Tech NGOs Working In Haiti

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Posted by kdawson on Friday January 15, 2010 @03:12AM from the from-the-ground-up dept.

d5w writes "There are a thousand and one NGOs responding in some way to the disaster in Haiti, but the necessary infrastructure is usually overlooked when people give charity donations. In fact, some popular donation sites actively downgrade charities for spending on infrastructure. Here are two organizations responding in Haiti, though, that have a purely tech infrastructure focus: Télécoms Sans Frontières brings mobile telecom rigs and satellite phones to disaster sites, making sure that responders on the ground can communicate with each other and that individuals can contact families abroad; here's an eWeek story about TSF. MapAction sends experienced GIS people and GPS equipment to provide up-to-date mapping, which is important when the landscape has just changed drastically. Any others?"

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Infrastructure? by A.+B3ttik · 2010-01-15 03:18 · Score: 4, Insightful

"In fact, some popular donation sites actively downgrade charities for spending on infrastructure."

My guess is that it downgrades them for spending it on their OWN infrastructure (like phone lines, buildings, etc) as opposed to spending it on the recipient's infrastructure.

Infrastructure is pretty much at the top of the list for things that Haiti needs, since their "roads" look like dried riverbeds, running water is all but nonexistent, and power is provided only to major cities and only on a rotational basis.
1. Re:Infrastructure? by GooberToo · 2010-01-15 04:41 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Things like better roads, cell service, and power can take a back seat until people with broken limbs are off the street and getting medical care.
  But that's part of the problem. Without passable roads, many can not get to the medical infrastructure. And without phone service, large groups of people in rural locations are completely unable to obtain any type of aid at all. In fact, one of the first infrastructures restored to Hatti was airports and air traffic control. Yet such things obviously ranks low on your list of priorities; despite that fact its critical.
  In the US, our highway and rail systems are actually part of our national defense - as is the case for all industrialized nations. Take a look at the back of many signs on major highways, many have DOD stamps and/or numbers used for DOD and national emergencies. Without these resources, nothing can effectively move. That's the way it is in Hatti right now. Supplies are piling up at airports because its difficult to move anything out. This is forcing helicopters to become one of the primary movers and helicopters are extremely poor substitutes for trucks and trains.
  Remember, one truck can provide supplies for an entire village. It can take days for a helicopter to deliver the same quantity. And without simple things like phones, helicopters don't necessarily know the priorities of where supplies are most needed.
  In many cases, we're not talking about building street lights and paving roads - we're talking about running water, a line to call for help, means to deliver people medical help, food, water, electricity, sanitation, means to dispose of bodies and trash, to protect against disease, so on and so on...
  Remember, its widely believed one of the most significant technological advances for humans is plumbing and its associated water in and sanitation out. The need for basic infrastructure can not be stressed enough. It is extremely important.
"Thousand and one" by Singularity42 · 2010-01-15 03:38 · Score: 2, Insightful

Well, there's a billion and one random internet people who would rather deliver some sarcasm than help people out. Some people are at least trying.
1. Re:"Thousand and one" by ZeroExistenZ · 2010-01-15 03:53 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Well, there's a billion and one random internet people who would rather deliver some sarcasm than help people out. Some people are at least trying.
  From your message alone, I can't make up what the goal is of the people trying. Are they trying to be sarcastic? And are those billion and one random internet people failing to be sarcastic? I doubt a billion would be much.
  What are you doing other then critisizing "the billion and one sarcastic people", if I assume that's your message?
  It's hard to effectively do something of worth, I can plunder the handful of savings I have aside and donate to an organisation that I believe would do something good overthere. I can't fly overthere, as I have other obligations and am not medically trained, or anything that I would mentally project as useful and would just be forfilling a personal desire to be significant...
  I don't know what *IS* going on there in detail or what help they need. Really, if there goes a message across "we need people to help here and could very specifically do this and that", I'll be the first to volounteer.
  But, don't do the thing you criticize others doing..
  
  --
  I think we can keep recursing like this until someone returns 1
2. Re:"Thousand and one" by Anonymous Coward · 2010-01-15 03:57 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  This is why our governments have international crisis-funds so that WE don't have to. You see there is no karma energy in the cosmos. If you wan't to gloat and feel good about yourself, go ahead send them all your money. I'm a proud human being!
Longer term they need help too... by Anonymous Coward · 2010-01-15 03:52 · Score: 2, Insightful

The biggest thing Haiti and similar countries need to break out of the poverty cycle is to stop their population growth. Until that happens no amount of infrastructure help will be enough.
Re:When the news first aired, they talked to a loc by Jawn98685 · 2010-01-15 04:52 · Score: 2, Insightful

I guess you missed the frequent reports of security problems complicating the delivery of aid. Were my boots on the ground trying to deliver needed "...medicines, food and water..." and my safety were threatened, my prompt would be something along the lines of "Sucks to be you, because you just chased away all the help you're going to get," as those boots retreated from the threat. It is beyond cynical to expect medical personnel and other volunteers to work where they are not safe. Time for a reality check, my friend.
Security or the lack thereof by coulbc · 2010-01-15 05:03 · Score: 2, Insightful

Even when the supplies are there security needs to be in place to preventing rioting or chaos when the supplies are distributed. A few greedy people with guns can wreck any relief effort. This slows the overall effort at the beginning of course but distribution must be organized to really be effective.
Re:When the news first aired, they talked to a loc by Duradin · 2010-01-15 05:26 · Score: 2, Insightful

Money is a lot easier to move around and it can be use to buy what the aid organization needs and in the quantity/packaging that they want to make shipping easier.
Compare food packaged for direct consumer use and food packaged for commercial use. Now if Joe Six pack is going to donate food, is he going to donate a drum of industrial pudding or would he be likely to send a couple of snack packs of pudding? If you were an aid agency which one would you prefer to have to deal with? Or would you prefer to just go an buy what you know you'll need.
Re:And an NGO is what? by kdawson+(3715) · 2010-01-15 05:31 · Score: 1, Insightful

Non Government Organization. You should know this.
Re:Hat's off to the French. by LWATCDR · 2010-01-15 05:58 · Score: 2, Insightful

You not helping.
Really now is the time to drop all politics.
Ignore the the idiots.
Do what is right.
And give thanks and praise to all that that are doing what is right.
I already gave with my tax dollars. Great I will give even more. Tax money to save lives in a disaster? Great!
I can skip going to see a movie this week and give another twenty. I really wanted to see that movie but not as much as I want to see fewer deaths in Haiti.
I left out the USAF. They had a SOP ATC team on the ground the next day. As CNN said they walked off the plane with radios on their backs and started talking planes down.
There are lots of idiots to trash but that will help nobody.

--
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
Re:When the news first aired, they talked to a loc by indi0144 · 2010-01-15 08:27 · Score: 2, Insightful

I bet you never ever have being starving, people riot because they know help it's being send but they are not receiving shit, theres no water, theres no food it's been 4 fucking days wouldn't you be pissed off: when some guy that can't understand you comes take a look talk something on the radio and left? They did know there were no roads why do they didn't bring a lot of helicopters, it's not that Port au Prince it a big place, no, help it's being firstly used in foreign people affected not Haiti people. I know Haiti people here that have talked with their relatives, that is what the people starving there are seeing.

They are pissed of because every nation doing rescue and medical labor are focusing in their nationals, most of the rescue teams are in the UN hotel trying to rescue, you bet, UN workers. Even here in Colombia, the first flights to return from there returned with a handful of people, mostly wealthy people, then in the news we saw commons workers from here, wounded and starving in the airport asking why the fucking C130 didn't bring them back to our country. That, my friend it's a reality check.