Keeping Busy in Haiti

League of Hope would like to thank all of the people making relief and recovery efforts in Haiti possible. League of Hope has recently been approved as a Partner with MAP International, which allows us to deliver high-quality pharmaceuticals to desperately needy clinics in Haiti. On March 15, League of Hope took 150 pounds of medicine with a wholesale value of about $40,000US to Port Au Prince for the Bill Rice Clinic on La Gonave. This medicine was purchased with funds raised by Girl Scout Troop 3538 at Morningside Elementary School.

League of Hope organized, funded and led a group of agricultural experts from University of Georgia and Birdsong Peanuts on an assessment trip travelling from Port Au Prince to Cap Haitien. Check back soon for video of the trip.

In 2010, 100% of received funds are going directly to League of Hope projects in Haiti!

Check out the new website:


www.leagueofhope.org

Relief in and around Jacmel

League of Hope has a crack volunteer crew operating between Santiago and Jacmel this weekend.  Mission is to supply villages in the mountains south of Port au prince that have not received relief supplies to date.  Crew is Larry Lee, Jonathan Clues, Chane Hazelett and David Sanders.  Photo is of Larry Lee in the famous Yellow Jacket in Jacmel waiting for the helicopter.  Details to follow...

Plans

I am finishing up with a few freight forwards: supplies donated by Emory University, Gainesville College and Childspring...should be 10 pallets or so. Hopefully, these will make it on a C130 out of Opa Laka, Florida for free.

I am meeting on Monday with the Dean of the UGA Agricultural School to discuss a partnership of ag and poultry experts helping to ensure the spring crops on La Gonave are maximized. This could be an important step in helping the Haitians supply their own food locally, which 50 years ago was common.

I am also excited about organizing a partnership of hospitals, doctors and suppliers of prostheses to help the estimated 100,000 that have had amputations as a result of the earthquake. This plan was hatched last night after a conversation with my friend Ingrid Arnesen in Petionville, Haiti who described walking through a clinic with human arms and legs lying all over the floor. If you want to join in the effort, please let me know. Graham

Videos of Airstrip in Leogane

The pilots in this whole saga are the true heroes in my opinion:

David Lee of AirShares Elite and Eric Zipkin and Adam Schaefer of Tradewinds Aviation are the three that I was associated with.  They put a lot of effort and a lot of their own resources into early relief missions to Haiti:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=leagueofhope&search_type=&aq=f

Picasa Photos of Relief trip to Leogane

http://picasaweb.google.com/wgrahamhuff/Haiti_Earthquake?feat=directlink

Out of Leogane

RoRo was the foreman of the platform project for the water tank. This is his tin-roof tent in the Nursing School Camp. RoRo and others located several tanks from downed buildings throughout Leaogane which will be picked up today. Save ther Children is supplying a 3 inch hose to hook to the distant well. Deep Springs will treat the water. The other tanks will go to other camps throughout Leogane.
I am sitting on a plane now in Santiago. The trees along the road where we landed have been cleared making the take-off much easier. League of Hope was able to provide several families with funds to build a better tent. Right now, they have blankets and sheets as the roof and they sleep on the grass. One family has 5 kids on a single-bed mattress. RoRo said he would help with the construction.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

One Airstrip Too Far

I had arranged for 2 loads of food already in santiago to be delivered
in Cessna Caravans to La Gonave for today, which is sunday, by pilot
jose maldonado out of san juan. I did not get a price from jose until
about 10 last night. Around 6pm, I was copied on an email to pere ajax
asking for assistance clearing airspace in the 70 mile zone for a
flight(s?) from a Bahamas outfit. That was the first time for me to
hear of this plane which also was to arrive Sunday on the small, dirt
airstrip on La Gonave. Around 10 pm, jose emailed me with the flight
cost for two loads: $10232! Come on, Jose! I'm not going to the
Masters! The food has been donated by Go Ministries. Since the
Bahamas plane was going(I thought) and David Hammer Lee has access now
to a much cheaper plane with much higher capacity that can start as
soon as monday, I told jose to hold off. The Bahamas plane never made
it. And La Gonave still needs food :(

People are running out of stuff everywhere. Everyone is trying their best.