I got a terrific message from Jim Doucette via his wife Donna. "I'm will be trying to get email up and running tomorrow, we had a very busy day. Got a big hug from a little Haitian girl that I had earlier given a toy. Tomorrow we intend to bring a big tent that has to be set up on the ground (not the courtyard floor) for a family of 5 who's children attened the school and lost their home. Also plan on wiring electricity to the bathroom so we can see to use it. Loving every minute of being here. Eating well. Most wonderful team--Dr. Patty Jorguera is wonderful, so calm and talented. So is Anna, our nurse. Lauren is a 'take charge/do what you gotta do' kind of person. Dawn is take charge, too, translating, helping everyone, DiDi (Danelie) is so smart and kind and Luc and Father Millien are great. You talk about a positive experience in a very sad situation."
Dave Desmarais, On Ground Coordinator for Team 1, and I had a 3 hour debrief yesterday. I'm distilling it and will shoot the summary out to the Coordinators later today. Included is an excellent "what to take" list with the suggestion that volunteers leave their clothing for the Haitians when they return to the U.S.
The living conditions at the guest house are spartan but comfortable. Small tents are set up on the raised "dance floor" in the guest house. The tents provide a small amount of privacy. Everybody has an air mattress which is a big help. Dave said he slept just fine under a single sheet. There is a cold shower (the guest house has a well to supply water). The food, prepared by the School cook, is very good.
Dave is working on a schematic for moving the inverter, charger & 8 deep cycle batteries (Old St. Andrew's gave this system to the School a while ago) to the guest house compound where the Clinic is. Our relief teams would then have access to electricity even when the generator is not running. The battery system could sustain the needs of the clinic for a few days at a time and then be charged periodically.
Next we plan to send down a smaller inverter & charger to put back at the School. We'll buy two more deep cycle batteries for that site, which is where the School's generator is (also a gift of OSA). The reason for all of this is because cooking for our Teams takes place at the School and then the food is carried to the Clinic. We want those kind Haitians to have power, too. That system, obviously, will be charged by the EBS generator.
I got a phone call from Americares yesterday. We have been trying for days to make direct contact with them with the hope that they can help restock our medical supplies from in-country stores, leaving us the challenge to ship health and wellbeing things--diapers, infant formula, paper towels, food, etc.
Because Supply & Logistics Coordinator, Gus Schelgel, has found two huge caches of supplies (more than we can handle), our expectation is to divert that material to Americares in exchange for their help in Haiti. We'll keep working on developing this relationship.
Here's sweet story that characterizes what we're all doing in Haiti and why. Dave Desmarais was examining a collapsed corner of the School when a Haitian woman walked by with a basket on her head (pretty common). She got abreast of Dave and said something in Kreyol. Luc later translated, "Be careful there, we don't want to lose you."
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