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...we help ourselves
charitable # 862550886RR0001
May 2010 trip
updates - Information meeting on volunteering with us to go to
Haiti in May 2010. There are still some spots
left for the trip. Those wishing to
go must speak first with John Calaghan or Bridget Ogundipe.
Your spot will be confirmed once you have purchased your airline
ticket.
71 Cherrywood Ave.
Toronto, (between Bathurst & Oakwood just south of Vaughan Rd.)
- John Calaghan / - Stephen
LaFrenie / 1-416-858-3987- Bridget Ogundipe
Third World Awareness Fundraising Dinner
Saturday May 1, 2010 at
7:00pm.
100% of donations are used for grassroots
projects in Haiti. TWA does not maintain paid staff or offices and is all
volunteer. Administration is minimum and costs are largely covered with
donations from supporting members and the Board of Directors. All projects
employ Haitians from within the communities where we work.
Donations can be made
by cheque or money order and mailed to
71 Cherrywood Ave.
Toronto, Ontario, M6C 2X4
or donate online by
clicking the donate now button below
TWA Thank
you letter to all of our supporters.
January 20/10 - Alex, one of our guides in Haiti is safe but sadly
has lost his sister in the earthquake and is in mourning. Our prayers and
thoughts are with him. The malnutrition clinic and the Brothers hospital
are both in good condition. The school in Cite Soleil is also okay.
We have no word yet on the AIDS Hospice which is one of our other volunteer
placements. The Brothers hospital will be in need of medical supplies.
January 18/10
Bill Nathan, co-director of St. Joseph's, (on right in photo), has been flown to
the U.S. where he will receive excellent medical help. He is seriously
injured but expected to make a good recovery. Major relief efforts have
not reached Cite Soleil yet but smaller organizations with projects there will
be attempting to make it in. Travel must happen so far from the Dominican
Republic as the Port au Prince airport is jammed up with emergency flights.
Even the larger organizations like MSF are being diverted to the DR. and forced
to make the longer journey to the capital from there.
We still don't have word yet on our school project in Cite Soleil or in Croix du
Bouquet. We are still waiting and hoping.
January 14/10
 St.
Joseph's before quake
 St.
Joseph's after the quake.
From St. Joseph's network -
Day 2...is it really only Day 2. In 20 minutes will it really be that only 48
hours have passed since all our lives were turned (literally) upside-down. It
seems like a lifetime ago.
Yesterday was shock and confusion. Today is mobilization. I went down to SJ for
a few hours this morning and helped move stuff out of the main house and into
the art center. The art center is damaged, but not anywhere near what St.
Joseph's is like. There was a break-in there last night with people looking for
food, so stripping the house was a priority. Michael and Walnes are still
spending the night sleeping on the ground at a neighbors, like most of the
neighborhood, but they are well.
Bill and TiPatrick are both out of the hospital and seem to be well,
considering. They will return tomorrow for a check by some US doctors who were
supposed to arrive today. No need now for evacuation for the states, for all
those ready to try and arrange that.
Wings is crowded with all the Wings kids and now the SJ boys. Not a lot of space
in the visitors dining room and the front of the house for 65+ people, but we
are coping. Everyone is pitching in. KC and I moved things from our rooms that
are the necessities for both our work and the kids today. The rest will be left.
We are also starting to get the guys to move as many supplies from the storage
rooms in the new part of the house as possible. Limited time is spent in the new
part of the house, as we believe it is unstable and don't know if it will remain
standing. There's a lot we don't know right now.
We were able to get a few toys out for the kids today and are trying to give
them a sense of the "new" normal as we decide what to do next. There is a lot of
organizing and planning to do.
PAP is a mess. There was a real difference in the feeling on the streets today
too. People are more desperate for help, food, medical attention, a way out of
the suffering and fear, etc.
The aftershocks continue. It is unnerving. I grew up in tornado-land and have
been through several hurricanes in Haiti, but nothing is like an earthquake. At
least with a tornado and hurricanes you can see them coming and know when they
are gone, but with the earthquake there is a continued reminder that we don't
know what is coming next and fear is rampent.
Lines of communication are getting better. I was able to talk to my Mom on the
phone for a few minutes today. Thanks to all who have reached out to hear with
your love and support. I just got word that the internet is working now at Wings
(I'm at the Baptist Mission again), so that is good. The next step now is to get
a source of power at Wings. The one plug we have is from an inverter and that
probably won't last much longer. I gave the guys a bunch of money today to go
and try to find a small generator for us. We don't want to run the big
generators because of what the vibrations may do to the unstable house. We need
one we can wheel outside when it is on, and secure inside when we are not using
it. With everything closed down, shopping isn't easy, but they are resourceful!
If I can get online on my own computer I'll try to post some pictures, we'll see
how the electricity and internet connection hold out.
Thank you for all your love, support, prayers for all of us. We feel your
presence.
January 14/10
To our Friends and Supporters of TWA and Haiti: From Bridget
Ogundipe
The carribean supermarket has also been destroyed. I have been trying
desperately to get in contact with our friends Eddie, Serge, Destin, Patrick and
David. Thankfully, I did get a text message from Serge this morning saying that
he is fine and he was not in Port-au-Prince during the earthquake. Though I
don't know when he'll be returning to Port-au-Prince, and he hasn't heard
anything yet from the others. We are thinking positive and praying for all of
their safety.
For those who have expressed interest in donating to support Haiti, we are still
accepting and continue to receive donations. As most of you already know, we are
a completely 100% volunteer organization that supports the disadvantaged in
Haiti. Most of our executive members travel to Haiti themselves, and are hands
on with the aid we provide down there. TWA has been in Port-au-Prince for almost
eight years now and will continue to be present there in the future. Even after
the cameras are gone. You can be sure that all of your donations will get to
those that need it the most, the Haitian people. Our focus will still be to
provide aid to those in need and to rebuild. As mentioned earlier, we have not
heard word from the school that we built in Cite Soleil as yet. Hopefully it has
not been damaged. As we increase communication with our friends and point people
in Haiti, we will have a better understanding how to act. We encourage those who
want to donate, to please make out a cheque to Third World Awareness and mail it
to 71 Cherrywood av, Toronto, on, M6C 2X4. We are a registered charity and are
able to issue tax receipts to anyone that would like one. For more information,
please check out our website at www.twawareness.org.
To anyone who would like to volunteer for our fundraisers or on our trip to
Haiti in May, please let Callaghan or myself know. As Callaghan puts it, "the
people with whom we have worked with in Port-au-Prince have benefited from our
presence, as well, all participants from Canada have been nourished deeply by
the Haitian people." Haiti has shown all of our volunteers so much love and TWA
plans on continuing to do the same in return. We will be gathering at
Callaghan's house on Sunday January 31st at 7pm. Address is 71 Cherrywood ave. I
hope you all can attend. Thank you all again for your kindness. I can not stress
how greatly you are appreciated. All your support, no matter the size, radiates
a long way. Stay strong and I will keep you updated as I find out more about the
safety of our peoples in Haiti. God Bless you all and God Bless Haiti.
Everything is still WOW! If you have any concerns you can call me at
416-858-3987 or Cali at 416-653-5445.
January 12/10
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake has
struck Haiti leaving the capital city devastated. Aftershocks were
also strong at around 5.0 magnitude. The guest house where we stay
each year in Petionville has collapsed and is devastated. Bill
Nathan, the director was in the chapel on the sixth floor but managed to
jump to relative safety. He is injured but stable. Communications
are still very difficult and we are relying on St.Joseph's network in the
U.S. for updates. The boys at the house are safe and visitors who
were traveling to Jacmel arrived safely. The kids at trinity House
in Jacmel are safe. The children at Wings of Hope are safe and
living in the kitchen. The building has structural damage to it.
We have not been able to hear word from
our school project in Cite Soleil and are waiting anxiously. The quake hit at
around 5:00pm so the children would not have been attending school and as far as
we know no other work was being done on the school at the time. We had
just started the second floor of the school this last May 2009. Our other
project places are also out of communication. David in Croix de Bouquet
along with the brother's clinic in Simon Pele, the A.I.D.S. hospice and Mother
Theresa's malnutrition clinic.
Our trip in May is still planned and we
will need volunteers now more than ever.
Financial donations to help us keep the
work going on and rebuild will be urgently needed. 100% of all donations
go directly to our work projects. Please send a donation of any amount to:
Third World Awareness
71 Cherrywood Ave.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6C 2X4
Contact - John Calaghan 1-416-653-5445 -
Stephen LaFrenie
1-647-295-7441 -
Bridget Ogundipe1-416-858-3987-
We are not able to ship
physical donations to Haiti. Please do not send food or clothing for
shipping.
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