“People are hungry. They’re overwhelmed. Everyone’s sleeping outside and they’re fearful of the aftershocks, which are still occurring,” says Tiffany Bond, former Woodinville resident. Courtesty Photo
Little did the Woodinville woman that she would fall in love with the country and its fascinating culture. And that her experience would lead her on an incredible journey, resulting in a resolve to help the people of this impoverished nation.
With the assistance of other like-minded individuals, Bond formed Haiti Aid Network, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to coordinating the efforts of small nonprofits to provide both logistical and direct aid to the Haitian people.
"Throughout Haiti there are hundreds of nonprofits doing what they can to improve conditions," explains Bond. "They all struggle with funding and many just don’t have the resources to pull together a comprehensive plan. Haiti Aid Network acts as a central clearing place for these smaller groups to work together. We help to match projects and donations, connecting U.S. donors with Haitian charities. Basically, we match good deeds to worthy needs." She adds, "We strive to coordinate funds reaching these organizations as well as to run our own programming. The goal is to support existing not-for-profits and offer complimentary programming with our involvement."
Haiti Aid Network has primarily focused its efforts within the Jacmel region of the country.
Jacmel is the fourth largest city in Haiti and it is considered a major cultural center.
Before the earthquake hit, Bond was creating an economic development plan for this south coastal area, with the input of Haitian officials.
Once the disaster hit, however, immediate needs took precedence and her organization began fundraising in earnest to bring in supplies to Jacmel.
"We received an influx of physical and monetary donations after the earthquake," says Bond. "However, the infrastructure of Haiti was demolished. There was no practical mechanism to transport aid to the Jacmel region. This is a region that is separated from Port-au-Prince by a mountain range, so it poses logistical issues for the majority of aid being delivered to the country. On the 14th, we had the first ground contact with Jacmel. And on the morning of the 16th, we discovered that the pleasure craft dock in the city was still standing. By the evening, the ship Liberty Schooner in Florida had stepped up to the plate, generously offering their boat to us at cost to do supply runs. We now had a will and a way."
Bond continues to explain that the Haiti Aid Network team began routing physical donations to the dock in Miami.
The first aid run to Jacmel left the dock on January 30, and several runs have occurred since then with the intention they will continue until funding is exhausted or aid can be delivered in a more efficient manner.
Bond flew to Miami and planned on getting on the boat for its first run, but she ended up flying in to Haiti on a small private plane.
When the ship arrived, she was there to clear it with customs and assist in ensuring that the supplies, including a generator donated by Home Depot, got to its destination.
The generator was marked for Vie de France, a private school in Jacmel that has stepped up to help thousands of people by providing food and water.
During her short stay in Haiti, Bond took photos of the devastation for use in getting grants to rebuild quickly, as well as to update her economic development plan for the region.
When asked to detail her observations, she replies, "The conditions are what you would expect. People are hungry. They’re overwhelmed. Everyone’s sleeping outside and they’re fearful of the aftershocks, which are still occurring. The rains will soon come, though, and they’re going to get soaked because there are not enough tents to go around. The people need long term housing solutions."
Bond explains that the situation remains a logistical nightmare due to the limited infrastructure. This prevents the people from getting the help they require.
She comments that the biggest needs are food, water purification methods, construction tools, heavy equipment machinery and building materials.
She adds: "The people are also in need of French and Creole speaking grief and trauma counselors. They’ve been through such a horrific disaster and so many have lost so much."
Despite the overwhelming situation, Bond says the mood of the people is optimistic: "Haitians are very resilient people with a wonderful spirit. Yes, they’re obviously upset and devastated, but they’re forward looking and hopeful that this will offer them an opportunity to rebuild their homes and businesses."
The earthquake was particularly destructive in Haiti because most buildings were not designed to be earthquake resistant.
Made of concrete and often piece meal, they crumbled and toppled over like dominos when the earthquake hit.
"Although I wasn’t in Port-au-Prince during my recent visit, I did fly over the city and was able to get a good look at the damage," comments Bond. "The city was basically flattened with a cloud of dust hanging over it. I thought I was prepared to see the sight, but I wasn’t. It was shocking and so sad."
The local woman commends the generosity of the American public in its response to the disaster, but she cautions people to make sure they donate to organizations that have the capacity to get supplies in to the area.
She also says to look for organizations that have definite and specific rebuilding plans.
"It’s going to take a joint effort," she adds. "Some of the nonprofits are working well together and some are not. The ones that are Miami based are coordinating well, but down in Haiti, there appears to be more competition than coordination. Everybody has their own opinion and everyone thinks they should be in charge. Also, some of the organizations are circumventing local government in their efforts. This is the wrong way to go about doing things. They need to empower local leaders to deal with the problem."
As for Haiti Aid Network, Bond explains that the organization will be working with the Jacmel Chamber of Commerce and other groups to revise a regional economic development plan and implement appropriate programming directed towards a long term solution.
She says, "Haitians need job creation and the economic ability to recover as their infrastructure is repaired. Our organization is in it for the long haul.
"We were involved before the earthquake and we will continue to be involved in the future. We see a long term connection to the south coast of the country and we are eventually looking to move toward a for-profit partnership with constant funding to establish programming that creates sustainable solutions versus only emergency response operations."
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