Why I'm Going

One afternoon last December I was listening to a National Public Radio (NPR) podcast hosted by Adam Davidson of NPR's "Planet Money". The podcast featured a school pincipal in Haiti who believed he could build a new school for $3,000 (see link below). Unfortunately $3,000 wasn't enough to get the foundation completed, but the message was so strong it inspired me to email Davidson to see how I might help.

Davidson contacted me soon after that to let me know about the conditions in Haiti, especially after last year's earthquake and hurricane. I admit, I was naive about building costs in Haiti as well as the other hurdles I would encounter but Davidson was kind enough to help me understand what I was up against and encouraged me to continue. The more I looked at it, the more I was convinced I could use my 30+ years of building experience and organizational skills to help build this school.

After doing more research it also became evident that I would need to start out as a volunteer with an organization that was already working in Haiti. That is when I came upon "All Hands Volunteers". Within a week, they emailed to say I was welcome to help with the 2011 program starting the end of January. So ready or not, here I go...

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Change in plans

Another update from Tim-

Hey, Hope all is well there. The blog is probably done for this trip. Without a computer it is too difficult and I can't post pics either.

I left the NGO I was with the first week - "All Hands Volunteers" and have become a self-employed volunteer. I've been in Port-au-Prince since Friday staying at the Karibe Hotel courtesy of NPR. I guess I'll have to pay my dues when I get back.

On Friday evening I met with Adam Davidson of NPR's "Planet Money". We went to this restaurant way up the mountain @ 4500 feet. Adam is here with a Frontline correspondent doing a show on Haiti Tourism.

The restaurant's owner, Lionel, is a very successful Haitian businessman. He is building a restaurant in the north in a small town near the Citadal, google it. Lionel has his fingers in everything and is really helping out a lot Haitians. He just received a grant to build some permanent "temporary" structures at a girls orphanage. And before the evening was over I volunteered to help build the orphanage.

The girls ages 5 - 18 have been in tents since the earthquake. So I will be building 6 attached cabins, 12'x16' with a 4' foot covered porch; a 16' x24' pole building, and a 16'x16' bath house, showers and toilets, with a 8'x18' kitchen. We are also constructing a septic system and water storage. All this in the next 3 weeks. We'll see.

Tomorrow I am off to L'Artibonite to visit with the principal who wants to build a school. As you might recall, this was the podcast I heard that started my journey to Haiti.

Today they have road blocks up on the highways to town. I don't know if they are just stopping and checking, blocking out going or incoming. Find out tomorrow.

Take care,

Tim

May not have Internet access after tonight.

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