Tech NGOs Working In Haiti

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?"

Comments

Infrastructure?

[A. B3ttik]

"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.

Re:Infrastructure?

[GooberToo]

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.