JDC on the ground in Haiti

The Joint Distrinution Committee (JDC) is one of the organizations partnering with the Jewish Community Federation to help victims of the Haiti earthquake. It is the largest international Jewish humanitarian assistance organization in the world and has played a critical, often life-saving role in most important events in 20th and 21st century Jewish history. Building on decades of relief and development experience, JDC provides effective, non-sectarian assistance to both Jews and non-Jews worldwide who are victims of natural and man-made disasters. The below updates were contributed by JDC team member Jacob Schimmel during his journey and time on the ground in Haiti with the JDC team. To retain authenticity they are presented here without editing.

Haiti JDC report 1- Day one January 25, 2010 I am dressed in jeans sweat shirt....heavy backpack slung across my shouldres...I look like a student backpacker....hair whiter- a few more creases on the face perhaps ...but the same youthful stride...ready for anything....and so begins my journey to Haiti..its 1600 NY time....I've just flown in from London... I'm sitting infront of the check in area awaiting my travel partners-Shauli Dritter and Sam Amiel from the Joint -who have experience in disaster areas the latest being in the recent rescue of jews under fire in Osetia Georgia.....joining us will also be Mandie Winston who will be coordinating operations out of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic (for those not yet familiar The Dominican Republic and Haitai share an Island-only Haiti has been affected by the Quake)...my journey began at heathrow airport where now as a result of the recent attempted suicide bombing aboard a plane to Detroit they have instituted additional security checks before boarding ...having passed through the regular scanners and checks you are subjected to a series of more rigorous checks just before entry to the plane....everyone has to open their bags all items are removed and hand checked before being replaced....my rucksack contains all my needs for the few days in Haiti and in view of the limited space everthing is tightly packed- just so...I am dreading this intrusion into my meticulously packed bag which took me- a generally disorganised fellow- the best part of an hour to get together....it is my turn ..."You- over there"....I approach the bench with trepidation....my rucksack lies across the table displayed for all to see...the first item to come out is a solar powered (there is no electrical power yet in Haiti) battery charger equipped to power phones, computers, ipods etc.....this leads to the obvious question "what's this for and where are you going"....and so I prepare to explain my trip to Haiti...but I don't get beyond the word Haiti when tears begin to well in the security agents eyes ...she is from india or perhaps bangladesh...has children of her own ...feels the pain and anguish of the people of Haiti... wishes she was able to do something for them but has little to give...I tell her that there is something that she can do that would make a real difference..."you can bless me" I say... "and I will carry your blessings to the people of Haiti"...she smiles and with tears in her eyes she blesses me....and without further checks allows me to pass...and so I pass touched by our brief but moving human encounter....and blessed that I don't have to repack my rucksack-a challenge far greater than my trip to the region....and so bearing the kind blessings of a airport security agent and my heavy rucksack I make my way onto Haiti....will report further as my journey progresses......J

Haiti JDC report 2 - January 26, 2010 arrived last night 2am into Santo Domingo ....checked into Hilton hotel...our last few hours of comfort...ocean view...a bed ..clean sheets...a shower...oh for the simple pleasures we fail at times to appreciate....repacked our rucksacks taking only essentials....sleeping bags...mousquito nets....satelite phone...water purefication tablets...solar powered chargers..malaria tablets.....some clothes...left all but essentials back in Santo Domingo with Mandie running logistics out of the Hotel for the next few days....breakfast at 830am ...at 9am email came through from MercyCorps with whom we have good relations that a US military Black Hawk helicopter is awating us at Hangar 1at the US Airforce base....we call Sam who is in the middle of a World Bank meeting...he leaves Mandie to finish the meeting....we pack and are gone 15 minutes later...traffic is a nightmare...the driver tells us that Dominicans invest in a car before a home...it. wasn't always like that he tells us...we arrive at Hangar1 1030 ...are welcomed and told that flight would leave soon...we take off eventually at 1230pm....on board there are two ladies from the US embassy ...one NGO professional from Paris on an exploratory mission....there is something special in the air -you can almost feel it...a sense of cameraderie...all of us united in a common effort to help the people of Haiti...as soon as you meet someone you immedaitely feel a bond even a total stranger...friendships are easily made...conversations simply happen....why do we need tragedy to bring us together...but such I suppose is the human condition....being here I feel enriched....the helicopter flight took 90 minutes....we flew low over the terrain.....as we headed seaward we flew over the slums of Santo Domingo....small clusters of simple shacks.....then over the sea along the sea front.... hotels casinos and apartment buildings under construction...leaving the sea behind us we cross over into hilly terrain.....rolling hills covered in green with the odd house here and there perched on top...seemingly inaccessible.....the hills turn to mountains...it is truly a beautiful country.....nature knows no boundaries it seems....it overflows with beauty....and we are about to see it in full fury....we arrive in Haiti....it is a country in agony....It is now more than a week since the earth convulsed here beneath this tiny island-the human tragedy is everywhere-the people here have yet to plumb the depths of suffering and want....nobody knows the numbers but whatever they are they are staggering....more than 100,000 dead...200,000 injured and maimed...and one million homeless....desperate now for water, food, fuel, medecines and shelter....I look around me and see the profound generousity of the worlds response..americans alone gave more than 190m dollars in the first week of the quake.....but matching the demand and the supply is going to be a challenge...the UN has got food to only 200,000 people ...100's of thousands more are desperate....and on top of all this because the quake devestated the capital both the Goverment and the UN have been left helpless losing essential staff and buildings.......the government is operating (if you can call it that) from a police station near the airport ...and the UN mission has been destroyed with 49 of its people dead and 300 unaccounted for....more aid needs to come in and come in fast...the delay and disarray has already cost the people here lives...the longer it takes the more likely the desperation may turn to violence....America has already sent substantial forces to maintain peace and order and the UN is calling for more peacekeepers....water will need to be the first priority ...people can go longer without food than they can without water,,,,and contaminated water can lead to outbreaks of diseases like cholera....food aid will be necessary and already 100,000's of rationed nutrient enriched biscuits and pre prepared meals have been distributed...but for distribution you need infrastructure and the repairs to improve port access are not yet completed limiting supplies coming from the sea....airports are a problem too...a pilot told us this morning that the Port au Prince airport looks like an airshow...an array of planes of every type and kind from all over the globe....parked there on every available space thus limiting traffic....and there are other challenges....this Black Hawk brings in supplies....but has dificulty landing....as soon as it finds a suitable spot a rush of Haitians desperate for food crowd the plane... the pilots are concerned for their safety...the blades of a Black Hawk tend to tilt at the front and the madding crowd- unawares- are at risk....so they prefer drops to landings which further complicates the effort.....there are hopes however that the quake has left Haitis agricultural sector mostly unscathed...that would alleviate much of the food problem in the mid-term....Shauli and Sam have just completed inflating one of a number of footballs we have brought with us....the kids who clamour for water food dollars...anything we can offer are all excited by the prospect of a game....and off they go screaming and shouting in the air....for the time being at least all thirst hunger and deprivation forgotten as a fresh new ball just in from the USA delivered by the American Joint Distribution Committee throws dust in the air that blends with the dust of the helicopters......till soon again Jacky Schimmel reporting on a JDC mission Haiti

Haiti JDC report 3 - January 27, 2010 We have been here now for 24 Hours ...24 hours surrounded by devestation beyond description........human tragedy on a scale that beggars belief....so many affected and afflicted... so many injured and bereaved...so many whose entire worlds have been shaken and destroyed...this afternoon we were driven around central Port au Prince by an Israeli local Daniel Kedar (more about Daniel later)....it is hard to describe the sheer devestation....buildings reduced to rubble-beyond recognition....homes on fire, clouds of grey smoke rising above.... cars torn and twisted into shapes unimaginable....and people....men women and children...the old and the young everywhere.... living, washing, cooking, sleeping on the streets ..stripped of all vestige of human dignity......many still desperately search through the rubble of their homes for bodies and any items that may be of value....value being a relative term...so they dig for rope....corrugated iron....wooden planks....anything that might be useful in building a home or making a fire....as we drive we almost run over two charred bodies lying in the middle of the road...their blackened outstretched arms lie as though besieging heavens..... there are not many dead bodies to be seen... though the stench of dead human flesh abounds....most have been buried in mass graves...on one occasion as we stepped out of the car to see the destruction wrought on a building we saw a dog digging away at the dirt....as we approached we saw that it was gnawing at a hand that jutted out from the rubble....yet somehow almost inexplicably we did not find a grieving people....perhaps it has to do with the way the African culture view death (Haitians originate from the African continent and brought many of their traditions and beliefs with them)......we seem to fear death so much more than the African/Haitian people do......for them death is so much more intertwined with life itself.....it is almost as though they embrace it...everywhere in africa and here too you see the interpenetration of the worlds of the living and the dead.......by opening life into death, by drawing death over the living spaces they give life more space in which to live, to celebrate, to bear suffering and to be joyful....tonight we ate at the wonderful home of Daniel and Maryse Kedar about whom you will hear more in my next blog.......they have a house filled with warmth and generousity and on their walls hangs the most wonderful colourful Haitian art ... childlike and primitive .....we are so literalist in the west.....even the surrealists who delved into the subsconscious and perhaps tried to create a fourth dimension cannot manage for me to achieve the beauty and depth of the primitive art we saw here....these artists seem to know that we contain the universe inside us...that the sea is in the fish as much as the fish is in the sea....that birds breath their own flight..... they are able enter the dreams of lions....and travel through the private histories of rivers and mountains.....perhaps this is why having lost more than 120,000 of their own you see no overt signs of grief...death is a part of life.....or perhaps the enormity of the tragedy is such that it has not yet hit home...they are so busy tending to what needs to be done that they have not yet had the chance to reflect upon it....whichever it is the Hatians have began the task of living again...the markets are busy selling food...we even saw streets filled with artists selling art...its is only 14 days since the Quake struck and this wonderful resilient people are going about the business of living.....Jacky Schimmel reporting with the JDC

Haiti JDC report 4 - January 27, 2010 How embarrasing is that!!!-Sam and I have just been massacred in a game of football by a wonderful bunch of kids less than half our age....hey wait a minute...that's not so embarrassing at 47 I'm entitled to be beaten by kids who are younger than my own...we like to forget sometimes...and for a moment there we all forgot....forgot the human tragedy all around us...forgot the pain and the suffering....and together with a bunch of the most wonderful Haitian kids most of whom played barefoot we lost ourselves in the moment... in a simple game of soccer...oh the joy on those young smiling faces to have a ball to play with (supplied by Shauli who brought several from the US).....there is something magical in the air here...amidst alll the tragedy life goes on...till soon again Jacky Schimmel with the JDC Haiti

Haiti JDC report 5 - January 27, 2010 Before I left, people wished me a safe journey and cautioned me of the looters...be careful people are running riot out there...my friends -nothing could be further from the truth...there have been some minor incidents of looting but not raging looting and rioting as the media has portrayed....if any looting is taking place...it is for things like candles-a vital resource where there is no electricity...or in desperation for food...in the belief that goods can be bartered for much needed sustenance..."We have to steal and then sell for money for food" they tell us...Daniel who has lived here for 15 years and is married to Maryse a wonderful local Haitian activist (see previous blogs) says "imagine LA with full law enforcement capabilities switching off its lights for 15 minutes-the result would be a city that would run riot with looting and pillaging....you switch off the lights for 15 days in Haiti and all is quiet" ....and indeed it seems so ....from our brief time here...we have encountered a sweet generous non-agressive and resilient people .....the protrayal of a lawless people running riot could not be further removed from the truth.....jacky schimmel writing from Haiti on a mission with the JDC

Haiti JDC report 6 - January 28, 2010 As rescue work shifts to recovery work...we the JDC (American Joint Jewish Distribution Committee) are exploring who we might partner with here on the ground to help in the relief and reconstruction effort.....we have learnt much from our experience in the Tsunami tragedy of December 2004 (where we still have successful programs running today)...and we need to be intelligent in how we approach our aid....like with the Tsunami the concern and generousity of the world in response to the disaster has been overwhelming....over 1b dollars so far and more expected from the Donors conference earlier this week....but the experience of the Tsunami was that allocations and programming were driven more by the extent of media interest and by the sheer sums of monies available than by actual need.....indonesia destroyed 75 tonnes of out of date medecine...and people sent ski jackets and father christmas costumes....we need to be strategic about what it is we do here...how do you think about rebuilding and strategic planning amid such chaos.....before the quake Haiti was poor-the poorest country in the western hemisphere- and aid dependent with few basic services....how much more so now....the slogan being bandied about everywhere is "Build Back Better" ...as we've seen in the aftermath of previous disasters , rebuilding takes time, commitment and sustained funding....and that is what must happen but it must begin as speedily as possible before the worlds cameras move on elsewhere....and the sympathy dissipates...last year Haiti drew up a blueprint for donors which focussed on building infrastructure, basic services and helping farmers by fighting against soil erosion....but given the vacuum in power who will take responsibility....some are talking about an independent Development Authority led by Bill Clinton or similar together with a prominent Haitian....though perhaps undemocratic it might lead to the creation of a state in Haiti that would do more than just preside over chaos and corruption.....we cannot afford to dilly dally....reconstruction work takes longer to put together than emergency relief....so we must look at how we can begin quickly and wisely....and we need to look closely at potential partners....the tsunami taught us that aid operations worked best in countries such as malaysia that had effective governments....here in Haiti there is nonesuch and so the choice of partners to work with will be all the more critical....our first grants to the region during the rescue efforts were critical and have proved successful....our purchase of essential medical equipment for the Israel Defence Forces Hospital saved lives...we visited the IDF base upon our arrival...it was so moving to enter the compound and be welcomed by an Israeli flag proudly waving in the wind....and they have much they can be proud of..... with the help of JDC they established a first rate field hospital treating 1111 people...saving 317 lives and delivering 16 babies....they were the first hospital here to be up and operational-in a record 10 hours after landing...we attended the closing ceremony of the Army Base...it was very moving....psalms were recited by the chaplain whilst speaches were made by the Commanders in charge and the Israeli Ambassador Amos Radian....over lunch we spoke with Amos about his tireless efforts on behalf of the Haitian people during the last two weeks...Amos arrived within hours of the Quake from Santo Domingo where he also serves as Ambassador to the Dominican Republic....he slept at the US embassy compound for the first two nights once on the ground outside and the next night under a table in the gardens...Amos was instrumental in helping to establish the IDF field hospital and in bringing CNN to see what the IDF were doing thus raising Israel's profile dramatically......speaking of potential partners on the ground we had the good fortune of meeting Daniel and Maryse Kedar...Daniel Kedar an Israeli-Hatian is a local successful business man an Israeli who has made Haiti his home whilst maintaining excellents ties with Israel ....his wife Maryse Penette-Kedar is a committed social activist - a former Minister of Tourism in Haiti... Maryse too is a businesswoman representing Carribean Cruise Lines in Haiti....Maryse has also made a substantial contribution to improving the lives of Haiti's poorest citizens through her PRODEV Foundation....Daniel and Maryse have embarked on a simple but very effective program.....though many speak of the rescue operation as being over in reality only the physical rescue of people under buildings has terminated...there remains much rescuing to be done...water water water...everywhere you go men women and children clamour for water.....not money ...not food....just water....there is extremely limited supply....the people are thirsty....often reduced to drinking polluted water....the hospitals are filled with people suffering from dysentry and other water related illnesses to speak nothing of dehydration...and so the Kedars have commenced a project to bring potable water to the 100's of thousands without....they do this by providing the tent camps-where most of the displaced now live- with water storage tanks that provide up to 5000 gallons at a time.... water trucks refill these as and when necessary......the tanks cost only 4000 US dollars...a small sum to save 1000's of lives....in order to get these paid for Daniel came up with the innovative idea of having these tanks sponsored...and so this afternoon I watched as 2 Haitian grafitti artists painted the names Yoni Yishai Itai Nelu Chen and Amee on the gleeming metal of a shiny new tank which will provide water to 3000 people living in a tent camp acroos the road....for those of you who don't already know...they are my children...and I wanted them to feel that in some way they too are making a difference to these wonderful people....and above there names I asked that they add in graffiti style the letters JDC for they too are part of my family....serving on their Board I count as one of the great blessings in my life .....jacky schimmel with the JDC reporting from Haiti

Haiti JDC report 7 - January 28, 2010 Dear friends...standing amidst the rubble of Port au Prince and seeing the sheer enormity of the human tragedy I feel at times overwhelmed by what looks like an impossible task...so why am I hopeful..I am hopeful because I look about me and see everywhere the response which has shown us the true face of human care.....it is heart warming to see that we are still moved by the sight of suffering, however far away.....funds.. food...medical teams and shelters are everywhere....there is little evidence of compassion fatigue....we weep but we act.... we do what we can to stretch out the hand of help....just this morning I sent out blog 6 about the sponsoring of water tanks...within 30 minutes of having sent out the blog... 10 of you responded sponsoring tanks for your children....or other loved ones....it is now mid-day and we are at 20 tanks.....there are 400 mega camps with 1000's of displaced people...and thousands of smaller ones....I may at times be overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenge but I am filled with hope for I see daily the face of human care which will in time help these people recover....ps: anyone who wishes to sponsor a water tank just let me know-it is easily arranged-for 4000 dollars you can save 1000's of lives...Jacky Schimmel with the JDC writing from Haiti

Haiti JDC report 8 - January 29, 2010 Alan my friend....I refer to my Haiti blogs 6 and 7 ...below you will see the pictures of the Tent Camp in which 3000 men women and children live in abysmal conditions...until 2 days ago they had no water...now they have fresh drinking water daily in a tank holding 3200 gallons sponsored by my children whose names you can see in graffiti painting on the pictures below...the people my friend are desperate for water...all it costs is 4000 dollars to sponsor a water tank....this underwrites the purchase of a brand new tank with capacity of 3200 gallons...they are set up within a Tent Camp and provide all its drinking water needs...the money also covers the overhead cost of the trucks which refill the tanks daily....it is amazing to see these camps...though primitive and basic...they are self organised with management committees and leadership....the Haitian people are wonderful it is their politicians who create the mess....since blog 7 was sent out 2 days ago more than 30 tanks have been sponsored....but we need more....there are over 400 mega camps and thousands upon thousands of smaller ones....all sponsors will receive pics of how their water tanks are saving lives....my kids are so delighted to feel thay are making a real difference to the lives of so many.......just 4000 dollars saves 1000's of lives...we have a great partner on the ground who runs the operation....please feel free to pass this on to your friends....my warmest wishes....blessings my friend J

Haiti JDC report 9 - February 23, 2010  We arrived back from Haiti early last week after an extremely difficult trip, both emotionally and physically. The devastation that we see on TV is nothing compared to the reality on the ground. Port-au-Prince has become a tent city where every available piece of land that is clear of rubble has become a refuge for displaced persons. The goals of this visit were to monitor existing projects, to review and allocate funding to new projects, to gather information on emerging needs, and to enhance contacts with other NGOs and government entities such as USAID, and to the local and international business community. We have chosen excellent partners on the ground and all of them are implementing JDC-funded programs under extremely difficult conditions. To date, the bulk of JDC's allocated funding (over $1.7 million) has been designated to provide emergency relief—medical aid and supplies, water, food, shelter…the basics. As we drove through Port-au-Prince, it was amazing to see the water tanks in tent cities all over Port-au-Prince graffitied with donors' names. These tanks are being constantly refilled with clean drinking water. To date we are supplying some 300,000 gallons. During our visit we allocated money to ProDev, a local NGO, to establish 10 temporary schools with Haitian teachers and university students in the tent cities. These programs will help meet the critical need to get children back into a structured framework. We have supplied funding for one month, but I believe that this will need to be extended, as many of the schools in Port-au-Prince were damaged or destroyed, and the Haitian Ministry of Education does not yet have a strategy and plan for getting the children back to school. We also made contact with the well-known Zanme Lasante/Partners in Health (PIH), which is the largest Haitian NGO, established by Dr. Paul Farmer. We will be providing PIH with critically needed ambulances, and are verifying with them additional opportunities for funding, including a feeding program for displaced children living in the periphery. I have been in contact with Jon North, CEO of Heart to Heart International (H2H), to learn whether the organization is in need of additional funding for their medical teams. A JDC partner based in Kansas City, H2H’s teams are working in towns in the periphery which were badly damaged by the earthquake and are currently underserved. We met with a number of H2H professionals during the trip and can tell you the organization is doing absolutely wonderful work. As I have alluded in this anecdote, JDC's additional value over the past month, over and above the funding, has been in creating synergies between our partners, thus leveraging contacts. I’d like to share two concrete examples that have resulted in positive impact: EcoWorks International was in urgent need of additional supplies for their Haiti relief program, which extends beyond the hospital feeding program sponsored by JDC. At our request, AFYA, already a JDC partner, has now sent in a container sponsored by JDC, which includes school supplies for children in the hospital. These supplies are not so much for school work as they are a therapeutic vehicle for children (and adults) to write and to draw to express their pain and fears and begin the process of emotional healing. The hospital is also being supplied with much-needed medicines and medical supplies including sutures, antibiotics, and painkillers. Clothes are also being supplied for all 650 children in orphanages where EcoWorks is operating. The second area of cooperation is in the needs assessment for the rehabilitation of the approximately 50,000 amputees following the earthquake. JDC has connected the AFYA Foundation, which conducted an assessment last week, with a group of rehab specialists from MDA (funded by JDC) who are on the ground in Haiti at the moment. The MDA group also visited what remains of the Bernard Mevs hospital, a private hospital serving the poor, where the JDC-funded EcoWorks feeding program is being operated. We will be returning mid-March and will report again then. Judy Amit