No Rest for the Wicked (by Gordon Gilchrist)

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

I can't believe I have been back from Haiti for 6 days already, and tomorrow I leave for India! Some mornings I am not sure if I can use the tap water to brush my teeth; I have to stop and think of what country I am in first. Although life is a blur for me these days, there are some recurring themes that pop up regardless of where I lay my head:

Be thankful for what you have! The people of Thor's camp reinforced for me the idea that we are better off to be thankful for what we have than to complain about the things we don't have--a lesson I need to remember, especially coming from a country with so much. Don't stop trying to improve your lot in life, but make sure that which you seek will truly bring improvement. Spend more time reflecting on what you have.

Be thankful for who you have! It is the people in your life and the community you create that will be there for you when you need help. There is a great Haitian proverb that, translated loosely, says, "cooked food has no master." The evidence of community in Haiti is overwhelming, and I am jealous of them. Not everyone in the camp are best friends, but when one family gets food, everyone eats. The knowledge that they are stronger together than they are apart is something that they live by but that we too often forget. And now I am off to India--again to a community that truly believes that together they are stronger than they are apart.

Be thankful for the time you have! Life is short; it can be very short. Working in disaster zones makes you value life and the short time we have on this earth. I have often said I would rather live 50 years like a lion than 100 years like a chicken. Live each day to the fullest; don't put off opportunity, and don't put off connections. To seriously paraphrase: do what is just, love constantly, walk humbly.

In true Scottish style, I want my tombstone to read, "he got his money's worth!" But let's not put that tombstone up any time soon. I'm not done yet!

It Takes Time to Process (by Karen Fyles)

Prior to this trip to Haiti, I viewed many pictures and even first-hand video of the quake devastation. I talked with people who had visited Haiti soon after the tragedy and with a Haitian friend who was here at the time. None of that really prepared me for the magnitude of the situation. Having now spent three days here, I can only say I am still processing. We have spent hours driving through towns and countryside, and the damage goes on and on. Evidence of this catastrophic quake is everywhere. Tent camps dot the landscape. Some are well organized, sporting new tarps and tents, even lights in the evening. Others are put together from what can be found: sticks, sheets and blankets create a makeshift shelter. As the rainy season approaches, I can only imagine the misery of living in a blanket shelter.

In Camp Thor, the wood and sheet metal shelters are going up. Optimism is evident. Young men fill and carry buckets of rock and earth to create the raised floors. The carpenter and workers are busy building. After only a few days, people are moving in. These shelters, the size of a garden shed, are luxurious when compared with those in which people of the camp are currently living.

Food and water are a constant need. Current aid is short term and often intermittent. While aid is allowing people to survive in the short term, one can only wonder at the long term solutions. Haiti’s problems are complex.

Resiliency is evident here. Children keep busy building kites. Schools are not in session. Town centers are lined with stalls of fruit, veggies, grilled chicken, live chickens, ducks and turkeys, shoes, auto parts, newly cut sticks for shelter supports, whatever can be found to sell. Rubble piles line the streets as buildings are dismantled. Teams of workers making $5 a day cart rubble in wheelbarrows. Some rebuilding has begun. Life continues.

Haiti's problems are monumental. I feel conflicted about the role of the global community in providing aid. Haitians undeniably need help and will continue to need support for years to come. What that support looks like depends on your perspective. I feel priviledged to have had the opportunity to see first-hand Haiti's state of affairs. Haitian's are passionate, hospitable people who exhibit a strong entrepreneurial spirit. I am still processing how we can best help.

Hope Floats (by Gordon Gilchrist)

...or, more to the point, hope stays dry. I am done taking damaged building pictures. I can’t take another. I have seen enough darkness. I know it is there; I don’t need any more reminding. I need all my attention to be focussed on looking to the light. Hope is contagious. I caught it from the people in Camp Thor.

Things have changed in Port au Prince in the last month--some good, some not so good. I want to build on the good. When we arrived at Camp Thor a month ago, the mood was one of desperation, despair, and just a hint of hope. Not everyone believed that we would do anything other than look and leave--a pattern they had witnessed many times before. The mood that dominated was the never-ending tension in the camp. Sometimes it would flare up and then ebb a bit, but it was always there.

Today the predominant mood in Camp Thor is hope. People are smiling; kids are playing, making kites and laughing. Don’t get me wrong: there are huge problems still, but the mood has switched from tension to hope. There has not been a food delivery since ABW delivered food last month; the water money has dried up, so to speak; and employment is still scarce. But even in the face of all this, hope rises above all.

Why the change? Well, water makes a huge difference. Being able to wash your clothes, your hair, drink without fearing disease--these are huge factors--but the shelter project has added even more hope. Eleven men have steady work and will continue to have a job after this project ends. Families have a chance to be dry during the rain as soon as the roof is done. They move into the shelters during the night and move out during the day to complete the work. I noticed that my pictures taken in the camp this time have many smiling faces.

With such massive problems, why smile? Too many of us concentrate on what we don’t have instead of concentrating on what we do have. I admire the hope that floats through the camp. Some rubbed off on me, and I too have more hope. We all need to spend more time thinking about what we have and be thankful.

...And They're Off! (by Gordon Gilchrist)

The clouds broke this morning as we drove down to the camp to meet Paco, the contractor. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have spent the night in the sheet tents that can be found in each camp. There is a saying here that Haitians would rather take a bullet than get wet. This is not a group of people you will find singing in the rain! Before we got to the camp, the sky was clouding over--motivation enough for all to work quickly!

As we walked from the truck to the camp the ground was muddier than any other day, and I could see were the ditches had been flowing fast, carrying debris down to the sea. Paco was waiting for us at the camp with the camp council, and we started the final meeting before breaking ground. It is very important that all the players are sing from the same song sheet--not an easy task when the parties involved speak English, French, Spanish and Creole. By the end of the meeting, the air was filled with a beautiful four-part harmony--music to my ears.

Paco took us to see a similar shelter that his crew had built in the yard where they are staying. We took a few from the camp to see as well. These are simple shelters, but so much better than a bed sheet! Paco impressed me with his design for the camp by describing the site drainage first and the housing second. It is all about the drainage, and he gets that! At one point, there was a very spirited exchanged between the women's representative and the men's representative in one or more languages, none of which were English. Ron informed me that the discussion was around why they were still talking, and not working! And...they're off! Tents have to come down to put a shelter up; the community will erect one set of houses a day so no one is outside for a night.

Two years ago, I was called to Africa to deal with some light/water issues. I had to leave the autodesk conference early to catch the plane. On my way out, my eye was drawn to a small wind-up flashlight that Autodraft was giving out. I immediately thought, "These would be very useful for many people I see when I travel." Getting to the outhouse in the dark while avoiding the elephants can be tough without light. I approach Claire, the owner of Autodraft, about getting a few to take. When I explained why I wanted them, she went to the back of her car and GAVE me about 150 lights! I brought the last of the lights with me to Haiti and left them with the matriarch of the camp to give to those most in need. It is amazing what the gift of light can do when there is only darkness around you! (Glance at the darkness, but look to the light!)

We leave tomorrow (I think I will be back soon), and although the skies are dark, there is a bit more light in the lives of one small group of Haitians because of those of you who have helped--helped with donations, helped with communication, helped with moral support, and helped with raising awareness back home! I cannot say thank you enough!

I Can See Clearly Now, the Rain is Gone (by Gordon Gilchrist)

The rain last night could only be described as torrential, and the sinking feeling I had was not only from the mud under my sandals. We thought we had some time before the rainy season hit, but this seemed to say we were wrong and already too late. We have started to build a great relationship within the camp; not only have we showed up more than once, but we actually did something. Many people come and go, promises are made, but nothing comes of it. Cynicism is inevitable. Despair seeps in. Tensions rise. But in the last three days, A Better World has turned on the tap to 1000 gallons of clean water and will continue to supply water for six weeks, until the community can figure out how to buy their own or how to bring in town water. ABW and Indajoven brought the only health clinic the community has seen, and while the clinic was running, ABW made up 300 food hampers for the camp.

Yesterday afternoon, Pat and I were standing near the water tanks talking about fine tuning the system, and Thor was nearby talking with the community leaders. All of a sudden, Thor broke out in gales of laughter. The committee had been saying, "Just get us tarps. We can't afford to build these shelters you are proposing. We know how; we just can't afford it." When Thor quit laughing he explained to these men that they only had to build the shelter, that we would buy the materials. I cannot describe the range of emotions that rolled across their faces, but the final expression was undeniably relief! I am a father and a grandfather, and I know the worry they feel about the health and safety of their families. Their true level of deep concern did not become apparent until today.

Today the rubber hit the road! We met with Paco, the contractor, today about the shelters. I believe strongly in consulting local expertise and combining the best of both worlds. Pat and I have designed a solution for the camp buildings, then we redesigned them, then the rain hit and desperation to get more people under cover for the same money had us redesign them again. After all that, walking into this meeting, I truly believed we had the minimalist solution. Meanwhile, however, Paco had been meeting with the camp council and developed a much more detailed plan, including the number of people per family. Here is what they are asking for: 1.5 square meters per person (that is 16 square feet per person). Let me put that into perspective for you: in Alberta, if you want to rent out a single room, it cannot be less than 100 square feet! The request for space is half of what Pat and I considered to be the bare minimum. This means that the entire camp site will be able to shelter more people, IF we can come up with more funds. The upshot is that we have negotiated to get 44 families under cover. Work starts tomorrow! This is a great day for me, but an even better day for one small group of unfortunate Haitians. Thank you for everyone who has supported us so far. You cannot understand what a huge difference you have made. You just can't possibly understand! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Port au Prince: City Under Siege (by Gordon Gilchrist)

We are driving through the city right now trying to get to an artisan community, and, as we drive, Thor has been going over some of the statistics:

• 300,000 dead
• 50 Canadians still missing
• 400,000 moved out of PauP to the provinces
• 1,200,000 homeless left in the city

The problem with that third statistic, the large number of people leaving the city, is that the rural infrastructure is not in place to support that many people. When the international community invested in Haiti, they put most of the development into Port au Prince. The discussion in the car went something like this: when all the aid for Haiti was concentrated in Port au Prince, all the eggs were put into that one basket, and now the basket has been dropped, set on fire, driven over to extinguish the flames, had its ashes scooped up and dumped into a well that was then flooded with rain water and washed out to sea! That, as we see it, is the state of Port au Prince today! Now, we might be a bit punchy from a lack of sleep, but the assessment is not far off.

Back in the car now after visiting the metal artisans--pretty cool stuff! I will have some up for auction along with some paper mache art when I return. It was like music to hear the artisans pounding on the steel. It was the music of making a living, banging out a future for their families and their country. This work is very labor-intensive and truly skilled craftmanship. There is an undeniable, immediate, life-threatening need in Haiti right now, but there is a bigger, long-term problem, as well. Haiti needs to build an economy. These artisans are doing their part by creating a foreign market, making something that can be exported in exchange for foreign currency to build the economy.

We stopped at the Thor camp to see the water system. The people are thrilled to have clean water available! One person has been given the responsibility of metering the water out, and, as we speak, a shed is being constructed around the tanks to keep them safe. Pat and I surveyed the site for the best location to put up the first of 5 shelter buildings. I have some funding in place, but I need money! We have the contractor, the materials, the local labor, the blessing of the landlord; we are just short of cash. Here is the deal: we can put a family into interim housing for $4/square foot. I am a cheap Schotchman, so I can promise you, this is a cheap as it gets! They really need your help here! Please get involved!

I just want to add that I know many of you are worried about us, and I don't think that there is anything I can say to stop you from doing that, but the most dangerous part of this trip, like all trips, is the driving. We are quite safe, and I can certainly say that I am in my element. I am making a difference, using my talents to help others. I cannot stay at home, perhaps safer, knowing that these people are living like this when I can make a difference. I have the time off work, I have the talent to help make things happen, and I would like to think that someone like me would help our family if we were in the same boat.

Printing, Packing, and Pizza

Today was an odd day...a little of everything. I spent most of the morning drawing up the shelter plans. There was a bit of a time crunch because the printer lady was going home. She was very efficient before she left, however, and produced two copies of the plans Pat and I have settled on. In farm structures class I tell the students that if all they want to do is keep the outside out and the inside in then the cheapest way to do that is a pole frame building. It turns out, that is just what I need to do down here: keep the outside out and the inside in. So, guess what? We will start construction of a pole frame building on Saturday. We just received word that it is raining in Port au Prince tonight. By morning there will be a quarter million Haitians in varying degrees of wetness! Now is not the time to pontificate; now is the time to act!

Eric and Pastor Ron packed up today to head into Port au Prince. You know that a guy has not ever been camping when he asks you how to roll up a sleeping mat! Eric received his fair share of ribbing while he tried to get the air out of the mat and get it stuffed into the carrying case. He prevailed in the end,though. Pat and I stayed behind to finish up some things and to go to the artisan group in Jacmel tomorrow.

The food here has been great albeit a bit unusual. I am thrilled that it is not spicy! Tonight had fried chicken and pizza with potatoes and gravy. Not the usual combination, but it all was very good!

Last night, I had the munchies. I went into the kitchen and a few of the guys were there talking. When the subject of snacks came up, it was mentioned that there was a bag of animal crackers on the counter. I went to retrieve the bag and discovered more animal crackers than I have ever seen in my life. In fact, the bag weighed 30 pounds! They tasted great! I ate too many.

On the way to the beach there was a very nice little restaurant (was being the operative word.) Just about all that is left of it is the door and, sad as it is, the sign on the door is very funny. Have a look and tell me what you think the sign was supposed to say?

On the road tomorrow. I am anxious to get the community starting to build their new homes! I don't know if we will have internet from here on in. We are not staying at the same place as last time. (I guess when you run from a house scantily clad they think twice about asking you back! Go figure!) So, I don't know when you'll hear from me again, but 'til then, appreciate just how dry you are tonight.

Shaken, and Stirred (by Gordon Gilchrist)

It was after midnight before I turned in and some time after that before the adrenaline turned to deep sleep, but, tired as I was, at 4:36 this morning I went from a dead sleep to highly alert. As I leapt from my matress, the first thing to go through my mind was my mother's voice saying, “You should always wear PJs to bed,” but I don’t. The second thing to go through my mind was the knob on the dressser. Apparently, I had rolled over in the night, and, when I lunged out of bed, I lunged from the wrong side of the matteress into the nearest piece of furniture. What did not go through my mind was if the shaking was caused by a truck; in no time at I I was fully aware that no truck was causing the tremor that woke me. Aftershocks are an effective way to stir one from slumber!

We are all fine, and there was no new damage in the area around where we are staying--none that I can tell, at least. It would be tough to know if some of these buildings are more damaged today than yesterday. It is tough to get back to sleep after that type of an awakening, but I tried. Needless to say, the day started at 4:30 a.m.

There was no water this morning, and it is very hot today, so I bet I smell pretty ripe. I did get some texts out, but communication is tough and very sporadic. I got a connection at lunch long enough to let my family know we are fine and to get a broader message out via Facebook. Thanks to my editor for getting an update on the blog site as soon as she knew we were safe. That is a big help. But enough about me...

We have been working on getting water to Thor’s camp for a few days now. We met with the camp council this morning to work out the final details. We then left them to build a stone pad 1.5 meters high for the tanks while we went to the bank to get money. As it turns out, they can build faster than we can get cash. We have tanks in place tonight, and the water truck is ordered for tomorrow. This does not fix the problem; the water has to be paid for, but the residents will have to work that out. A Better World will supply the first six-weeks worth of water, but then they need to sustain themselves.

I now have three building proposals to talk over with myself: standard wood frame with a stressed skin (inspired by the Hawker Hurricane), a pole frame (inspired by a 1960s' hay shed), and a ridged steel frame hoop house on steroids (inspired by insanity, I suppose...the Gordon Gilchrist 2010 variety). Coming up with these options has been kind of a trip down memory lane for me. Who would have dreamed that what I learned in aviation school might keep earthquake survivors dry decades later?! I need to have a solid plan in place soon so we can get started ASAP; the rains are coming! I have promised myself (and Eric) that I will bring these semi-permanent shelters in for a $1000/family. Remember, that amount won't buy you much of a garden shed in Canada, but they would be happy to have one here.

I was shaken awake and stirred into action this morning and have not stopped since--not stopped thinking at any rate. Keep us in your prayers, your thoughts, and your cheque books. The Haitians have labour, building materials, and a huge need. All they lack is a little help ($$$) which we can provide. Thanks to all who have sent comments, emails, and words of support. Remember, for every person who comes down here to help, there should be 100 people behind them at home. Nothing happens without your support, THANK YOU!!!!

*** EDITORIAL NOTE ***

According to the USGS, Haiti experienced an "aftershock" at 9:36 a.m. (local time). The magnitude of this occurance was a 4.7 at the epicenter, approximately 35 kilometers west of Port au Prince. We want to let you know that we have heard from Eric Rajah and Gordon Gilchrist who are currently in that area and THEY ARE OKAY. They report that all is business as usual today in spite of the tremor. Continue to pray for their safety (and that of everyone in the country), but rest assured that they are safe and secure at this time.

Glance Behind but Look Ahead

Eric and I have not left Port au Prince yet. It is hard to walk away from the need. What I saw today reminds me of the news reels from the Second World War of a bombed out city. One building would be completely collapsed while the next one would look just fine. The amount of damage here is unbelievable. One estimate I heard states that 1000 trucks running 24 hours a day will need 2 years to clear downtown Port au Prince. I think that is optimistic. (It doesn't take into consideration that buildings that are completely collapsed are easier to deal with than buildings that have just partially fallen down.)

The 'structures' teacher in me sees examples of failure in shear, in compression, and in tension. The father in me smells the decaying bodies of school children and teachers still buried under tonnes of concrete as we drive by a large school. Burned in my mind is the image of a young man squatting alone on top of a pile of rubble, head in hands.

This place could grind you into a pit of depression if there wasn't so much needing to be done. The choice I made is to glance into the darkness but to focus on the light. I spent most of the day in two tent camps--small by Port au Prince standards. The first has about 700 families and is currently being run by a capable 23-year-old young lady from the Dominican. The camp is just below the Red cross building and beside a church mission, both of which are heavily fenced, beautiful, and not doing anything to assist those within the camp on their doorstep. The second camp is being helped by Thor, a professor from UBC who specialized in Haitian studies. This camp has even worse conditions than the first and, thankfully, is smaller with only 103 families.

As I stood on a nearby roof with a non-functioning water tank on one side and a pigeon coop on the other, I surveyed the smaller camp and my mind screamed, "look ahead, look ahead!" This is the situation where I function best: problems that demand to be solved with little money and time. And what I see before me here is definitely a big problem! This will require more than one step and much of the solution is simply not within the capabilities of A Better World or any other small NGO. It would be easy to become overwhelmed and depressed, but there is just no time for that. Instead, we will identify those things that we can do well and make the solutions happen as cheap and fast as we can. Time is working against us; the rainy season is fast approaching, and these tent camps will be a breeding ground for disease and misery.

The tent camps were needed, and a permanent solution is needed as well, but in the meantime (LIKE RIGHT NOW!!!) a semi-permanent solution needs to be put into place. New houses cannot be built where the tents are pitched because they sit upon the city's parks and playing fields--any clear space, actually, public or private. So what can be done? I spent the afternoon in hardware stores and building supply stores, and I am working on an answer. Stay tuned...

P.S. If you are an administrator at UBC, you can help by telling your very useful and capable professor, Michael Burnham, that you will see to it that his classes will be covered and that you are going to keep paying him while he is down here. If you are not a UBC administrator but you know one, you can help best by sending them this blog.