth of salvaged bricks. With $700 we can support 20 volunteers for one week – that’s more than 1,000 volunteer hours helping families in need! We’re developing a shelter program, and while we’re still hammering out the details, for about $1,500 USD we hope to be able to build a family a transitional shelter, providing a safe place to live during the long process of rebuilding – currently many families are still living in tents.

Please give us millions of dollars so we can keep helping families in need. Okay, I guess we understand if you can’t give millions. But we do hope you’ll do all you can in this season of giving to help us provide safe space and shelter to Kasmabati & Wan, and other families like theirs. Your gift makes a direct impact.

Wishing you and yours all the best this holiday season!!
Thanks for your support!
-The HODR Team

INDONESIA: Project Sungai Geringging Update – Week 6

Wow, what an amazing start to Project Sungai Geringging (still love saying that!). We opened our doors on 25 October 2009 and in the following weeks have had 65 volunteers, representing 13 countries spanning the globe from Indonesia to Canada to Ireland to Russia to Lebanon!

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 the ruins and erect shelter as the rainy season quickly approaches.

Decon 5 (deconstruction)
We started with it on Day 1 and we’re still busy with it – deconstruction of rural homes. During the earthquake homes shook violently and walls buckled, often leaving the roof intact. Although the affected population of Padang Pariaman is proactively working to reclaim their ruined homes, many are so severely damaged that it is beyond the community’s ability to deal with the unstable structure. So the homes sit as a haunting reminder, precariously waiting to fall. The HODR hard hat team analyzes the structure, creates a safe working environment, re-claims salvageable materials, then in a controlled fashion brings the roof to the ground. Once the overhead hazard has been eliminated, volunteers busily remove the corrugated metal (aka zinc/galvanized iron/GI), disassemble the wooden trusses, and separate usable brick/stone from mortar. To date we have assisted in the safe deconstruction of 21 homes and 1 elementary school.

Salvage
The driving force behind what we are doing is not only the elimination of unsafe structures but also the salvage of rebuilding materials. Doors, windows, ventilation block, wood, and zinc are all high value items in this area and everything we salvage translates directly to a cost saving when rebuilding. We have seen families utilizing their salvaged materials almost as quickly as we create it, turning the recycled pieces into temporary shelters and kitchens. The local household income for our area is equal to about US$70.00 per month, and our brick salvage efforts alone equates to about 2 months wages!

Infrastructure
As our numbers swell, we’ve been keeping one step ahead with the build-out of our base. Our house starts as a blank slate (a pretty spacious fantastic blank slate), and over the weeks we’ve brought in bunks, built shelves, erected large canvas tents to increase the sleeping space and common areas, and expanded our rainwater catchment system to supply our water. If you arrive at the project today, it should look like the familiar HODR setup that you’ve seen at our other projects around the world. Thanks to all the volunteers who have worked at the base, making it a more comfortable and efficient place from which to run our work in the field.

1st Time & Repeat Volunteers
One of the highest compliments to our organization is to have a volunteer repeat their service at another project. We are proud of our programs and the work our return volunteers enable us to do (38% of volunteers on this project). Project Sungai Geringging is breaking some new ground on our international front with a high percentage of 1st time volunteers (62% of volunteers on this project). It is an honor to have so many people willing to fly almost around the world to join us on their first HODR experience. Thank you!

School #9
Although, schools (particularly primary schools) suffered heavy damages in the earthquake, resources for temporary classrooms were quickly mobilized and many now sport rows of temporary timber/plywood classrooms – a more conducive learning environment than hot canvas tents! However these temporary classrooms are often built right next to a precariously damaged masonry school building. Our deconstruction team worked side by side with local volunteers to “safe” an elementary school in a neighboring korong (neighborhood). The work was complicated and the scale was much bigger than the single-family homes we have been working on. Nonetheless, we brought the huge trusses down and salvaged tin that was quickly used to construct new temporary classrooms. Now, a new 3-classroom school building is under construction on the very site we helped demolish and clear.

Teaching English
On many of our international projects we have the opportunity to help students learn and practice English. In this case a local high school teacher invited our volunteers to come to his classes and engage students in conversational English with his students. Now, 2 days a week our volunteers engage high school students in topics ranging from life at home to life on the go.

Distribution
Project Sungai Geringging has been helped by many people so far, one of them being Pak Andreas, an Indonesian businessman based in Jakarta. He continued his support in the form of a donation of hygiene, household, and food items to be distributed to our neighbors. Our volunteers unpacked, inventoried, sorted, and repackaged the goods in suitable portions and will distribute them with the help of local Posko (community-based information exchange) organizers. In all more than 500 beneficiary families will receive needed items!

Malalak Safari
HODR is always looking for opportunities to help communities in need and for ways to engage our volunteers in meaningful programs, often in partnership with other organizations. One week ago, we started working with IBU Foundation, an Indonesian NGO at work in Agam (the district just north of us) where they are building an IDP (internally-displaced persons) camp. These families lost their entire community in earthquake-induced landslides, and now they’re working with IBU to build shelters, water systems, and latrines in their new home.

So far our work with IBU Foundation has taken us to Sini Air camp. As a HODR satellite project, our volunteer team lives and works away from our main base. In this case, they’re living in the IDP camp in a remote area (more remote than Sungai Geringging!) with no infrastructure. In the first round of this project, we installed 10 rainwater catchment systems on the transitional shelters; this week we return to help construct 2 communal latrine blocks.

People & Place
Part of a HODR project is experiencing the community we live and work in. Sungai Geringging has been friendly and welcoming to the volunteers who have come here to help. “Hello Mister!” and cheerful motorbike horn beeps ring out wherever we pass. Volunteers have become an established presence at the local warungs (streetside food stands) and in the market. We were even invited to a local wedding party! Volunteers have also explored the area on their own, taking weekend trips to Bukittinggi, hiking up local volcano Gunung Merapi, and renting boats off the beach in Pariaman. Through these activities, we gain a better understanding of the people and the place of Padang Pariaman. (Ok fine, the trips to Bukittinggi might just result in appreciation for the Big Bucket at KFC.)

With two and a half months of Project Sungai Geringging left, there’s plenty of time to come and volunteer! Taking it one house at a time, we’ll continue our deconstruction/salvage work as well as expand the diversity of our programs with the community and NGOs, bringing Sungai Geringging closer to the path to recovery.

Marc Young
International Operations Director
Hands On Disaster Response

A Day in the Life of a Volunteer – Project Sungai Geringging

Hi from Project Sungai Geringging!

In response to the recent earthquakes in Indonesia more than 50 volunteers from 11 countries have pitched in to help get the community back on its feet, and we’re excited to share this video that was put together by volunteers on-project. Thanks for your support!

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