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By Guest Writer, on March 3rd, 2010
On Tuesday, January 12th, a devastating earthquake rattled the small island nation of Haiti, changing the landscape of the country forever. This tragedy has allowed national governments, charitable organizations, and average people to come together as a cohesive unit to bring relief to a nation that is in urgent need of it. Consequently, it is vital to understand what has been done in the area and most importantly, what yet can be done.
When the earthquake first struck, the humanitarian effort was almost instantaneous. The United Nations immediately sent an extra 3,000 troops and workers, The World Bank donated $100 million to the area, and in the private sector, some celebrities even donated as much as $3 million of their own money. Relief organizations big and small have given food, water, and manpower to do whatever they can to help. Yet, the country is still in desperate need of trucks to haul out rubble and basic medical supplies to help the wounded. The situation in Haiti is so dire that these efforts have had as many failures as they’ve had successes. In terms of what can be done, the surface hasn’t even been scratched; this is a sentiment that no one understands better than former President Bill Clinton.
The former President joined up with former President George W. Bush to create the Clinton Bush Haiti Relief Fund, but has also had direct involvement with relief efforts through his foundation, The Clinton Global Initiative. With the help of the machine behind The Clinton Global Initiative, Doug Band, the operation has been at the forefront of international aid and philanthropy since its inception in 2005. The CGI has helped more than ten million children gain access to better education, granted more than $150 million in medical research, and has provided treatment to over 30 million people for tropical diseases. Learn more about The Clinton Global Initiative here.
For the relief effort in Haiti, the CGI has sent supplies, gathered funds, and developed plans for the long-term economic viability of the nation in the wake of this disaster. In fact, it’s been said that when the former President was admitted to New York Presbyterian Hospital he insisted on having his cell phone by his side at all times. Doctors and personal counselor Doug Band did their best to restrict his movement and enforce sleep. Despite their persistence, Clinton remained as steady as he was prior to the surgery, showing that his passion and commitment made the former President ignore his own well-being for the interest of a suffering nation. By visiting the Initiative’s website, you too can contribute to help the people of Haiti overcome this horrible disaster.
Although it’s still early, there’s one major element of restoration that has been overlooked; Construction. This more or less aligns with the implications of “economic viability” and long term sustainability, posing the questions, “Can Haiti really make it through all the costs of repair and reconstruction?” Infrastructure can take a toll on any economy, especially if the funds aren’t there. This goes hand in hand with meeting modern day LEED standards and approaching this in a “greener” sense. Organizations like Architecture for Humanity will make this possible. Architecture for Humanity (1999) is a nonprofit design services firm building “a more sustainable future through the power of professional design.” It was formulated through a group of building professionals who’s overwhelming passion for construction drove them to provide a way for underdeveloped, suffering countries to rebuild. Through their dedication and hard work, these people will be able to not only create new buildings and infrastructure, but make them bigger, better, and greener.
To touch on just some of the things that AFH covers:
• Alleviating poverty and providing access to water, sanitation, power and essential services
• Bringing safe shelter to communities prone to disaster and displaced populations
• Rebuilding community and creating neutral spaces for dialogue in post-conflict areas
• Mitigating the effects of rapid urbanization in unplanned settlements
• Creating spaces to meet the needs of those with disabilities and other at-risk populations
• Reducing the footprint of the built environment and addressing climate change
The tragedy in Haiti has shown the worst of what Mother Nature can do, but has also shown the best of the human spirit, whether it be through philanthropists and nonprofits or help from the simple individual. People from around the world came together to bring help and aid however they could. Getting this struggling nation back up on it’s feet will be a battle, but with the help of organizations like the CGI and AFH, it will be a battle with an undoubtedly positive outcome. Nevertheless, there is still much to be done to not just dig Haiti out of the rubble, but to bring hope back to its people.
03/02/2010
By Julie, on February 25th, 2010
KATHERYN HOERSTER
A Leader Mobilizing Other Leaders
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Submitted by Charlie Lang, 02/25/2010 |
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After having lunch with a friend and former brigader from a nearby university in December 2008, Katheryn Hoerster knew Global Business Brigades was a cause worth pursuing. The then sophomore at Texas A&M had been looking for a leadership role that would allow her to serve those most in need as well as highlight the opportunities available to A&M students in the area of sustainable development. She knew Aggies from all walks of life would embrace the message GB has to share.
Finding several other students interested in a leadership position with GBB Texas A&M was the simple part. The four friends began the process of gaining recognition from their university and eventually recruited fourteen other students excited to spend a week of Christmas vacation serving others. The group used their time in Rio Oeste, Panama to help the community grow their humble business of growing, harvesting, and processing cacao. The founding brigade was a huge success, and Katheryn and the other leaders are already planning a return visit to the community to continue their work with the project.
Katheryn is also working with other student leaders to eventually found all eight disciplines of GB, expanding the reach of Texas A&M students and the opportunities they can provide to communities in Central America. The past year as a new GBB leader has opened doors for Katheryn as well as taught her how much she has been given and how to share that with others.
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NOMINATE A STUDENT FOR NEXT WEEK
 
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By Kate, on February 24th, 2010
Spreading the Word to Stop the Decay!
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Kate Leeming, 02/24/2010
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This winter, medical brigades got a little more interesting. With ambitions of moving our health programs in the direction of holistic care, 16 groups worked to bring rural Hondurans quality dental care during the official Dental Brigades pilot. Not only did our patients receive much needed dental attention and preventative education, 12 new dental brigades have been started.
It all began a couple of months ago. Working with medical brigade after medical brigade, we began to notice the prevalence of tooth decay and the obvious lack of dental care most of our community members were experiencing. Many would come to the brigades complaining of tooth aches and all we could do was offer ibuprofen. As an organization, we took a step back and said, “can we do something about this? Isn’t our focus on alleviation of pain and disease with a focus on prevention?” Dental Brigades fit this model. The program was established a few years back, but it didn’t have the capacity to meet the massive amount of need in our communities. And that was when the idea of fusing medical and dental care “brigade-style” came to life.
During this winter season, medical brigaders were given the opportunity to assist in the dental station facilitated by Honduran dentists. Student tasks included assisting the licensed dentists on extractions or fillings*, performing cleanings and preventative fluoride treatments, instrument management and cold-sterilization, delivering post-op care instructions, and delivering preventative education “charlas” or “talks.”
Britany Weissman, a medical brigader from Columbia University commented on her time in the dental station: “A really great experience. I really learned a lot about dentistry and its importance. I had a chance to help brush childrens’ teeth and it was heart breaking to see how damaged their teeth were.”
With the help of our amazing Honduran dentists, Dr. Adan Arita, Dr. Fernando Estrada, and Dra. Sonia Nuñez, Dental Chair Charlotte Painter, dental hygiene student Amanda Balcer, and all our student and professional brigaders, we saw a total of 1978 patients, performed 782 extractions, 67 fillings, 227 scalings and 1215 fluoride treatments in January alone. Great work guys!
If you’re interested in traveling with a dental brigade or would like more information on what we do, check out our website dentalbrigades.org or contact kate@globalbrigades.org.
* University of Washington dentist Dr. Jim Zimmerman graciously donated a unit and compressor to GDB to offer fillings and prophylactic cleanings. Now we can save teeth that may otherwise need to be extracted. Thanks Dr. Z!
Kate Leeming is the Program Director of Global Dental Brigades. She started as a medical brigader and fell in love with rural dentistry. She likes long walks on the beach, hugging Honduran children, and papaya licuados.
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 San Francisco State University brigader Amad Demetrious applies a fluoride treatment  University of Virginia brigader Ahmed Ragab assists Dr. Arita on an extraction  Even Microfinance Brigades loves Dental! Program Director Merrilee Chapin delivers preventative education with Pedro the Puppet
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By Anna, on February 19th, 2010
Introducing…Dance Brigades!
Anna Else Pasternak 02/16/2010
Dance is my Eros. Dance is the bridge between God and myself. It is this complete giving up of oneself to the dance which creates the threshold or bridge between the earth and a higher sense of enlightenment. I love dance because it sways in this threshold.
Dance is also one of [...]
By Steve, on February 19th, 2010
To join the discussion, click on “Leave a Comment” at the bottom of the post.
Did you know that the families in the Honduran communities we support live on less than 3 gallons of water a day during the dry season? To put this in perspective, the average house-hold consumption in the U.S. is nearly 70 [...]
By Julie, on February 18th, 2010
Check out this link to Global Brigades chapters at SDSU covered on NBC News San Diego last May:
By Guest Writer, on February 16th, 2010
The Seattle University School of Law is the first law school in America to establish a Global Law Brigades chapter on its campus. This March, the school will send seven law students, one faculty member, and her husband to Panama for a week to engage a rural village in legal empowerment work. Since obtaining recognition [...]
By Guest Writer, on February 9th, 2010
JONATHAN LEE
A passionate “Brigade Crasher”…
Submitted by Michelle Menclewicz, 02/10/2010
Inform, excite and INSPIRE! That is what we hope all of our GB leaders set out to do! Jonathan Lee is one such student who represents the spirit of Global Brigades. Jonathan first got involved with Global Brigades when he joined the UC San Diego Public [...]
By Merrilee, on February 9th, 2010
Beyond the chance to develop the Microfinance Brigades (MFB) program amongst a fascinating group of MF professionals from 13 different countries; MFB also found the ideal MFB Brigade Coordinator out of a Grameen Bank intern at the time. Several months after this opportune meeting half-way around the world in Bangladesh, Global Microfinance Brigades welcomes Romain Testard to the Honduras team!
By Sue, on February 9th, 2010
Party in El Zurzular!
Suzanne Zuppello, Ben Erker and Joel Cruz
02/10/2010
On January 22, 2010, we were not making just any trip to El Zurzular. The sense of calm usually felt on our drive to the community was replaced with a combination of excitement and nerves. We hoped that what lay before us would be a [...]
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