First, we completed the registration and approval process for both Tech Soup and Microsoft, giving us access to discounted computer hardware and software. As a Community Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher, we’re now able to take donated computer systems, scrub them clean and then reinstall licensed Microsoft software. This designation will allow us to move forward with our desire to bridge the digital divide and provide computers to orphans and orphanages around the world. If these children are ever to have a chance, an opportunity to change their destiny though education, then they must have access to technology.

 With no time to waste, our first donation was a group of five surplus Panasonic Toughbook computers, donated by the City of Tallahassee, to support our orphanage programs around the world.

 Three weeks later, we received a second donation of ten more Toughbooks, these are now destined for a new life in Haiti. Specifically, eight of these will go to replace computers lost in the collapse of a learning center for disabled children located in Pentionville and run by NPH and Friends of Orphans. The other two will be used to support logistical efforts at their pediatric hospital in Tabarre.

We also have four desktop and two laptop computers waiting for refurbishment in our storage locker, and as soon as our first software order comes in, these will ship out as well.   

Just this week we bid on and won a large cache of surplus computer keyboards and components from the federal government, 750 pounds worth, and in three days I’m off on a road trip to pick them up from the depot.

So without belaboring the point, our computer program is off to wonderful start, and we look forward to sharing with you updates as they occur.

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…

Orphan Logistics & Relief will be working to facilitate as much assistance as we can muster, gearing up for a long-term commitment to Father Rick and his Friends of Orphans programs in Haiti.

Once on the ground, the plan is to start with a needs assessment, try and match up what must be accomplished with the skill sets and abilities of our members, and then, transmit back to our directors some task assignments and marshalling orders.

Currently, we are working every angle, calling all our friends in the hope of securing meds and supplies as requested by Father Rick, trying to locate additional nurses who might want to volunteer in the future to go with our regular teams, and line up tradesmen and contractors back home to spread the word to the worker bees.

Don’t laugh, but two weeks ago I spent several hours watching and questioning some concrete workers, who were making specific repairs with a different mix of high grade concrete. I was trying to pick up another skill for future missions, just didn’t realize the need would come so soon.

Please understand the recovery effort will be ongoing for some time, with no quick fix or magic pill. In conversations over the last week with our directors, we anticipate continuous involvement in one form or another for the next 12 months, at a minimum.

Our plan is to transition in fully operational teams of volunteers, with medical, construction and technical personnel, teachers, and with law enforcement officers to provide security and safety while swinging a hammer.

Obviously the mission and transportation methods will dictate the duration, but given that most of our members and volunteers are full time working professionals, limited in the amount of time they can be away, we anticipate missions of 8 to 14 days.

If you’re interested in participating, and have some of the skills were looking for, please go to the JOIN OUR TEAM button, follow the link and sign up. Enter as much information as you can in relation to your abilities, so that we can begin to plan strategically.  

These are volunteer missions, and while we will do as much as we can to obtain donations to cover material costs and major expenses, your participation will require you to help fund raise to cover your individual expenses. In the past, our members found support from family, their churches, their social networks, and from good-hearted people right out of the blue. Don’t let it scare you, while it does require some effort, most people you approach will applaud your actions and help as much as they can.

If you don’t have a passport, start the process today and get one. If you cant go on a mission or have family constraints, don’t let it deter you, we can use you here to help sort our clothing and equipment donations, help with garage sales and fund raisers, or speak with civic groups to raise awareness to the plight of Father Rick’s flock, or the global orphan problem as a whole. Everyone can help, everyone can do something, and everyone plays a vital role in relief.

I’ll update more when I can, but please take a second and say a prayer for the children of Haiti, and while your at it, another for Father Rick, his dedicated staff, and all the volunteers who have answered God’s call to go help the widows and orphans.

Sam

We now have an Orphan Logistics & Relief page and are set up to allow others who buy or sell on Ebay, to donate a percentage of their sales to our organization.

We’re currently running some small items on our page now as a test of sorts, but hope to have some wonderful items on there in the coming days. If you’re like most of us, I’m sure you could wander through your home, and in short order, find a nice collection of items you no longer use or would be willing to part with, if you knew the proceeds would go to support a cause such as Orphan Relief.

If you can, we have two basic options. You could sell the items on your own Ebay account and share a percentage with us, or, if you’d rather, you could donate your items to us outright, mail them to us, and we will post them on our page and handle the rest. Remember, we are a 501c3 not profit public charity, and as such, your donations are tax deductible.

For those of you unsure as to how to go about selling for us, I’ve listed the steps below, as well as a link to our page.

When creating a new listing, simply select the option to “Donate a percentage of sale.” This option is located in the “Choose how you’d like to sell your item” portion of the Sell Your Item form.

You then select our organization, http://donations.ebay.com/charity/charity.jsp?NP_ID=33563

and enter a donation percentage. Please note, there is a $5 minimum donation per listing.

If you rather just donate direct, our mailing address is;

Orphan Logistics & Relief, Inc.

P.O. Box 14434

Tallahassee, Florida 32317

Thank you for all you do to support us,

We learned of the crisis while in Guatemala two months ago, and emergency funds from Orphan Logistics & Relief donors provided initial funding for July.

With few other options available, we need sponsors to finance their recurring food costs, a program that needs to start August 1, 2009.

Sponsorship encompasses a weekly donation of $25. per child, monies that will be used solely to purchase food and vitamins for the children, or formula, cereal and diapers for the babies in their care.

The weekly amount was determined through a combination of factors, to include visits to local markets and their Wal-Mart (Hyper Paz), as well as conversations with several orphanage directors. As a point of reference, a two pound can of baby formula, just enough to feed one baby for a week, costs the equivalent of $16.30, with the remaining $8.70 allocated for cereal and diapers.

While we ask that donors consider sponsorships in two to six week increments to ensure consistent coverage, a one week sponsorship or any donation would be greatly appreciated. Your donation can be made in just a matter of moments through our website, or if you prefer, by mailing a check to Orphan Logistics & Relief.

All sponsors will be pared with an orphan in need and receive a bi-monthly newsletter via email with regular updates from the orphanage director, photos and personal notes from the staff.

If you have room in your heart and some wiggle room in your wallet, please consider sponsoring a child.

If you find yourself wanting to do more, from participating on mission trip, to adopting a child of your own, we can help with that as well. Our website offers just a glimpse of how we address the orphan problem, but with your help, we can do more.