Water-Life-Hope

From the mountaintop continued

2011-12-12T13:34:00.000-05:00

Posted

From the mountaintop continued

2011-12-12T13:33:00.000-05:00

Posted by Ed

From the mountaintop

2011-12-12T13:31:00.000-05:00

Posted by Ed

In the valley continued

2011-12-12T13:15:00.000-05:00

Posted by Ed

In the valley continued

2011-12-12T13:13:00.000-05:00

Posted by Ed

In the valley continued

2011-12-12T13:12:00.000-05:00

In the valley continued

2011-12-12T12:47:00.000-05:00

Posted by Ed

In the valley continued

2011-12-12T12:42:00.000-05:00

In the valley

2011-12-12T12:41:00.000-05:00

Haiti Trip

2011-12-09T12:38:00.004-05:00

I expected devastation, unending poverty and desolation. Instead, I saw progress and hope. Haiti is still the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Most people still don't have running water and electricity. Many people are still living in tents in Port-au-Prince after the earthquake. But - as we drove down the paved highway (which was only a bumpy gravel road before), I saw people working and building homes. I saw trucks hauling away the rubble of the earthquake. I saw communities of people coming together to grow trees to plant on the side of a mountain. I saw a community come together to dig a hole 53 feet into the ground - with only rope, a shovel and a bucket - because they were being given a pump and a filtration system with the money raised by Ed and with the help of Food for the Poor. Where once I thought that the only help for Haiti was in giving them food and access to water to simply survive, I now saw a society that has a future that can be self-sustaining. I saw communities of people who have taken the helping hand and have lifted themselves up. I saw people who were craving to work, to help themselves and to grow. What I learned is that we are making a difference. That the people who reached out after the earthquake and gave of themselves and their money - have changed Haiti for the better. And that the people of Haiti are not only grateful, but are taking themselves to a higher place because of it.

Self-Assessment

2011-12-08T16:07:00.007-05:00

What's your charitable-personality type? This profile tool was developed based on data shared among several of us, that was verified by others of us, and validated by all of us, over several beers.

Are you...
1. The primary guilt ridden type (aka the weight of the world carrier)? - This charitable personality type feels guilty about most things. The guilt may have originated from multiple sources, but based on self-reports the most effective of the sources is mothers.

2. The pure of heart, selfless, lover of humankind? If you have self-identified as this type, well, nothing else to say.

3. The endorphine seeker? People who do kind acts tend to be happier. If you self-identify as the endorphine seeker, use the red "donate" button at the side in the same way you would use a morphine pump after surgery. The more you press it, the better you'll feel.
[Interesting aside: industrialized countries have higher rates of depression than non-industrialized countries, and Haiti has a far lower rate of suicide than most countries]
4. The secondary guilt ridden type? - Unlike type 1s, type 4s don't feel guilty about everything, just about indulging in American excess. If you self-identify as a #4, seek out a #2 for assistance.

5. The penance doer? - For type 5s the "give back" has to be a bit painful or it doesn't count. This should not be confused with a general type A personality. To distinguish, identify which of the following you find yourself thinking: (a) "pressing a button is too easy, it should be harder and more uncomfortable" or, (b) "pressing a donate button is not independent, innovative or impressive enough." If your thoughts tend toward (a) you most likely are a penance doer; if (b) you're likely a general type A (possibly AA) personality.

Please report your results ... or not.

On a serious note, if you are moved to give to this project, I really appreciate your support. If not, I really appreciate your support. Ultimately, if following our project energizes you to do something for someone or some cause that you are drawn to, I'm glad. Ed, that's what you did for me. Thank you.

Haiti

2011-12-07T21:50:00.001-05:00

In a fishing village in Haiti, Haitians travel out to the lake twice a day to feed the fish they have in these cages. The fish are raised and then sold at market, creating a self-sustaining village.

Although happy, the disparity between the girls and the boys in this village still remains. Haitian kids can only go to school if they have shoes and uniforms. The boys can go to school because they have been donated shoes, but the girls still need shoes to go to school.

These villagers were told that if they dug until they found water, that they would get a filtration system and a pump for the well to have running water. These villagers dug this 53 foot hole with a shovel , a bucket and a rope. One person would climb into the hole and hang on a rope held by others, and use a shovel to dig the dirt, which was sent up bucket by bucket. With the money raised by our group and through Food for the Poor's assistance, these villagers will have the pump and system next week. I was impressed by the dedication that this village showed to helping themselves, with just a little assistance from others.

At the Food for the Poor feeding center in Port-au-Prince, people can now come and fill up their buckets with water.

Our group -me (Amanda Farahany), Sheryl McCalla and Ed Buckley fill a bucket of water at an artesian well. Kids are sent here daily to get water to take to their homes and families.

In Vialet, the community works together to raise the children and create a better life for them.

In this village, led by a strong woman leader, the villagers are raising trees to plant on the side of the mountain to stop the erosion. In the past, Haitians have deforested the countryside, and with 100,000 trees (seeds donated by Food for the Poor), the mountainside will once again have trees covering and stop the flooding into the village.

2011-12-07T21:48:00.000-05:00

Sheryl McCalla

The children of Vialet. The boys have shoes, and can go to school. This teenage girl has only flip flops. Yet, their childlike happiness still radiates from their faces.

Ed Buckley

This villagers visit their fish in the cages to feed them.

2011-12-07T21:46:00.000-05:00

The children at this school have running water and a well because of the work done by Water Life Hope and Food for the Poor. Food for the Poor also built this school, allowing this happy kids to spend their day educating themselves.

This well was contributed by Water Life Hope to Haiti.

This child was across from the school, watching the kids in school getting educated. Without shoes or a uniform, he can't attend the school that is across the street.

These villagers met to thank us for bringing water, homes and the fish to their village. They asked us for a community center, which would allow their kids to have a place to go to school; to have a vocational center to educate the adults; to allow the women to have a place to learn to sew so that they could have a trade and earn money, and to allow them to have a health clinic to help with their personal health. This is the same group that dug the 53 foot hole. I want to help them with this. Seeing a group that takes a little bit of help and empowers themselves motivates me to do more for them.

Wednesday in Haiti

2011-12-07T21:31:00.001-05:00

Posted by Ed

Today we visited a school in Petite Goave in southern Haiti where we have a well. The well serves the school. I met the headmaster at the well. He had brought a 5 gallon bucket. After we filled his bucket he was nice enough to let us go into each of the classrooms and meet the students. They were very well mannered and when I asked "Comment ca va?" they all replied in unison. They were neatly dressed in uniforms and very well behaved.

From there we went on to Vialet where we have a project under way. The community is digging a well. Our project is furnishing a water filtration unit. The villagers greeted us with a big party, complete with long speeches, song and coconut milk. They also showed us the well.

We then were led to the nearby lake where we were taken out in a boat so we could see a micro finance project they have breeding talapia in the lake. The Talapia, once they mature, are sold and the money from the sales has been plowed back into the village, particularly into the construction of the well. We returned to shore to more music and celebration before we left. The Haitians sure know how to party!

We went down the road to the farming community of Olivier where Food for the Poor has furnished fruit tree seedlings which will not only provide fruit but will anchor the soil and prevent erosion. There were thousands of seedlings under makeshift greenhouses. We also saw machinery for shelling various grains. Most of these initiatives were spearheaded by a single woman leader in the village.

We headed back to Port au Prince after a long and fulfilling day. We saw a lot of progress in three different quarters.

Sent from my iPad

Why Haiti?

2011-12-07T17:55:00.001-05:00

Posted by Sheryl.

Why Haiti?

· They are our neighbor. Haiti is a 2 hour plane ride away for many of us. For those of us on the east coast it is easier to get to Haiti than California. And, Haiti, being the poorest country in the western hemisphere, is the poorest of our neighbors.

· Symbolism. Haiti's 18^th century history as the richest colony on earth and then its unimaginable triumph of freedom and independence in 1804, make it a symbol of magnificence. If We can succeed in undoing some of the chronic impoverishment, it will also be a tremendous symbol of restoration.

· The disturbing history. The notion that former slaves were required to pay restitution to their former enslavers is beyond unsettling to me; and it makes Haiti deserving of special attention. For more info on this start with these:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/01/14/why-haitis-earthquake-is-frances-problem.html; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/22/opinion/22danner.html?pagewanted=all; http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=17130;

· Need. I've traveled in Europe, Africa, South America and North America and I've never seen anything like the poverty I've seen in Haiti. I'm not saying it doesn't exist elsewhere, I just haven't personally seen it.

· Why not?

Sent from my iPhone

2011-12-06T22:04:00.001-05:00

This child walks up hill daily to carry water to his family. We went down the hill to the stream, and back up. The incline was incredibly steep and rocky. On the way down, I was sure I wouldn't be able to make it back up to the top on my own. I did - but my legs are still aching days later because of it. When I got to the bottom, I saw an old lady filling up her buckets of water and realized that she does this every day - just to survive.

2011-12-06T21:58:00.002-05:00

This picture shows a part of the steep incline and rocky path down to the small stream. This young child should be in school, not having to carry water up this hill for his family.

Water Reservoir Project Gran Boulage

2011-12-06T21:58:00.001-05:00

Here is the project we are down her to start. It is a 25,000 gallon reservoir at the top of a mountain - 2000 foot elevation. It will be fed by a stream far in a valley below. Photos are posted below. Down at the stream level, a 20,000 gallon reservoir will be built. Three pumping stations will send it up the hill to the 25,000 gallon reservoir at the top.It in turn will push the water to kiosks below, ultimately distributing the water through out the region. The cost of the project is between $130,000 and $150,000 . We have funded just over $25,000 at this time. Estimated number of people served, 15,000 to 30,000. An astounding number of woman and child hours per day, per week, per month and per year will be saved. The physical health of those who carry 5 gallon water buckets on their heads uphill (40 lbs) will be preserved. There will be fewer cervical compression fractures. Fewer falls and injuries on the perilous path down to the ravine. Children will spend many hours more per week in school. Women can turn their time to more productive work. Everyone gets clean water. Everyone is healthier. Kids get sick less. People live longer and Kids get a better chance to grow up. And because they can spend more time in school and less time tearing their feet up on a trail down to a stream polluted by animal excrement, they grow up smarter. Everybody wins. If you contribute to this effort, you win too because you have made the world you live in a much better place.

Sent from my iPad

2011-12-06T21:56:00.000-05:00

Haiti

2011-12-06T21:23:00.003-05:00

Today, we vistited the Food for the Poor headquarters. Each day, FTP feeds thousands of Haitians. Now, with the new water project, these same people can carry water home with them.

2011-12-06T20:54:00.002-05:00

Delane, Sheryl and Amanda at the Mountaintop

2011-12-06T20:53:00.000-05:00

Top of the Mountain

2011-12-06T20:52:00.000-05:00

This is where the big reservoir will be

Amanda, Sheryl and Roosevelt, a community leader

2011-12-06T20:50:00.000-05:00

Boy with 5 gallon jug

2011-12-06T20:49:00.000-05:00

Site of future ravine reservoir

2011-12-06T20:48:00.000-05:00

Cow in stream where people get their drinking water

2011-12-06T20:47:00.000-05:00

Small child carrying 5 gallon bucket of water

2011-12-06T20:46:00.000-05:00

Cheryl at the bottom of the ravine

2011-12-06T20:45:00.000-05:00

In the background are women washing their clothes

Steep ravine where women and children carry water

2011-12-06T20:43:00.000-05:00

Small Hatian boy carrying water up steep ravine

2011-12-06T20:41:00.000-05:00

He wore a bandanna and used it as a sling on his head to carry gallons of water.
Ed

2011-12-06T13:17:00.000-05:00

Good morning (from Sheryl),

We spent the night in Ft. Lauderdale and had a wonderfully uneventful flight to Haiti early this morning. now on a bumpy ride to Grand Boulage.

Why water?

· We can csucceed with water. One artesian well at the cost of just over $5000 can serve a community of 5000. In Grand Boulage we intend to build a more robust water source, a cistern. At the price of approximately $150,000 it will serve 30,000 people. Tremendous bang for the buck for something so important to life.

· Water is important to life. Try going a day without clean water. Just one. On Grand Boulage the closest water source is 5 miles away. According to the UN the impact of diarrhoeal disease on children is greater than the combined impact of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), tuberculosis and malaria. The provision of improved sanitation and drinking-water could reduce diarrhoeal diseases by nearly 90%.

-The ripple effect (pun intended). Providing clean water goes a long way to solving other problems -- savings in healthcare costs; increased school attendance - esp for elementary aged girls who otherwise would be carting water during the day; increased work days. Moreover, water sources become centers of commerce and gathering.

· Measureable results. With water we can monitor and measure access and results in a concrete way.

· We can succeed with this!

Sent from my iPhone

Mountain where our reservoir will go

2011-12-06T11:58:00.000-05:00

Water filtration unit

2011-12-06T10:32:00.000-05:00

This unit filters 10,000 gallons a day and can provide clean water for up to 3000 per day. Waterlifehope has funded two. One will got to Vialet, Haiti where we are traveling tomorrow.

2011-12-05T08:58:00.003-05:00

Today, Ed Buckley, Sheryl McCalla and I are heading to Haiti. I haven't been since the earthquake, and can only imagine the devastation it must have caused. The needs of the Haitian people are greater than ever. I hope that we can help, and am looking forward to seeing the impact the wells have had to those people fortunate enough to have running water.

December 2011 Haiti trip

2011-12-04T19:38:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! This trip I am honored to travel with two great humanitarians, Amanda Farahany and Sheryl McCalla. We leave tomorrow from Atlanta. We will be in Haiti Tuesday through Thursday, scoping out a new reservoir we will finance with your help in Gran Boulage Haiti. This cistern will cost between $130,000 and $140,000 and will provide potable water for approximately 30,000 people. We will also travel to Vialet in south Haiti to look at artesian wells we have installed there. It will be a short but intense trip and we will provide photos, video and text about our journey. We hope you will join us in our travels.
Ed

Sent from my iPhone

Sunrise in Port au Prince

2010-09-15T06:21:00.000-04:00

Petionville

2010-09-15T00:14:00.000-04:00

Our evening has ended with the gracious hospitality of Bernard and his wife Sabrina. After winding our way through the nighttime traffic of Port au Prince - a traffic so intense with smoke from small cooking fires, dust from the road and building debris, people moving in and out of congested traffic stacked four cars wide on a two lane road, that a cooler was able to be stolen from the bed of our truck without us even knowing - we arrived in Petionville at the house that Sabrina's grandfather built. Once there, we were fortunate to be some of the select few to enjoy Sabrina's culinary skill and one Bernard's recent catches - an example of why he has been so instrumental in the success of FFP's fishing villages. With a view of Port au Prince and places as far away as the DR, their home offered Delane, Ed, Paul and I a perfect opportunity to reflect on what it is that Haiti needs, the amazing things that FFP is doing and what we can do to help by providing something as basic as clean water.

Our trip is scheduled to end tomorrow but the work to help Haiti's poor will obviously continue. We plan to be part of that work and hope others are encouraged to join us in an endeavor that is truly making a difference and changing this small part of the world.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Tents on the median of the highway into Port au Prince

2010-09-14T18:37:00.000-04:00

A bus loaded to the gills

2010-09-14T18:36:00.000-04:00

Back To Port au Prince

2010-09-14T18:09:00.000-04:00

Driving back into Port au Prince we know we are getting close when the tents begin to appear. As the number of buildings increase so does the debris and so do the buildings that have lost their structural integrity or crumbled entirely.

As the road becomes more crowded we drive in both lanes equally, horns blaring. We are reassuring ourselves that Bernard, who is driving, is the 1983 trans-Haiti ralley winner.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Bernard: entrepreneur, fishing addict, hostage negotiator and winner of the 1983 Haitian Grand Prix

2010-09-14T18:06:00.001-04:00

Our driver extraordinaire

Hurt toe

2010-09-14T17:41:00.000-04:00

This kid had cut open a gash on the bottom of his toe . I took him back to the truck and cleaned it, put neosporin on it and bandaged it. His reward for his patience was a bag of crackers.

2010-09-14T17:33:00.001-04:00

2010-09-14T17:33:00.000-04:00

2010-09-14T17:32:00.001-04:00

2010-09-14T17:32:00.000-04:00

2010-09-14T17:31:00.001-04:00

Everyone wants her picture taken!

2010-09-14T17:31:00.000-04:00

2010-09-14T17:30:00.000-04:00

Orphans

2010-09-14T17:29:00.000-04:00

On the way back to Port au Prince we stopped at an orphanage. The kids, 31 of them were at another orphanage where they were abused and were removed to this place. The orphanage is pretty primitive but I think the kids are treated well as they seem pretty happy.

Anse a Veau

2010-09-14T14:26:00.002-04:00

Arriving in Anse a Veau, we visit the construction work on the Village of Hope - expected inauguration Jan 12, 2011, in honor of the students killed during the quake while on a mission trip with FFP. The work is progressing with concrete blocks being made on site. Rebar was being delivered by the truck load and home sites were seeing their foundations laid.

The water system is being worked out but as yet unfunded. The plan is for individual water catchments for each house and a well or cistern to provide for the school and cafeteria. There is very limited potable water. The only available water is city provide from a cistern providing but a trickle because of the number of persons needing access.

After a brief visit we are racing back to the river crossing in an effort to beat the rain that is starting to fall.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The Road to Anse a Veau

2010-09-14T13:28:00.001-04:00

The road to Anse a Veau can only be fully comprehended if you know the road to Port de Paix. Ed and I know know both and our chiropractors may benefit from the experience. The road also has the advantage of a car wash or "wash away" if there has been rain.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Delane Bailey

2010-09-14T11:17:00.000-04:00

Food for the Poor Haiti Project Manager Delane Bailey with John Beasley and Ed Buckley

Wells in Southern Haiti

2010-09-14T11:14:00.000-04:00

We have spent the morning inspecting wells in southern Hait. These particular wells serve people in very remote areas. The contractor that instled the wells guarantees them for life and fixes any wear and tear for free. The seven wells we looked at are all funded by our project, Waterlifehope in partnership with Food For the Poor. The wells are dated and I noticed that one of them was built on my birthday this year. A nice present.

Morning Well Visit

2010-09-14T10:58:00.003-04:00

After heavy showers last night we are traveling over muddy single lane roads up river past cocoa plants, breadfruit, banana, coffee, mango and coconut trees. We are visiting small communities served by our wells. Each have a FFP number and are monitored often for their functionality.

Our progress is slowed by the mud and occasional large bolders. We cross some small streams leading from waterfalls high in the mountains and pass many small homes and communities. Occasionally, we pick up hitchhiking little boys in the back of our truck. Four wheel drive is a great invention.

Some of these wells are recently constructed - one out of pure chance on Ed's birthday. Each serves about 200 families of about 5 to 7 members.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

People of Haiti

2010-09-13T23:13:00.000-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The Hotel Aldy

2010-09-13T20:49:00.000-04:00

After a white knuckle drive along the coast and racing against the dark we arrived at Aquin. A quick turn up a narrow dirt path/road leads us to the Aldy Hotel. Its a four story structure that survived the quake being a number of miles from the epicenter. Standing tall on a mountain side, the hotel gives us a view of a shadowed bay and dark silhouetted islands.

We have time for a cool shower and strategically placed fans that make the 90 degree heat and humidity more manageable.

Sitting in the open air dining area, stories of the quake are exchanged. Waiting for dinner we sit and contemplate the small miracles and the larger tragedy. The feeling that we - and everyone who has graciously donated - are all doing something, even something small, is reassuring.

Tomorrow we will begin the day with a visit to our recently funded and completed wells in several villages close by.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Detour Vialet

2010-09-13T18:41:00.006-04:00

Taking a quick detour - following the Mayor of Vialet driving a quick little scooter, we travel a small one lane mud and dirt track through old corn fields to a community near lake Miragoane. Here FFP is planning 20 Talapia cages for the lake and the community is requesting homes. The lake is beautiful and bordered by rice fields and mountains to the south. We were treated to fresh coconut water and pulp then munched on fresh sugar cane as we hiked to the lake shore and listened to stories of Bernard's youth and hunting trips into the mountains.

Now its a quick pace to Aquin and our nights lodgings.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Fertile farmland that needs irrigation

2010-09-13T18:26:00.000-04:00

We have pledged to help with irrigation here and potable drinking water.

Club Managers Assoc of America School

2010-09-13T17:01:00.000-04:00

FFP is building a school funded by this organization. Started by a local pediatrician from West Palm, Jean Monice. He is from the area and started the school under a Mango tree. It is now almost complete and will have clean water supplied by an artesian well funded by our own Ed Buckley.

The well has just been cemented and will be operational in a couple of hours. It will have a gate and public access for the surrounding community as well as the students.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Rachel's Village

2010-09-13T16:52:00.001-04:00

A note about the fishing village we recently visited. The village is to be the location of 25 two room houses built by FFP. Each will have a shower and toilet and a patio. So far there is $100,000+ to fund 20 of the houses and construction begins Monday.

Now the rest of the story. The funding was begun shortly before the quake by Rachel, a 10 year old from Lighthouse Point, Fla. She started with simple fund-raising techniques and began receiving matching funds and now a whole village will bear her name. Click Here To View Rachel's Fund Raising Page
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Fishing Village

2010-09-13T15:45:00.004-04:00

Our afternoon on the road includes a stop by a fishing village that is being rebuilt by FFP. As a bonus we get to pass out crackers to the kids, and narrowly escape with some crumbs.

Headed next to Grand Goave the Petite Goave to visit a school and another fishing village.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Today's catch

2010-09-13T15:35:00.000-04:00

Little girl in fishing village

2010-09-13T15:34:00.000-04:00

Artesian Well

2010-09-13T14:53:00.000-04:00

A stop by an FFP tent village and an artesian well. We're moving faster now - out running some afternoon storms.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

In a tent city

2010-09-13T14:50:00.000-04:00

We stopped at one of thousands of tent cities, this one at the epicenter. Most houses at the epicenter were destroyed and there are mostly tents here. And rubble. Lots of rubble. Lack of water, sanitation and at night, lack of light is a problem. And for women and girls,, according to Delane Bailey, fear of molestation and rape.

Boys Orphanage

2010-09-13T14:32:00.000-04:00

A stop for lunch near the quake epicenter. FFP rebuilt housing and a school for the orphanage.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Median tent city

2010-09-13T13:17:00.000-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Tent city

2010-09-13T13:12:00.000-04:00

People live in tents on the median of the road

Traffic Jam

2010-09-13T13:08:00.001-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Traffic

2010-09-13T13:04:00.000-04:00

Moving in stops and starts through Port au Prince and into Carrefore. Commerce goes on amongst debris of crumbled buildings and refuse piles used as a curb. Tent cities are in alleyways and once courtyards. The resilience of the Haitian people is truly impressive and frightening. We see tent homes constructed in the median of roads with traffic running in opposite directions beside children helping mothers market their goods and produce. Open sewers and drainage culverts serve the water needs of roadside shops that sit under tattered umbrellas and anticipate afternoon rains and fear a hurricane. There is little to indicate why some buildings stood and others fell in the 45 seconds of the quake.

We are bumper to bumper for another half hour or so. Bernard's huge truck attracts a lot of stares and envious looks as we inch along
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Streetside

2010-09-13T12:26:00.000-04:00

The tent behind the broken fence is where court is now held

Ruins of the Catholic church

2010-09-13T12:25:00.000-04:00

On the edge of tent city

2010-09-13T11:53:00.000-04:00

Food

2010-09-13T11:32:00.002-04:00

This is a photo of John Beasley slinging rice at FFP's feeding center in Port au Prince where they feed about 20,000 people a day.

Transportation

2010-09-13T11:32:00.001-04:00

Our transportation for the day.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Clement

2010-09-13T11:07:00.000-04:00

Clement Belizaire - director of projects for FFP.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

FFP Warehouse

2010-09-13T10:31:00.001-04:00

FFP's warehouse for feeding programs in full swing serving 20,000 meals per day.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Arrival in Haiti

2010-09-13T10:13:00.001-04:00

Ed and I have arrived in Port au Prince Haiti to a warm welcome from Food for the Poor. In arriving we witnessed once vacant land around the airport filled with tent cities. Mostly they are large family tents reinforced with tarps for the rains. Sanitation is mostly absent. The streets around the airport are clear as it is the main thoroughfare but the side streets are filled with debris as there is no clearing of private lots. Much of the population is without work, many that had work are now without since the factories near the airport have been destroyed or have relocated.

FFP reports that our wells are operational in Port au Prince and to the north in Gonaives and further in Port de Paix and Cap Haitien. There are long lines in the morning and evening. The girls fill the buckets before school and later in the evenings as the mid-day is extraordinally hot.

We leave shortly for our destination. We will need to cross four rivers in route. Leading us will be Delane Bailey, Clement Belizaire, Bernard Chauvet and Paul Kane. Along the way we will visit some of our well projects and learn about a water filtration system that is being provided by Water Missions out of Charlotte NC. They cost 15,500 but filter 10,000 gallons per day and are solar powered. They are the system of choice in quake damaged areas. FFP has 10 of them so far.

We will post pictures as soon as we are on the road.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Port au Prince

2010-09-13T09:58:00.000-04:00

We are here at the offices of FoodFor the Poor. Traveling from the airport, the entire area is a tent cities with outdoor showers and latrines. Not good. It is early yet.

Ed Buckley

Sent from my iPhone

Leaving for Haiti

2010-09-12T21:15:00.001-04:00

John and I are in Ft Lauderdale preparing to leave for Port au Prince at 6 am. We just had dinner with Sandra Caskey of Food for the Poor. Lots of anticipation on what we can do to bring more water to Port au Prince and points beyond. I am looking forward to a good, though brief night's sleep. Up at 4:15!

Ed Buckley
Sent from my iPhone

Packing Up

2010-09-11T14:03:00.000-04:00

Ed and I are packing up and testing our phones. We hope that you will check out the blog as we update it remotely - this is its first test this year. Its amazing how much technology is forgotten over the course of one year! We look forward to your comments and hope you will consider donating to the project.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Press Release For Trip To Anse a Veau

2010-09-08T18:16:00.002-04:00

Food For the Poor has issued the following press release for our trip to Anse a Veau, which is only days away. Keep track of the trip on our blog.

Press Release

Wells So Far

2010-08-13T08:02:00.002-04:00

In looking at the next project, I thought it would be good to reflect on what has been accomplished. Along with this post is a map of the existing wells and water towers. The red dots are the water towers and the blue dots denote the location of exiting wells - over eighty of them. The green dots are pending projects.

Trip to Haiti

2010-08-06T07:55:00.007-04:00

Hey everyone - sorry for the long lapse in posts. We are building toward another trip to Haiti beginning September 12. It will be a short trip to visit a new FFP project site and discuss water needs. The project is in Anse a Veau, Haiti, which is in the boot portion of the country near Miragoane. A project description is included at the end of this post. The project is the Journey of Hope Village. There will be groups of houses each with their own water catchment. Every household will have at least 7- 8 people. In this village there will be around 200 people being served. FFP hopes to inaugurate the village January 2011 before the January 12 date of the earthquake that they suffered this year.

Schools will also be built and will need cisterns and larger type water systems. FFP has 4 schools that they hope to start building immediately one has 608 students, others 600, 480, and 600. This figure does not include the faculty of each school that will also have access to the water supply.

The cost of water systems is expected to be around $10,000. We are looking at what we can do to make this happen!

Journey of Hope Memorial Village

Update on Haiti

2010-01-26T08:22:00.003-05:00

Thankfully FFP's homes for the elderly and orphanages in Port au Prince are still standing and the people are safe. The UN has posted an update recently that, in summary, explains that the Government has declared the search and rescue phase over. There were 132 live rescues by international search and rescue teams. Humanitarian relief efforts continue to scale up in Port-au-Prince, Jacmel, Leogane and other affected areas. The number of people leaving Port-au-Prince is increasing daily. More than 130,000 people have taken advantage of the Government’s offer of free transportation to cities in the north and south west. FAO estimates that the number of people leaving cities for rural areas could reach one million, putting pressure on already vulnerable communities. WHO reports that despite difficult conditions, there are no reported outbreaks of communicable diseases including cholera, measles and rubella. There are enough fuel supplies in country for the next two-three weeks until the port is likely rehabilitated to receive new supplies. The full report is an interesting update on the devastation but also the progress. A link to the UN site is here

Open Letter on Haiti Relief

2010-01-14T09:50:00.002-05:00

Friends, by now you have heard of the devastating earthquake that has hit Haiti. Port au Prince is flattened. Hospitals are destroyed. Government centers are in ruins. The hotel Montana, where many of us used to stay has collapsed. Now, a massive relief effort is underway. Haiti is just a few hundred miles off our shores. People are in the streets now, in the dark. There is no electricity and no running water. There are terrible casualties now but they will grow in the coming days if relief does not get to the survivors quickly, within hours. Our government and various NGOs are the only things that are able to help at all. As many of you know, I have worked with Food for the Poor www.foodforthepoor.org for the last five years on potable water systems, mostly in Haiti. They have phenomenally low overhead and phenomenally high efficiency with our charitable dollars. They have set up a fund devoted exclusively to Haitian earthquake relief and even now are in Haiti, assessing the situation and working to reestablish feeding centers, water systems and to provide medical aid. It will only take a minute for you to contribute to this effort by going to www.foodforthepoor.org. A link is on this page. Please click on it and give what you can, then send this message along to your friends. This is a truly desperate situation. We are Americans. This is a moment for us to do the right thing.

Thanks.

Ed Buckley

Press Release FFP

2010-01-13T08:47:00.001-05:00

Food For The Poor

Updated Information:

Interview available with Executive Director Angel Aloma, and staff member in Haiti.

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Jan. 12, 2010) – An earthquake hit off the coast of Haiti, about 10 miles west from the Caribbean nation's capital of Port-au-Prince, according to the US Geological Society. The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0.

Currently, Food For The Poor has a group of 12 college students, and two faculty advisors in Haiti on a mission trip. They attend Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. Our President/ CEO is in communications with Lynn’s President Dr. Kevin Ross, who is gathering information as it comes in from the students’ parents. Food For The Poor’s Mission Officer in Haiti said the students were dropped off at the Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince at 4 pm. We have learned there has been some damage to the hotel and are working to ascertain that the students, advisors and our staff are safe.

Food For The Poor has been in contact with several members of the staff currently in Haiti. Employees have reported the following accounts:

-- A hospital has collapsed in Pétionville, a town in the outskirts of Port-au-Prince

-- There appear to be more homes down than standing in several areas of Port-au-Prince

-- Major number of homes down in the area of Delmas

-- One staffer saw a five-story building collapse

-- One employee saw a major bridge, the Croix de Mission, collapse right in front of her as she drove home. The bridge is a major artery to the North end of Haiti from Port-au-Prince.

-- A portion of Food For The Poor’s main office in Port-au-Price has collapsed. Our feeding center (Food For the Poor provides food for thousands of Haitians on a daily basis there) and the charity’s warehouse are there. We are still gathering information on the extent of the damage.

-- Cell phone communication continues to be limited.

-- Food For the Poor has 2 employees in Santo, Domingo where the shocks were strongly felt. The hotel they were at during the quake asked all guests to stay in the lobby until the shocks subsided.

Food For The Poor will do everything it can to reach out to the people of Haiti, and will keep updating our website as information comes in.

"Our hearts go out to the people of Haiti who are watching this disaster unfold around them. This country seems to take a beating far too often," said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. "We have been monitoring the situation since it first happened, and we will take immediate steps to offer relief to those suffering from this earthquake."

Pourt au Prince Earthquake

2010-01-13T08:10:00.000-05:00

Only a few short weeks ago, we finished our tip through Haiti in Port au Prince. At the time, it was a thriving city - the epicenter of commercial life in Haiti. Over three million people live there, many in poverty. Yesterday, January 12, 2010, the worst earthquake in 200 years hit Haiti with its epicenter five miles from Pot au Prince. The city we saw no longer exists. In its place is devastation. We desperately hope that the Food for the Poor facilities and warehouse are not destroyed because thousands and thousands of people will need food from the supplies that they have. The medical needs of the people can only be imagined. A source for help to the people there is the Food for the Poor website, where donations can be made directly to the aid effort. I am providing a link to the most recent article on the quake here and a link to the Food for the Poor donation page. Anything you can do would be deeply appreciated. Our prayers are with them.

Donation to Earthquake Relief

2010-01-13T08:04:00.003-05:00

For a donation the the earthquake aid efforts by our partner in the water well project Food for the Poor click here

Haiti Earthquake

2010-01-13T08:00:00.002-05:00

Recent Earthquake article click here

Haiti Day Three - From the Road

2009-12-04T09:58:00.000-05:00

Our final day on the road was marked by contrast. After the orphanage, we visited Cite Soleil, one of the worst slums in the Western Hemisphere. Yet, in the midst of this slum, FFP has created an oasis with a school for the local children, and vocational training for their mothers and the women of the community. Additionally, FFP is providing housing for many of the poorest and elderly. We had the privilege of participating in the presentation of keys to new homes for three families. They were able to move from tin and scrap metal hovels to FFP homes on strong foundations. After leaving Cite Soleil, we all participated in FFP's feeding program, which feeds 15,000 meals a day.

Photography by Amanda Farahany

Children of Jesus Orphanage

2009-12-03T11:03:00.000-05:00

Our first stop was a mix of emotions as we played with, held and tickled the children - 101 of them, 90% being "children of different capabilities" that will be living there with their 70 caregivers forever. FFP provides the funding and facility. Joshua in yellow loved being touched and tickled and would giggle quietly. Stevenson in blue loved being photographed as did all the children.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Cap Haitien to Port au Prince by Air

2009-12-03T08:07:00.000-05:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

2009-12-02T21:43:00.000-05:00

Coordinating our journey through Haiti is Delane Bailey, a veteran advocate for the poor in Zimbabwe, Uganda, the Phillipines, Jamaica and Haiti, among others. Through her contacts and organizational skills, she oversees all of the Haitian FFP projects. She has been our conduit at Food for the Poor for all of the water projects.

Haiti Day Two - From the Road

2009-12-02T20:52:00.001-05:00

Photography by Amanda Farahany

Girls Orphanage & Abatoir Well

2009-12-02T17:19:00.000-05:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Fort Liberte Prison - a Civil Liberty Story

2009-12-02T15:27:00.001-05:00

We have just left the Fort Liberte prison. We visited to deliver food, blankets, shoes and soap. We were also there to help Edner. 9 months ago Edner was arrested for being with a group of men who allegedly stole rice. Edner had no money and went to prison without a hearing or trial. The cells were horrible places - 5 for men 1 for women. They were approximately 10 x 14 and each one housed up to 40 men. They received 2 meals a day max and two 5 min periods outside. Each had one open toilet and all offenses were housed together.

Edner's release was negotiated by Father Duken of FFP and he was released with us. In a moving ceremony, our own Father Bill Deneke washed his feet and FFP provided him with shoes for his family and a ride home. As most of us are civil rights attorneys it was a victory far from home and a reminder of the reasons for our practice and more so the necessity of an indigent criminal defense system everywhere including at home.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry