LESSONS FROM HAITI DISASTER

It was interesting to read the article below because it is done by an organization that is located in our neighborhood, AMURT. Right after the earthquake my cousin Jeff was looking for ways to get into Haiti. The airport was closed to commercial flights and the only way in to Haiti was through the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic opened its borders to anyone leaving/entering Haiti to aid in the emegency relief effort. It was with AMURT that Jeff entered Haiti within 2 days after the earthquake. This organization is community focused and deals directly with the people. They offer good advice in the article and accompanying video. Continue to pray for all the relief and development work being done in Haiti. The transition from relief to development is the most frustrating for missions. The camps still need to be serviced when in relief manuals it states that relief is only supposed to be for 6 months. Haiti seems to be a country where "how to manuals" don't apply. It is sort of funny watching how some organizations conduct meetings after meetings amongst themselves and their international boards and completely forget about the people on the ground who are there. In the end nothing gets done. Pray that all missions take a "community" focus, rather than a "business" focus.
Karen

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Relief Work Lessons from Haiti

LESSONS FROM HAITI DISASTER: SENDING SUPPLIES DOESN'T PROVIDE RELIEF

Collecting supplies from your neighborhood and shipping them to countries in crisis may have the best intentions, but it might not provide the relief affected areas truly need.

In an interview with ICYOU, Karl Andersson, an International Disaster Liaison for Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT), he explains the many logistical lessons learned from operations in Haiti.

Andersson said, while supplies are needed, the execution of collecting useful items and getting them shipped to a disaster area is extremely complicated and best left up to the larger agencies.

Instead, Andersson said monetary contributions provide the most value:

"What you really need to do is collect a lot of funds, a lot of cash, because that cash can be converted into action on the ground quite immediately."

Andersson believes the food distribution manuals need to be re-written. He said relief efforts should move away from the old school methods of using foreign military distribution points and rely on a new school strategy: utilizing community leaders to facilitate the process.

"You can actually do that very successfully with minimal security. And the overhead and the cost and the effectiveness, we believe, is actually greater when you can go through the communities."

Anderrson said military intervention can be alienating:

"Standing in line asking for food from a military, foreign organization distribution point is not a good way to rebuild people's self-esteem that has suffered during a disaster."