It has been a while since I've put something up here. It isn't that things are staled, but to start talking about this project as fact before we had all the details solidified might have worked against us. This of course is the temporary shelter project that will give SOPUDEP a bunch of classrooms and has the potential to house countless families that are now living on the street because of the earthquake.

The project began almost immediately after the quake when I was approached by Kathlene Mcguinness, a student in the Interior Architecture Program at Ryerson University in Toronto Ontario, Canada. She informed me that they had created a committee dedicated to helping SOPUDEP in their rebuilding efforts. After my first meeting with her I knew that this was a special project and I could see it not just being a way for there to be a temporary school, but shelter for the masses.

Well, a few months later and we have a final design. One that is fully engineered to drain storm water under the shelter and is hurricane and earthquake resistant. The design is no tent! It is a spacious design that could easily sleep a family of six or more. Two full size double mattresses can also fit in there side by side.

This weeks update was contributed by a good friend of mine and SOPUDEP's, Darren Ell. If you haven't heard how I came upon SOPUDEP in the first place, this is the man.

Darren is an independent photojournalist from Montreal who is not someone content to do his fact checking remotely. Instead, he puts himself in the thick of it by traveling to the places that we would deem to be certain death for any foreigner (of course, he knows this fear is all media hype anyways).

It is because of his dedication to seek out the truth and not a paycheck that his perspective is unique to the popular media. He is the guy I turn to for clarity when the stories and facts I hear start to get muddled.

Oh yes, he's also the guy who provided the majority of beautiful and inspiring photo's you see on this site

Ryan Sawatzky, President
The Sawatzky Family Foundation

Living With Contradictions

It's just a month and a half after the earthquake and we are starting to hear about a new cause for a devastated Haiti. Development! Tourism, agriculture, "industrial parks", strengthening Haiti's government or removing it and installing a new one. This has been touted the magic "new beginning" to a country that has been under foreign control since Christopher Columbus sanctioned it fit for European agriculture production way back when. Some ideas are valid and responsible, but many are opportunistic and will move a much needed income for Haiti out of the country or into the pockets of Haiti's elite. It is a very important topic of conversation and we certainly should pay attention to what's in the works for Haiti's future, but the type of rebuilding forefront in our mind should still be about providing the basics of everyday life for these affected Haitians.

Here is some info I received from Scott Weinstein, a nurse from the DC area who has been working with SOPUDEP and other groups on the ground for three weeks now.  "A few weeks after the earthquake, Réa is desperately trying to get food for her community of children and their families from the school she ran before the earthquake. It now is a community center and clinic. Baz, an American medic, has told her that there might be food from the UN. But it is very confusing. The Italian Navy is also promising food in a few days. The prospect of being able to participate in that food distribution system seems daunting for Rea, whose English is not very good and whose Italian is nil."

In memory of:

Nadia Raymond taught the morning kindergarten class and the afternoon class with the street kids. She is seen here as Santa Claus.

Shella Louis taught the kindergarten class in the morning and first grade in the afternoon.

These were dedicated teachers who strived to educate and empower their communities youth despite sometimes having to forgo what little pay they did receive. All of SOPUDEP's staff  deserve our utmost respect and support!

We are deeply sorry for all the loss Haiti has endured!

Hi everyone,

I received this Q&A email tonight between Kathlene McGuinness (who formed a SOPUDEP committee with her fellow Interior Architecture students and professors in order to help facilitate the rebuild and growth of this important education program. Kathlene was asking specifics on how Rea would like the temporary school space designed.

This is Rea words of events that have transpired up until this point. Please read!

Interview

Hi Rea!

This is Kathlene McGuinness at Ryerson University in Toronto. Myself and a group of students and teachers are trying to design you some temporary classrooms for SOPUDEP on the site for the new school, and we have been working closely with Ryan Sawatzky since the earthquake.

Here are some questions I was hoping you could answer:

1. Could you take us through a normal day at SOPUDEP before the earthquake?

Rea: A normal day, all the children come to study at school, as usual, the children go to their classrooms, and when means allow, they receive a hot meal at school. The first group finishes at 1:00pm, and then in the afternoon we help street children to work hard to learn a trade skill. We work, following the pedagogical program of the National Education Ministry that they supply us with—that’s the one we use.

2. What is your vision for the new school? What would you like to see  happen?

Rea: As we work with groups abroad, such as in California, with Seth (Donnelly) and the union members, we have been working to try to secure a (new) site (for the school), and we will communicate with Ryan (Sawatzky) as well. The former building, I had a 10-year contract, which is ending in 2012, and I have received many threats, so we were looking at the new school for SOPUDEP. Therefore, we were looking at the possibilities to have a new land and site for the school.

Haiti is ten days in to this mess and very little has improved. Many people are on the ground trying their best to ease these peoples suffering, but the policy makers are largely stifling the efforts. We can only hope that their eyes are opened to the fact that human life is infinitely more important than an arbitrary bottom line. That's all I'll say about that right now!

There are many people taking action in the aid efforts and are doing what they can right now with whatever they have at their disposal. SOPUDEP School Director Réa Dol is taking action to help her community with little to no international aid.

Just two days ago, at day eight, starvation in SOPUDEP's area (as I'm sure is the same in the rest of the city) started to take a real tole. The generosity of a local grocer is now ensuring at least some are staving off hunger. Réa, because she has bought from him for the duration of the school's food program has developed a good working relationship with this vendor and he has given food to Réa on credit. 150 to 250 are being fed right now, but countless others could be included with some cash.  

We are working on paying down that credit so she can continue to expand her food program. Right now we can only send down $500 a day through Western Union, but once the limit is lifted and the banks are open we hope that with your support we can expand the food program. This is just the beginning of this crisis!!!

Réa is also appealing to raise money to send families to the countryside to stay with their families where they can have better support. Medication and outdoor survival supplies are on the short list of things to get in the coming weeks.

Via Facebook, I've heard that Rea Dol is okay, but we have no update on other staff or students or the state of the school at this time. It's my understanding that Michael from Haitian Street Kids may be going by the school tomorrow. I'll be checking often, and will provide more information as it appears.

Melissa

I just want to let supporters of SOPUDEP School know that we have no word from anyone at the school yet, but we'll post an update just as soon as we have any information. If you have been in touch with Rea or any of the staff or students, please let us know.

Melissa