Thursday, November 20, 2008

How can I give?

Woodbrook Baptist Church accepts donations for the Heads Together program in Haiti, which is a effective program run by Haitians for Haitians in the rural community of Fayet. To learn more about Heads Together, feel free to contact me (Julian) at 484-802-4285 or julianbrelsfordremovtosend@gmail.com (remove the phrase "removtosend"). If you would like to make a donation, you can send a check to 25 Stevenson Lane, Baltimore, MD 21212, made out to Woodbrook Baptist Church with a memo line of "Heads Together, Haiti".

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Opportunities and Pitfalls

Today I got the chance to speak with Chuck Esser, a Quaker who, for several decades, has spent time in the United States and abroad supporting peace and social justice work in poorer countries. Quakers tend to believe there is value within every person and that the source of this value is deep and complex. Making the most of this value in every person is one of the central ideas in the Quaker tradition.

Below are some thoughts around that theme, as it relates to aid work in countries like Haiti, that have been shared with me by friends like Chuck.

Donors from developed countries can envision large scale projects to solve big problems, but sometimes these projects don't work out because they don't match with the skills, resources, and needs in the target area. Implementation by people who are from the area to be helped is unlikely to work well if the funding is based around a pre-set plan coming from a first world country rather than based around making the most of the skills of those who are already doing useful work toward social goals. Implementation by people who are not from the area may be less effective because of cultural differences. When a plan is made in a developed country based on the desires of donors, another potential problem is that if donors pay the best and brightest people from a poorer country to implement the project, it may take them away from the useful work those people were already doing, and foster ongoing dependecy on outside resources.

Techniques for solving social problems that work well in developed countries may not work as well in cultures that are vastly different. Likewise, materials and infrastructure from developed countries may not work well in poor countries. Often it is most effective to use techniques developed and tried/tested by local people, as well as local materials and designs for projects. Those who are from the area to be helped have specialized knowlege of climate, culture, and conditions in their area and that knowlege translates into useful problem-solving skills. The use of resources that are available locally can be a huge help in creating an economy that isn't dependent on donations from people in developed countries.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Photos of the party..

Here are some photos of the Celebration of Hope in Haiti / birthday party.

Edited 12/10/08 (link fixed)

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Wow! It was great...

Just wanted to write to express my deep thankfulness for everything that went in to making the birthday party a success. I think we all enjoyed ourselves, and we also raised $450 to support some of the wonderful work going on in Haiti. I'm excited about my upcoming visit to the Heads Together program in Fayette, Haiti and I'm also excited about the generosity of all of the people who came to our celebration of hope. What a wonderful day!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

A celebration of Hope in Haiti

At Central Philadelphia's Quaker Meeting for Worship this Sunday, we heard a number of messages about how the presidential election had given us hope, but also that Barack Obama can't solve the world's problems by himself, and that it's up to the rest of us to put in the hard work to turn our collective vision of hope and prosperity into reality.

Following that theme, for my 26th birthday this year, I've decided to host a celebration of hope for Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere and also one where there are some great opportunities for us to help. We'll hear from Rachael Tanner, who lived in rural Haiti for over a year and visits annually, about a small community-based program called "Heads Together" where a group of Haitians cooperate to provide free schooling to children who otherwise couldn't go to school, and work to alleviate some of the effects of deforestation and erosion that have caused so much harm in Haiti. If you're interested in heading off to Haiti to see some of this wonderful work yourself, or if you're just interested in learning about the most direct ways we can help Haitians on a person-to-person basis, please come to the party. If you can't make it but you're still interested, keep an eye on this blog for updates, or contact julianbrelsford--at--gmail-dot-com .

Since it's a birthday party, don't be surprised if there are some great card games or board games, live music, food and drink, in addition to the chance to hang out and talk with friends who are interested in Haiti and probably know a thing or two about how we can support community work in Haiti too.

Here are the details:
Who? Everyone's welcome!
What? A celebration of hope in Haiti
When? Sunday November 16, 3:30pm
Where? 4718 Windsor Avenue, Philadelphia
Why? Well, mostly because it's fun
How can I contribute?
...If you happen to have a digital camera I can borrow for a while when I go to Haiti in the spring, or you have grantwriting skills, or video editing skills, or French-speaking skills, or fundraising skills, or the desire to contribute financially, then I'm sure we can find a way for you to help! If you have ideas about other ways folks can help, please share those too!

Julian Brelsford