THE MISSION: Orphan Logistics & Relief has been asked to develop several teams of support personnel to assist in Haiti relief efforts. After direct discussions with several NPH directors in Haiti and the Dominican Republic (DR) it was determined that our immediate role would be one of logistical support, helping to get desperately needed aid shipments across the border to St. Damien’s Children’s Hospital in Tabarre, Haiti.
St. Damien’s Children’s Hospital is part of the NPH organization in Haiti. NPH stands for Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, Spanish for “Our Little Brothers and Sisters” and they operate orphanages, clinics and schools in quite a few countries. In Haiti, their operations are under the direction of Father Rick Frechette, a priest who inspires awe in all who meet him. To walk with Father Rick, to watch him in action is to know God’s love for the Haitian people.
To facilitate aid shipments, we were tasked with developing and deploying teams of four members; individuals who could both load and drive the trucks to keep aid flowing into Haiti.
Each team will deploy from between 10 to 14 days, the actual number not yet set, with the one team rotating in as another rotates out. Our plan is to rotate in five teams over the next two months, after which we hope the seaport in Port-au-Prince will be fully operational, and daily over land transport no longer required.
Specifically, each team will be responsible to make pickups at both the seaports of Santo Domingo and San Pedro, as well as air cargo shipments at Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo. The supplies will then be trucked back to the NPH Orphanage in San Pedro de Macoris, a site serving as the base of operations (BOA) for NPH Haiti relief. The teams will then be responsible to unload the supplies into storage facilities, working with and at the direction of an NPH logistics officer assigned to the mission.
The need in Haiti changes by the hour, and so each load will be prioritized and a trip ticket and shipping order will be given to the teams each day. From that list, teams will load their trucks in preparation for the drive to Haiti. At present, trucks leave each evening at 11pm, arriving in Port–au-Prince in late morning the following day. Once there, many of the supplies are unloaded at the hospital, while additional supplies, food, and dry goods are transported to warehouse facility located adjacent to the hospital compound. After unloading and a short break, the trucks make the journey back to the DR, arriving late in the evening. While alternative schedules and transport mechanisms are being explored, at present, this is how they are operating. Most trucks operate with two drivers or a driver and a navigator, and at least one knowledgeable local staff member or driver accompanies each trip. Trucks go in convoys, two to four trucks or three trucks and a passenger bus are the norm.
Road conditions are poor, vehicle breakdowns common and frequent, and the temperature hot during the day and cool in the evening. Currently the rainy season hasn’t started, but when it does, that will add just another ripple of misery to the equation. Having made multiple trips myself recently; I can say it is not for the faint of heart. You must have the ability to drive a manual stick shift, and navigate a box truck through some pretty wild driving conditions.
TRANSPORTATION: At present, we are looking for donors to cover the cost of each team member’s plane ticket down, either through a tax-deductible cash donation or by using airline miles.
Once on the ground, NPH staff in the DR will pickup the team, and transport them to the BOA, the orphanage in San Pedro de Macoris.
HOUSING: Our teams will stay in one of several visiting volunteer houses on property, each a concrete structure with bunk beds, showers, kitchen and common areas, quite comfortable considering the mission. While the teams will be based in the DR, it is planned that team members will take turns staying in Haiti for one or two nights at a time, working with the logistics staff at the hospital, and getting a feel for the crisis and mission there as well. While in Haiti, team members will stay at the volunteer house in the hospital compound, either in a tent on the grounds, a room if vacant, or as I did, on an air mattress on the roof. I actually found the roof to be quite pleasant in the evening, cool and breezy.
FOOD: In terms of meals, teams in the DR have been invited to eat with the children at the orphanage, though some volunteers actually assign cooks to their teams. However if you prefer, there are several local supermarkets in the neighboring town that have just about anything you might be looking for. You can make arraignments for a trip into town to stock up for your mission, or jump on the local staff bus, as it runs into town every afternoon.
Should you have a specific dietary concern, please plan to pack in your own food, or reevaluate your mission participation. Bathrooms on the journey from the DR to Haiti are scarce and not the kind of trip you want to take when suffering from some form of gastric upset.
When deploying to Haiti for a day or two, you should plan to bring with you all your own food. While there is a kitchen facility at the volunteer house at the hospital, meals are self-service and you cook what you brought. Many of the volunteer medical personnel work odd or long hours, so given its proximity to the sleeping quarters, there isn’t a lot of in-depth cooking going on. More like heating water or soups, with the occasional pasta entree or bread.
Water for drinking should be bottled only, and in the DR, a large bottle of drinking water is supplied to each volunteer house. On the road and in Haiti you should bring bottled water with you, and it is readily available at markets and stalls everywhere in the DR.
CURRENCY: The currency in the DR is the peso, and currently the exchange rate is something like 36 peso to 1 US dollar. Most items are comparable, some are cheaper, like a bottle of coke is only 20 pesos, though luxury items and consumables like McDonalds and Haggen Dazs (the equivalent of $8.40 US a pint) is more expensive than back home.
You can exchange money at a small booth inside the Jumbo Super Mercado in San Pedro, and you will get a better rate than at the airport or in a bank.
In Haiti, the rate is more like 40 Haitian Gourds to 1 US dollar. However since there is little to buy that you would need or want, and it’s not safe to venture on your own outside the hospital compound, it’s not necessary to exchange money. If you do find something you need, most vendors will take US currency in small denominations.
REQUIREMENTS: A specific trip list and recommendations will follow to those interested, but at a minimum, you must have a passport, the ability to load boxes and drive a truck and the time off from work.
MORE TO FOLLOW…
