First weekend in Haiti

I'm a little behind in blogging [I swore off the Internet for a week], so a quick update about last weekend. We woke up Saturday morning and took a tap-tap ride to Jacmel with our lovely bosses, Andrew and Aaron. We went to Bassin-Bleu, a gorgeous series of blue waterfalls and pools set in the hills of Haiti south of Léogâne. Our local tour guides helped us climb up one of the waterfalls to jump off a rock about 40 feet above the water. Let's just say I won't be doing that again anytime soon...

After our hike, we went to lunch at Cyvadier Plage, a local hotel and restaurant that's quite popular among All Hands volunteers on their rest and relaxation breaks. We had a gorgeous ocean view and saw a side of Haiti that's certainly never on the news.

After we had eaten our fill of non-base food, we went to The Hotel Florita in downtown Jacmel, an amazing old hotel and cafe built in 1888. It was quite a playground for the photographers in the group. There's just something wonderful about old furniture, mosquito nets and anpil (Kreyol for "a lot") flowers.

We'd planned a late departure to enjoy the clear skies and stars along the ride back in our open-air tap-tap. So, of course, it poured rain and we were actually cold for the first time since arriving in Haiti. All in all, it was an experience and quite an end to a fantastic day.

our tour guides

the Haitians have mixed feelings about Baby Doc...

L-R from back : Aaron, Andrew, Mike, Anika, Me, Ben

our tour guide in the cave at the beginning of our hike at bassin-bleu

the courtyard of The Hotel Florita in Jacmel

 

a parade in downtown Jacmel

Aaron "rescuing" us from the rain

First impressions

The following are images from the back of a pickup truck on our drive from Port-au-Prince to the All Hands base in Léogâne. What do you think?

The images below were taken today as we walked around our base and then around Léogâne to get a feel for our surroundings.

yummy clean water!

tents and drying clothes

razor wire to protect our base

i think they meant love...

clothespins on the roof of our base

a book left on the roof

view from the roof

view inside our base from the roof. it is an incomplete nightclub that survived the earthquake and is now leased to us by Joe, a local entrepreneur who made his money driving cabs in NYC and also operates the bar on the property

more of the roof

collapsed house in Leogane, the concrete base crumbled but the wooden second floor remains mostly intact

the newly reopened hospital in Leogane

our fearless leaders, Aaron and Andrew

the cemetery in Leogane

"HEY YOU!" all the children shout at us blans (white people), a phrase they learned from the US troops that were here shortly after the earthquake last year

some beautiful boys in their school uniforms, cheesin' for the camera

Check out my flickr stream for larger versions of these photos and others.

An amazing story

The generosity and effectiveness of Partners in Health absolutely blows my mind.

THE PIH VISION: WHATEVER IT TAKES

At its root, our mission is both medical and moral. It is based on solidarity, rather than charity alone. When a person in Peru, or Siberia, or rural Haiti falls ill, PIH uses all of the means at our disposal to make them well—from pressuring drug manufacturers, to lobbying policy makers, to providing medical care and social services. Whatever it takes. Just as we would do if a member of our own family—or we ourselves—were ill.

They really mean it. This incredible video from the New York Times provides visual evidence. And made me cry like a baby.

I cannot recommend reading Tracy Kidder's Mountains Beyond Mountains highly enough if you're interested in learning about PIH or Haiti in general.

Help me help Haiti

I'm writing today in remembrance of the catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake which claimed 230,000 lives exactly one year ago. Sadly, much of Haiti appears exactly as it did only days after the disaster last year. 1 million Haitians remain homeless and 80 percent are unemployed.

I recently read this article about the reconstruction, or lack-thereof, and it truly broke my heart. While the recent political crisis and cholera outbreak have gotten a lot of press, Haiti is hurting in many other ways.

As you know, I'm planning to travel to Haiti next week to take part in relief efforts. My organization, All Hands Volunteers, has been on the ground in Léogâne, the epicenter of the earthquake, since only days after it occurred last year. They've already constructed three schools and are in the process of creating hundreds of life-saving bio-sand water filters, which, for only $100 USD, can provide clean, safe drinking water to an entire family for more than 10 years. All Hands has also instituted a cash-for-work program, paying Haitians to clear rubble and help rebuild.

As part of my support efforts, I'm also collecting donations. This is where YOU can help! You can make a tax-deductible donation today at http://allhandshaiti.kintera.org/emilyvantassel. These funds go directly to All Hands to support Project Léogâne. Every dollar counts! So clean out your couch or your change jar and give it to a good cause. For the small price of one night's bar tab or a week's worth of morning lattes, you can make a difference. See your hard-earned money doing good work through the pictures on this blog and at All Hands flickr and youTube pages.

Thank you in advance for your love and support, I'm surely going to need it! And thank you from All Hands as well!