THE SARI SOIREE. ROSE CHARITIES FUND-RAISER FOR HAITI AND SRI LANKA: JAN 27 2010

(click on any images to enlarge)

 

CECI (Centre d'edude et cooperation international )  has been pivotal in the past 2 weeks emergency relief efforts in Haiti by facilitating  AMDA and Rose Charities personnel.  Their organization is efficient, highly functional and has a very strong network of very experienced personnel in Haiti.  CECI, like Rose Charities has a very open policy of working and coordinating with any other group to achieve the same benefits to those in need. It a world where where so many organizations are highly 'territorial' about their names,  CECI  exhibits a very refreshing difference.   CECI has projects worldwide  We strongly recommend supporting this excellent organization for anyone who wishes to support Haiti relief efforts. 

 It is interesting that, while many of the larger organizations  efforts became gridlocked at Haiti International Airport, many other (often the smaller) organizations, poorly reported by the press quickly and efficiently entered in via the Dominican Republic.  CECI was one of these.  AMDA and Rose Charities owe considerable thanks to CECI and hope that contacts may be preserved into the future

The Children's Surgical Center, Cambodia, does some valuable  work for Cambodia.  The facility was  founded by Rose Charities Canada in 1998 as its surgical rehab center,  its use of  many thousand dollars of Rose Charities  Canada's equipment and vehicles commenced in 2002.   The Rose Charities Eye Center carries out around 1500 sight restorations per year from its Kien Khleang Center, and cleft palate, burns (often acid burn) and other rehabilitative surgery from its  Ministry of Health hospital.  Rose Charities continues to run the leading all Cambodian managed eye surgery centers for the Cambodia's poor.   Rose Charities is grateful for donations for its Cambodian surgery projects.  www.RoseCharities.org .  Rose Charities rehabilitation surgery center at the Ministry of Health 'Chea Chumneas'' Hospital on the outskirts of Phnom Penh is a multi-group unit where excellent  international organizations like Smile Train, Operation Rainbow, Impact and individual surgical experts are able to train and implement surgeries in  proper Ministry of Health Premises. By supporting the Ministry of Health, future health sustainability is ensured in Cambodia. It is unfortunate that some organizations neither support the National Eye sub-committee (SCPBL) nor operate out of proper Ministry of Heatlh premises.  Donors who support such organizations are doing considerable long term disservice to Cambodia.

The Rose Charities Sari Soiree, Bollywood dance party fundraiser held in Vancouver on Wed 27th January 2010 was a very great success.  Around 200 persons attended and almost everyone ended up dancing. Sari fittings were a star attraction. 

From Port-au-prince, Haiti, 19-Jan-2010

Hi there folks.  Well I did my stint yesterday for 9 hours or more interpreting for US, Korean and Hungarian doctors at the Haitian community hospital.  What a sight when one arrives  =- bodies everyone - searching for treatment, relatives camped outside on the grass and inside a hive of activity.  They seemed to have received plenty of volunteers but I soon found my niche.

 

One of the doctors said that none of them had seen, in all their lives, the amount of amputations as they have in Haiti - mostly feet and legs - trapped under buildings etc.  So this means that in the future there's going to be a HUGE need for prosthetics and physical handicap support for these people, in a country where the handicapped are way down the list of those being helped already!!

 

I was in the Triage area and the US Docs had got it very organised - with Zones all marked out and one doc per zone with a nurse and a translator (interpreter!). I was in Zone 1 but frankly I ran around from zones 1-4 and anywhere else I was needed. there were a lot of young Haitian guys acting as translators, not sure how good their English was. I was the go to person by all the patients in those whole areas and they called me DOC!! I said no not a Doc but what do you need, and then I'd go off and channel one of the docs to go and see to them. You know how bossy I am!! It was exhausting work as so much of the time I was on my feet, and the old knees don't do too well!!! but I grabbed a seat when ever they were physically treating the patients.

 

The patients with open wounds/fractures were treated in the hospital and hundreds of Xrays were being ordered - each time meaning I had to go to the Haitian staff to get a proper form and approval. They always put a price down on the form but as they only had their name and no address, plus they didn't do the usual Haitian thing of asking for money upfront I presume the Aid organisations are going to pay for them! The ones with closed wounds/fractures were being sent, many of them to the DR!! by bus I presume which cannot have been an easy ride. I've heard reports and I don't know if it's true, that people are complaining that the Dominicans are amputating too quickly and their limbs could be saved. I hope it's not true. The docs came in loaded with medical supplies and medicines etc. so they could send people out with pain pills and antibiotics which helped the patients financially!!

 

The Docs and I got on very well and I looked after my various patients and the Docs said it was great to have someone who could think for themselves and not just translate, as I would often woudl say Doc - do you need to give them an antibiotic shot, do you need to do this or that!! Thank GOd for some nursing experience that I had had.

 

In the middle of the day I tell you, we would have killed for a cold Prestige beer!! but only lukewarm water and some crackers available. Frankly didn't feel like eating anyway.

 

I organised different forms of transport systems and also for the XRay system as one guy who said he was organising everything hadn't set up a system for XRays - so I told him to Delegate!!

 

 

didn't go out today as my team of  docs were on nite shift and they won't be back on until tomorrow so took the liberty of catching up with my emails and rest!!

 

We;re still suffering from lack of gas although they're giving more out now, but poor G... is still standing in line in order for me to communicate with you all - I hope you appreciate that!!! Cellphones - Ditgicel is being back to terrible again, mainly due to overloaded circuits!! and Banks and supermarkets have yet to open so people are running out of money.

 

 

The road to Jacmel has seemingly been just about fixed which will help enormously in getting desperate help thru to them.

 

The amazing news is that N...,  is alive!!! Alive, then dead, then alive then dead, now definitely alive!! Amazing - I wonder which she feels more traumatised from - her kidnapping many years ago or this.  Probablyboth on a par!!

They're still not listing my friend A.... on an official list of people dead, but I can't think that her partner  would have said she had died if he didn't have proof, but it would be wonderful if she was still alive.

 

And I think I may have mentioned about another friend - a Frenchwoman who had lost her two daughters? well amazingly it wasn't true and she managed to get the 2 girls and their nanny out from under the rubble. Praise God!!

 

they reckon 4000 houses were destroyed inPauP - it doesn't seem like its enough. I would have thought more, but who knows. 70,000 dead have already been buried and they reckon the final tally will be between 150 and 200,000!!

43 international teams of emergency people have arrive plus millions  of dollars; marines and soldiers etc. to help. 280 emergency centres to open. British Red Cross and others have opened Field hospitals.

 

Dutch and French govts have fasttracked vis for hundreds of adopted children to go their countries, but it seems the US is not being very forthcoming yet!!

 

Airport has started to work properly and they are receiving 100 planes a day with aid and aid workers.

 

DR president came in personally to the surprise of Pres. Preval and his own DR consul!! and sent people to help Digicel (doesn't seem to be working!!) as well as the electricity company and the many police stations.

 

Clinton said came in that he will continue to work with Haiti on:

1) Food water, medicine and housing

2) help to get support to rebuild buildings and economy, schools stc.

3) to help rebuild Haiti for a better future.

 

Rich and poor he said need to put their heads together to rebuild.

 

Min. of Culture said the General hospital where most people would go is without Electricity - they have 1500 aid people working therre and theybe happy to work around thenite but can't cos of lack of electricity. Plus they need food and water to feed these people as well as patients.

 

They've set up a Health Commission to co-ordinate the health problems.

 

The Govt. has asked for all Official vehicles to be brought back to their various offices so they can use them to help.

 

They are going to have meetings with the local mayors to co-ordinate disaster efforts.

 

 

Loads of people are fleeing PauP to go to the provinces even if they haven't got any families there - and they're begging local people to help take them in etc. They said eeveryone has someone in PauP affected, whether friend or family!!

 

Gas selling at 500 gourdes instead of a third of that!! outrageous.

 

A Christian academy behind the caribbean market is still showing life of people inside. Sent that off to a UN friend, hopefully they get to them - others are having the opposite - in that buildings have dead bodies inside and the smell is terrible. Unimaginable.

 

I am fine - still getting enough basic food on the streets -  still got a 5 gallon bottle of water, and hope before it runs out there will be some to be bought.

 

I think that's as much as I can say for now.  Keep us in your prayers and thoughts.

 

Thank you for all your supportive emails - can't reply to many as inundated - have over 500 still waiting for me to read, but most of those are news items. I have heard from so many people who are sending out this newsletter to their friends too - thanks for that.

 

Talk to you soon.

 

J........

 

Letter (edited)from Port-au-Prince, Haiti                                                                   15th January 2010

….I have not been able to go out, as I don't want to drive myself on the streets in this terrible mess, and  my driver's house collapsed and his wife was hurt in it, so I'm sure he's looking after her - quite rightly. But am getting lots of information:

Sadly my best friend,  died in the UN HQ building collapse, as did A…. and D C…, the Head and Deputy Head of the UN here!! They were in a meeting on the 7th floor.

We are still having the aftershocks which are absolutely horrible, cos even tho they only last a nano second, you don't know if it is going to go on for longer. Everyone is sleeping outside - I managed to persuade my household to sleep in my car in my yard last nite - instead of out on a spare piece of ground in front of the house. Thousands and thousands are sleeping outside, scared of another quake. We're up to 41 aftershocks and I hate them - I think I will have ulcers after this as my stomach goes into knots each time. It's worse in the nite as you lie there waiting for the next one. So I usually end up getting up and reading to take my mind off it. I keep thinking we;re having another tremble, and then realise it's my own body's nerves which are trembling. I guess it's a reaction in the aftermath of the quake.

Have been contacted by hundreds and hundreds of people, many from this list, friends and friends of friends and clients. I am fine still - worried about the lack of gas as any moment now my inverter will run out and I won't be able to use my generator and keep in touch with you all.

Still horror stories about so many dead bodies piling up in the streets - no-one to look after them or bury them,which is going to cause epidemics.

Poor J…. in a terrible state - gather the Florita is gone, the good block of Cyvadier Plage has collapsed.
The Cathedral and St. trinity church with the wonderful paintings - all rubble!!! The National Palace has collapsed too -so sad these beautiful buildings.

And it has affected rich and poor alike. Was at dinner with friends from the …  embassy at a beautiful house and now they tell it's finished and they lost of their possessions but not their lives, thank God.

But the people's spirits are high - they're singing in the streets at nite and praying and there's a great feeling of solidarity.

I was listening to a radio broadcast interview with a Haitian seismology expert and he said they had predicted this since the last one 240 years ago!! It was of the same magnitude in 1770 - under the Colonials, but couldn't of course predict the exact date. It lasted nearly a minute and was 7.3 on the Richter scale which is very high.

One of the owners of the Montana is thought to be under the rubble of the hotel - not confirmed yet.
The epi centre was 22 kms outside of PauP on the SW - if you go along the road after Carrefour, going towards Leogane - off to the left, up in the mountains, (eg down from the Kenscoff range) that's where it was and thankl God not in the sea as they were predicting a Tsunami - but it was a rumour however people panicked - this is another problem, it panics people.

Desperately need basic first aid supplies - cos the hospitals don't have anything.

It seems there are still people alive in the Caribbean supermarket bldg which collapsed but I don't know if Minustah are working to get people out - I certainly hope so. Thank God one good friend who works there, was not in it.

People have written that there are too many journalists and not enough doctors coming in and ain't that the truth!!

Walls guesthouse - one of their buildings collapsed and 2 of their workers and 3 guests died in it.
St. Joseph's guesthouse on Delmas 91 is rubble and 2 of the guys were seriously hurt - BN.., the Director of the house was one of them, but I gather they're sending in some plane to evacuate them for medical help in NC - thank God for good friends.
.
If you want to give a donation to St. Jos - to help them and also Wings, the Handicapped kids home you can do it thru Hearts with Haiti - which you can contact thru their website. I'm pointing people who have asked me about donations to them, as I know them and their work and it's impossible to just give a blanket donation to Haiti !! It's so needy. My people are doing it in the name of BN. Makes it more personal but it's to help St. Jos.

Phones are not working at all - I gather one service may be, but haven;t got that one!!

Well will cut this off as I want to get it round to as many people as possible.
Take care and keep praying for Haiti. I was just being so positive about Tourism the other day and now have realised that I was 2 steps ahead and now we're like 16 steps back!!! It will take years and years to recover from this. Give me a hundred hurricanes any day over this!!

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers and concern for me and for Haiti. …. 'J'

(picture at top right by Tallulah)

Images from Haiti

(copied with kind permission of Tallulah Photo )