HVP is organizing a trip to Haiti from March 13th to March 20th, 2010. We will volunteer in different areas such as working with children, gardening, and rebuilding structures. While the trip’s main focus is to volunteer with Haitians to rebuild and renew hope, HVP will also be adding tours of different areas within the country to show volunteers Haiti’s pieces of paradise. You will have a chance to experience Haitian culture firsthand. The key is to expose you, as the volunteer, to as much of the island as possible to ensure your fulfillment that will hopefully enhance your desire to return on future volunteer trips. What we need to remember is: Yes, the earthquake destroyed much of Haiti and claimed countless lives, but the country will need help for many years to come.

Email info@haitivolunteerproject.com for more information. Space is limited.

The Red Cross in New York is currently on a push called “March to 200,” to train and qualify 200 experienced disaster response volunteers in shelter management. This requires 8 classes, totaling 40 hours of training. 2 of the classes are covered in the one-day “Disaster Reserve Institute”, designed to get new volunteers quickly integrated into the local chapter. I believe there are similar programs in other chapters around the country. Currently, the next New York one is March 20, but I believe more are being set up as quickly as possible.

(One side benefit I’d like to note is that I have met many amazing people from all walks of life through disaster response, and have made many good friends.)

Thanks so much for your comment. As a former social worker with crisis response training, I agree, and that’s why we published an article directing readers toward disaster preparation and response training resources, including the Red Cross. There are lots of fantastic free courses online, as well as in-person classes all over the US.

It takes time and effort to be ready to respond in a crisis. And yes, some boredom and waiting too.

I absolutely agree with you, and I’m hopeful that we can use this experience to shift the dialogue, world view and action, not just related to Haiti, but all countries. It’s clear we have the resources to share and support one another. Now we need to build a more sustainable means of doing so beyond times of crisis.

But it is my deepest hope that Haiti will emerge from this tragedy stronger than before. This is the only way I can make sense out of all of this, because I can find no other possible explanation for this apocalyptic occurrence than the idea that maybe, perhaps, this was Haiti’s final and desperate cry to help for the world to turn its eyes to them and their centuries-long plight. We must remember that of course no one is personally responsible for this disaster and nothing we could have done as a human race would have prevented it from happening, and really we have no actual responsibility to volunteer to help, to donate, or to help rebuild, etc… but, the fact that their future is actually completely up to us- they are in a state of helplessness because so many of them have lost everything, I repeat, can you imagine losing everything in one dramatic life-shattering moment? -perhaps this thought will motivate us to help simply due to our humanity, to our compassionate nature as human beings (I know not everyone is compassionate, I am just trying to rally up encouragement). So I encourage you to participate in the long-term, because they are completely dependent upon the international community to make them a priority now, tomorrow, and in the months and years to come.

But I understand that, ultimately, this is one of the many countries that needs our help. Nonetheless, for a country so impoverished and lacking in basic resources to have suffered a catastrophic earthquake after two hurricanes just last year, is one of the most devastating, if not the most, devasating event I have witnessed in my time on this Earth (22 years), even though 9-11 hit pretty close to home for me. There just seem to be too many preventable deaths, and not enough survival stories …

Sorry if this is controversial. PLEASE PRAY FOR HAITI.