United Initiatives Blog

RUN for Camp HAITI

SAN DIEGO Rock ‘n’ Roll MARATHON FUNDRAISER

Dear Friends,

On June 6, 2010 at 6:00 AM, UIP’s Founding Director, Diesa Seidel,
will run 26.2 miles in the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon.

Why run a marathon, you ask? Besides the obvious reasons (which we can’t think of right now), she is running to raise funds to host a 2-week summer camp in Haiti for child-survivors of the January 12th earthquake.

In 2008, United Initiatives for Peace (UIP) was incorporated with the vision to promote higher education, offer creative recreational programs, and encourage grassroots social reform through female empowerment in communities worldwide.
[UIP is a 501©(3) tax exempt public charity organization]

UIP has since worked in 15 countries, facilitated 21 leadership programs for young women, donated over 1000 pounds of supplies to high need communities, and awarded $20,000 in college scholarship funds to inner city girls from the greater Newark (NJ) area.

On January 6th, UIP traveled to Haiti to work and facilitate programs at The Haitian Academy (12 miles north of Port-au-Prince). During our time there, we lived through the massive 7.0 earthquake which resulted in immense suffering, destruction, and chaos.

UIP is now dedicated to conducting a 2-week overnight summer camp program in efforts to bring stability and joy back into the lives of Haiti’s youth. Camp Haiti will offer a variety of sports, arts, music, dance, life skills, camp games, in addition to select field trips. Camp Haiti will be run by local and international volunteers who will offer their unique talents and special gifts as a means to enrich and diversify camp activities.

In support of this vision, Diesa will be running the San Diego Marathon in hopes to raise funds for Camp Haiti. Sure, we could just ask you to donate (without her running), but we all know people like to give more when there is a deliberate tangible act of uncalled-for self-sacrificing outrageousness attributed to their donation… and we say, give the people a little something outrageous. (Go Diesa GO!)

Please see below for donation details.

We would like to thank you in advance for your financial support and being part of our greater purpose: instilling joy and hope back in the lives of Haiti’s youth.

In Gratitude,

The UIP SWAT
(Synergy Worldwide Action Team)

SUPPORTING CAMP HAITI

Sponsoring a Child…
➢ $19.00 covers all expenses* for 1 camper for 1 day
➢ $260.00 sponsors 1 camper to attend the entire 2 week overnight camp

Overhead Costs…
➢ $300.00 covers the cost to run a generator for 24 hours
➢ $200.00 covers the cost for transportation for 1 field trip (all campers)
➢ $75.00 buys 1 tent that will sleep 5 campers
➢ $10.00 buys 1 sleeping bag that will be given to each camper (to keep!)
➢ $1.00 still helps!

*Expenses…
Food (breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner), generator, transportation for field trips (via bus), tents, sleeping bags, camp t-shirt, art supplies (paint, paper, mosaic supplies, etc.), sports equipment (volleyballs, soccer balls, basketballs, jump ropes, etc.), general toiletries (towels, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, toilet paper), maintenance staff (security guards, cooks, bus driver).

United Initiatives for Peace is a public charity organization and is exempt from Federal income tax under section 501©3 of the Internal Revenue Code. Your contributions are deductible under section 170 of the Code to the extent allowed by law.

Donations should be made payable to “United Initiatives for Peace” and mailed to:

United Initiatives for Peace
P.O. Box 10183
Newark, New Jersey 07101
U.S.A.

Questions? Call us at (973) 220 – 5630 or visit us online at www.unitedinitiatives.org

Thank you for investing in a higher purpose!

Dear Friends:

I LOVE YOU.
Some people wait until the end of letters/emails to say it, I believe it should also be said first.
Each in your own unique way... I love you. Know that.

As most of you know, I left for Haiti on January 6th and returned to Newark, NJ this past Tuesday, January 19th.
For those of you that came to the Newark fundraiser earlier this month or supported UIP online.... THANK YOU. It was a great success.

I had arranged to facilitate two 1 week UIP "G.R.A.C.E." programs (Girls Reform through Artistic Creative Empowerment) at The Haitian Academy in Titanyen (about 20 km, or 12 miles, north of Port-au-Prince).
The Haitian Academy is a private K-12 school, a Boarding School, and a University (Medical School).
There is even a Medical Clinic on site.
The "campus" also raises chickens, roosters, goats, & cows- has a bread bakery and several fruit trees... very self-sufficient.
Dr. Marie Pologne Rene (aka Madame Rene) is the founder and director of the facility.
She was born in Haiti, grew up in Brooklyn, studied in Switzerland with Piaget, and then returned to Haiti in efforts to reform her country.
She is an amazing human being and I am so inspired by her work and relentless dedication to serving the Haitian people through education, health, and agriculture.
Kudos Madame Rene. Kudos.

The first few days I met with the staff, finalized plans for my "empowerment" programs, helped the school with some classroom prep work, assisted in clearing out land for chicken huts (just like in the movie "Chicken Run"), and did some counseling/mentoring with the latest (troubled) boarding school student.

I was falling in Love with Haiti (as I do anywhere I go).

On Monday, January 11th - I talked to my mom on the phone.
She was giving me the update on my dad's condition [my dad had a stroke on Dec 23rd. He is recovering at the hospital in Weiner Neustadt, Austria- but still needs our prayers. He is a true Austrian Saint (I say that very objectively) and has been my hero my entire life. Even in the face of adversity, my dad selflessly tries to make people smile, sees the higher purpose, and loves even those who are unjustifiably mean.]
My mom was then telling me that she had a dream... she stressed to me to stay on campus at The Haitian Academy... telling me not to go anywhere (she knows I like to go for runs, gallivant around new areas, and explore my surroundings in foreign countries). My mom has some pretty intense intuition....

At 4pm on Tuesday, January 12th I had just finished working with my 1st group of girls at the Academy.
I had a 2nd session planned for 4:30pm with another group of girls from a local church.
The previous day, the 2nd group did not show up (I had waited for them until 5pm)... so I confirmed earlier that they would be there today (Tuesday).
I was waiting inside the classroom reviewing my translation notes (in French), going over the different activities, and doing some reading.
I had every intention to wait at least until 5pm for the group (since I had no where else to be and had everything I needed with me to keep me busy).
At about 4:51 pm I had a very spontaneous urge to just get up and leave (convinced that the group was going to be a "no show" again).
Looking back, that moment kind of "freaks my freak" if you know what I mean...

About 90 seconds later, at 4:53 pm, while walking alone up the small dirt road, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake broke out. I hit the ground in a "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" Ninja stance on watch for the earth to crack open...
The Richter Scale is a base-10 logarithmic scale. So a 7.2 earthquake is 10 times more powerful than a 6.2 earthquake (10 TIMES!)... a 7.2 has an impact of 95 megatons of TNT for Seismic Energy Yield (ummm, what ever that means Wikipedia).

I really could not tell you how long the earthquake lasted. It was a blur.
Perhaps 22 seconds?
It sounds short, but count "22 Mississippi's" and image the earth going bonkers under you... let me tell ya, it was long enough.

My next thought was "Oh crap, we're on an island 200 meters from the water... Tsunami?!"
Thankfully Haiti is a very mountainous country and higher elevation would not have been hard to reach from where I was.
In any regard... there was no Tsunami.

Everyone on the "campus" was OK.
Everyone was able to run outside quickly enough (or they were already outside) and all the day students had gone home.
We had a few wounds and stitches, but no life threatening injuries.
All construction at The Haitian Academy was one level - and I believe that helped salvage the structure. There were many fallen walls, broken windows, cracked cement, etc.... but the foundations were intact.

The road that I was walking up was probably the safest place to be in that moment in all of Haiti.
Outdoors, away from buildings, no large trees, and a good visual point to survey potential dangers. Seriously, the SAFEST.
So, with a humble heart, as my mom would say: "THANKS God." (not "Thank God", but "Thanks God"... it makes much more sense. Talk directly to the creator in the present... not figuratively in the past.)

At that time, I did not realize the devastation, suffering, and chaos that would amount from those 22 seconds.

There was no "staying indoors" after that point.

The first night we were all gathered together outside.
Hungry. Worried. And in the dark.

After a few hours I decided that although we were being confronted with a sizable dilemma, there was no need in making it worse by doing NOTHING.
I asked if people were hungry (at the Academy we have white bread for breakfast and then dinner at night... so no one had eaten anything of substance all day)... the consensus was YES.
I decided to venture into the kitchen to salvage any food that could be found.... don't worry, it was safe (enough) - I could easily run outside in Ninja time if anything were to happen.
I found 2 pots of rice & beans that had been thrown off the stove during the quake... right side UP on the floor! (yay! "Thanks God!")
I gathered loads of grapefruit and mangoes that were scattered on the floor... and grabbed as many unbroken plates and silverware as possible.... all this in 2 trips.

I could already feel the morale of the people rising.... see, food makes everything better.
And you know what makes things even better than BETTER...."The Princess Bride" (movie).
After "dinner" I ran back inside and grabbed my lap-top and DVDs.... and we had MOVIE NIGHT under the stars.
Everyone loved "The Princess Bride" - OBVIOUSLY! Haitians have great movie taste.
It was classic.

The next morning Madame Rene asked me to come with her across the way to the Flour Mill Factory.
I didn't question her why we were going... she wanted me to come... so I went.
It turns out that the 6 story Flour Factory had completely collapsed - with workers inside.
We went there to read the Bible, sing a song, and say a prayer for them.
It was 15 hours after the earthquake and NO ONE was around to even attempt a rescue. There is NO heavy machinery, no disaster rescue team, no medical personnel, nothing.
I felt so helpless as I starred in disbelief listening to quiet groans of help under the massive rubble.
All we could do was pray for them.
So we did.

The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent fixing up the Medical Center at The Haitian Academy... there was considerable damage, but much of it just required moving out fallen bricks and re-situating things back in order. We knew many victims could benefit from the facility and we had to bring it up to par before we would be able to treat patients.

Across the street there was also a Burn Clinic run by missionaries from the US.
The one room facility quickly turned into a mini-ER...
Car accidents, explosions, collapsed building injuries... all were piling in looking for help.
The 2 nurses that were in charge were only equipped to treat burns and minor injuries.
With the large influx of patients - the clinic was maxed, and supplies were depleting quickly.
I helped remove large amounts of garbage, was on disinfect duty, and was the personal assistant for the nurses - running to get them whatever supplies they needed as they treated patients.

The following day Madam Rene and I made our way downtown to Port-au-Prince (PAP).
We first went to the airport to pick up medical supplies for the center that were supposed to have arrived.
Madame Rene has all her official paper work stating her authority and need to collect supplies, and was advised to report to the airport and it would be allocated accordingly.
Only problem was that there were NO SUPPLIES at the airport.
Only media and people wearing fancy suits.

We were approaching the 48 hour mark. And nothing. Nothing nothing.
Lots of cameras, but no doctors or meds.
100s of charter flights were coming in, but no supplies??
Americans were scrambling to get a flight out (via charter planes) and UN workers were trying to prioritize evacuation. That in itself was chaos (everyone was outside since the airport terminal was damaged and not stable to use).

I have no problems with media personnel. I believe that their purpose can bring awareness of the need to the general public... but how is it that they arrive within 12 hours? And not what is really needed?
I asked around trying to understand the protocol for International Disaster Relief.
Some said that they are mandated to wait a full 48 hours for the safety reasons, etc...
WELL, this is my theory: YOU are in the EMERGENCY RELIEF business. You don't wait until the emergency is over to act. When firefighters get a call about a massive fire, they do NOT wait 48 hours to assist those in need. They drop everything, bust on the sirens, and run into the flames saving people (that's what I'm talking about!!!).
If you want to be in the "waiting, protocol, safety" business, go sell flowers or something. But don't be associated with emergency situations. Do you feel me?
I realize that there is much that I don't know and don't understand. I am sure that International Relief organizations (Red Cross, United Nations, etc.) work very hard and have the highest of intentions. I'm not trying to judge or complain about anything... I just want to understand how things operate and hopefully find solutions for things that can be improved.
Bureaucracy needs to take a back burner in these situations so that efforts can be maximized.

It's about SAVING lives. Not selling stories.

After a failed airport ordeal, we went to one of the only standing hospitals in PAP, "Hopital de la Paix" (Hospital of Peace).
I am completely speechless for what I saw.
Patients lying on the floor in any corner they could find.... no bed, no mattress - holding their own IVs (if they were lucky).
Patients without family or friends to help them were in likely to pass from dehydration, etc. The hospital does not care for patients nutritional or comfort needs - especially in a time of a national emergency. So you MUST have someone to help you hold your IV, bring you water, food, and advocate for your help (or the few doctors/nurses will SURELY pass by you).
Mounds of toxic waste (bloody bandages, syringes, needles, sheets, trash, etc.) were piled and scattered all over the floor throughout the hospital with people lying down right next to it. Wounds were wrapped in newspaper, fractures were set with cardboard.
Standard medical supplies were low or non-existent... and qualified personnel to address injuries were no where to be seen.
Deceased bodies lay on the floor covered in a sheet, with no one tending to it... and people walking by as if it is nothing.
Patients were dying because there was no basic care, let alone advanced secondary or tertiary care. Simple injuries turned into debilitating situations... and ultimately death.
The risk for disease and life threatening infections was multiplying by the minute.
It felt as if the ratio for doctors/nurses to patients was 1/100. It could have been 1/1000 for all I know.

The desperate need for help at this hospital was immeasurable.
I went back the next day to volunteer as the ultimate scrub worker.
[I was wearing very protective clothing/gloves, so no worries]
I brought my own X-Large garbage bags and started cleaning up all the toxic waste....
People started coming up to me asking me to treat their injured friend/relative (thinking I was a doctor) - at first I apologized saying that I was not a doctor... after the 3rd person pleading for help, I realized that I was not "in Kansas" anymore and no one was going to sue me for providing medical help.
After all, I was at least "First Aid/CPR & Emergency Care" certified... and that gave me higher credentials than about 98% of
the hospital.
So hey, the people want medical help??? Give the people what they want! Fake it 'til you make it!
So Dr. Dee I became...
First, I just tended to disinfecting wounds, applying bandages to lacerations, bringing patients pain killers, water, and just telling people "Ca va aller" (it'll be ok)...

My "Twilight Zone" experience was when I was helping a doctor with a young man who had at dislocated clavicle, hip, and a fractured tibia. I had to help stabilize the patient as the doctor (with out x-ray) realigned the fracture.... then as he held the fracture in place, I PUT ON THE CAST.
Luckily, I have had the privilege, throughout my crazy life, of breaking 9 bones on 7 occasions. And have been casted up about 10 times (often you get re-casted during the healing course of your fracture).
Although I have no training in orthopedics... I felt very confident that I could do it. After all, it's like a paper-mache project.
The cotton goes on first, then you dip the "cast" bandage in water and wrap away.
So there I was, treating a severely injured patient, amidst chaos, in a hospital in Haiti. TWILIGHT ZONE.

I'm adding that to my resume.

On the 4th night, the smell of deceased bodies started to become a major issue both in PAP and in the outskirts.
People started driving loads of bodies out of PAP and dumping them along the road... right near The Haitian Academy.
We had to write signs that read: "Atansyon - Pa Jete Kadav La" - which is creole for "Attention - Don't dump bodies here"
Surreal.

Over the days, reporters would interview me (since I spoke English) on occasion - and one question I found bizarre.
The reporter asked me, "Do the Haitian people know what's going on?"
Know what's going on!!?!?!?!
They are here LIVING through what's going on! How much more real do you want to get?

By the 5th day I started to feel more of an international presence (Cuban, Bolivia, Venezuela, Canada, France, USAid, CARE, Red Cross, US military)... however, the mystery of the actual medical supplies & aid was still unsolved.

By day 6 my host family, biological family, my friends who are like my family - were all urging me to go back. I agreed that it was a good time. More help was finally arriving and although I felt guilty for being able to leave, I knew I could continue to work for Haiti from the US.
My "ride home" was a Military Cargo Plane. Packed with 81 other Haitian-Americans. We didn't know our destination until we actually boarded the aircraft.
MIAMI.
I strategically sat towards the back of the plane against the wall (we were all sitting on the floor refuge style)... a mother and her 2 kids were next to me... and as the plane started packing in, space was becoming very limited.
I offered to have her 7 year old son sit on the floor between my legs to give another person wall space to lean on...
Once we took off, all was fine for the first 5 minutes...
THEN, the floors and wall got SO HOT. Boiling blistering hot.
So now I had to have the 7 year old sit on my lap (as he sleep in oblivion) and was going through Ninja survival training.
Every 2 minutes I had to shift my biscuit off the floor (holding myself up with 1 hand, as I held the kid in the other) in fear of 3rd degree burns. I would have loved to stand up or move spots like many of the passengers, but I was restrained by a 7 year old. It was one of the longest 3 hours ever.
"THANKS God" that we were only going to Miami and not some other Military base in Guam.

My 6 days post-earthquake in Haiti (12 days total) was a deeply humbling experience.
Between helping at The Haitian Academy, the Burn Clinic, and Hopital de la Paix - Being a witness to the suffering and catastrophe that unfolded before me... and realizing the dire need of international support to rebuild a nation - I came to value the notion that we can only save the world if we can save each other.

When it comes to International Disaster Relief - there are so many standpoints that can be taken, viewpoints to understand, and opinions to be respected.
Why should OTHER countries use their resources and finances to help? Why should we risk our lives to help yours?
Is Haiti's disaster only Haiti's problem? Or is it everyone's concern?

The way I see it... It's not about politics or governments, countries or borders, races or nationalities, religion or doctrine, poverty or wealth... it's about HUMAN LIFE. And understanding the miracle of saving each other.

The way we live our life depends on the way we view our life.
Is it just about yourself? Your family? Your city? Your country?
Or can we transcend our existence to the ideal of ONE PLANET EARTH?

When I working at the hospital, someone was wearing a t-shirt that read, "The one who has hope lives differently."
It was an emotional moment.

And with that, I plead to you to live with HOPE.

May our actions answer our prayers.

pq
Dee

P.S. For those of you that wonder (and I encourage you to wonder), "pq" is my invented replacement for "xoxo" (hugs/kisses). "pq" represents 2 people face-to-face, heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul... the way God intended.

--
Diesa Seidel
Founder, United Initiatives for Peace
www.unitedinitiatives.org
mobile office: +1 (973) 220 - 5630

United Initiatives for Peace
P.O. Box 10183
NewArk, New Jersey 07101
United States of America
Planet Earth

"All this will not be finished in the first 100 days, nor will it be finished in the first 1000 days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin." (JFK)

Although I missed ALL of NCAA March Madness Basketball in the US of A, I did manage to create my own version in Africa (Afrika! L'Afrique!).
Below is the latest action for March two thousand nine.
"Peace, it's what's for dinner." (That's what they say in the commercial, right?)

Nairobi, Kenya

UIP, in partnership with Sports for Peace, conducted a 3-day United Ballers program with 30 girls from the Kibera slums district in Nairobi, Kenya. The program was hosted at the Nairobi Baptist Church where girls engaged in various activities promoting teambuilding, self-empowerment, goal setting, and social activism. As part of our commitment to community service, the girls volunteered at several local foster care homes in Nairobi. UIP donated jump ropes, soccer balls, coloring books, and markers to the foster care homes as part of Operation Cooperation. The program concluded each day with structured basketball drills and games in efforts to promote healthy living, social development, and life skills and values learned through sports.

Following the Nairobi United Ballers program, UIP hosted a brief introductory session of UIP at the Baracka Oontoyie Secondary School, a Catholic Girls’ Boarding School 50 km outside of Nairobi in the Rift Valley. The school hosts 360 girls, many from the Maasai community who have been rescued from ‘early marriages’ in efforts to continue their secondary education despite their inability to afford tuition. For $500 USD per year, [that’s $42 USD per month or $1.35 USD per day, which is less then the price of a cup of Dunkin Donuts Coffee] you can give a high need girl a quality high school education- covering tuition, room, and board. This gift will set the foundation for her life, allowing her to unleash her potential and express her creativity. For more information on how to become a sponsor, please email us at info@unitedinitiatives.org subject “Baracka School”, or call 973-220-5630. Donations can also be made via the “Invest” link through PayPal. Again, Thank you for investing in a higher purpose!

Bukoba, Tanzania

UIP, in partnership with COSAD/SHARE, manifested it’s first ever Court Quest initiative at Kiteyagwa Primary School in Bukoba, Tanzania. This was a historical moment for UIP and sets the foundation for many more Court Quest initiatives in Tanzania and worldwide.
Bukoba is an economically challenged small town on Lake Victoria in northwest Tanzania where recreational opportunities and facilities are rare. In November 2008, UIP met the founders of COSAD (Smart Baitani) and SHARE (Shannon and Karen McNamara) at a fundraiser and started planning their collaborative female empowerment ideas for the girls of Bukoba. COSAD (Community Solutions for Africa’s Development) is a 501©3 non-profit organization committed to providing numerous programs that serve the community of Bukoba. SHARE (SHannon’s After-school Reading Exchange), an English reading group for girls, is among one of the programs that COSAD hosts. SHARE’s vision is to create a literary environment that inspires girls in East Africa to reach their highest potential. When girls have a safe place to meet and learn they can thrive – and when they thrive, everyone around them thrives too. For more information on COSAD/SHARE please visit them online at www.cosad.org/share

Kigali, Rwanda

United Initiatives and Sports for Peace hosted a 3 day United Ballers program at the Kabuga Youth Center and Doctrina Vitae College in Kigali, Rwanda. 50 girls participated in the program, many of whom are survivors of the 1994 genocide.
Although it has been 15 years, mental, physical, and emotional pain are still evident. Often, the psychology grief of war is passed from generation to generation, thus making the healing and reconciliation process long and painful.

More than 1 million people lost their lives in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Additionally, over 500,000 women were raped (often being infected with HIV/AIDS), two-thirds of the population was displaced resulting in over 2 million refugees, and over 300,000 children were orphaned. Sadly enough, this was not the first genocide of our time. The aftermath of these destructive cycles of war is daunting. Social institutions stop functioning, critical health and education systems break down, physical infrastructure is destroyed, agriculture activity is interrupted, food supplies become scarce, commerce and trade shrink, poverty increases, populations are uprooted and made homeless, epidemic diseases spread unchecked, discrimination against vulnerable populations increases, and violence and criminality become widespread.

As human beings, we must realize our interconnectedness to one another and our innate responsibility to make efforts to heal and rebuild our world. Through the strife we must not only envision a world where all human rights are respected and communities thrive in peaceful co-existence, but we must take action and cultivate it.

"All this will not be finished in the first 100 days, nor will it be finished in the first 1000 days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin." (JFK)

Link: http://www.unitedinitiatives.org/initiatives.html

United Initiatives for Peace is endorsing its latest ambition: COURT QUEST.

Court Quest is a global initiative to build basketball courts in high need communities as a means to promote youth sports, character development and higher education.

Court Quest aspires to serve international communities by offering a positive recreational source
through which a greater hope and higher purpose can be manifested for future generations.

For more information about site locations, volunteering or investing please email us at: courtquest@unitedinitiatives.org