Searching for land to rebuild

Since the earthquake, Andre's stepfather Mathieu has made several trips up to the mountain village of Athis, about 12 miles from Port-au-Prince, looking for land. Several people are willing to sell land, but the cheapest piece that is suitable for building is $10,000. From what we understand, it's about 11,000 square feet in size, which is more than enough, but the owner won't subdivide it.

To get to Athis by road, you take the Route de Kenscoff from Petion Ville to Fermathe (about 8 miles). This is the location of the Baptist Haiti Mission, which we visited in June 2009. The woman hugging me in the top photo is Mathieu's sister-in-law who lives in Athis and works in the cafeteria at the mission. This photo was taken in BHM's gift shop. They also have a hospital, schools, and housing. I'm trying to get in touch with them to see if there are any houses to rent in Fermathe while we are collecting money to buy the land and build a house in Athis, so Andre's family won't have to camp on the streets of the capitol.

Before we went to Haiti last June (my third time to Andre's homeland), we purchased 6 dozen toothbrushes through our dentist in Santa Cruz. In the bottom photo you see Andre handing out toothbrushes to schoolkids on the road to Athis and Duval.

Originally, Andre's family was thinking to rebuild on his grandfather's land in Duval, but for several reasons they prefer Athis. First of all, Duval is even farther from the Route de Kenscoff. Secondly, the mountain road ends before you get to Duval so you have to travel the last mile by foot, making it harder to bring in building materials. Also, there is electricity in Athis, but not in Duval, so the quality of life (and value of the house) would be more in Athis. And the latest reason is that they've heard there was earthquake damage in Duval and very little in Athis. If his family is leaving Port-au-Prince to avoid damage from earthquakes in the future, they want to rebuild in an area that wasn't affected.

Fundraiser at Minorsan on Feb. 21!!

When Andre first arrived in the U.S. in May 2008, he joined Minorsan Self-Defense & Fitness studio to learn martial arts. Instructors Clara Minor and Dio Santiago offer a wide variety of classes including Zumba, martial arts/self-defense, weight loss, pilates, fitness/aerobic kickboxing, and Body Pump weight training to music.

Minorsan has always impressed me, not only with their excellent health and fitness classes, but with their sincere desire to help the community. One service they offer is free women's self-defense workshops. When Clara and Dio heard about the desperate situation of Andre's family after the earthquake in Haiti, they started organizing a fundraiser right away.

The event is scheduled for:
Sunday, Feb. 21
4:00 - 7:00 p.m.
at Minorsan, 1320 Mission St., Door #3, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.

It will be a potluck dinner and silent auction. We're looking for more items to auction -- services, gift certificates, merchandise -- and volunteers to help out. Folding tables and chairs are also needed. If you're interested in helping, please call Clara at 831-458-0900. They will have a computer set up all day long for people to make on-line donations, and checks made out to Action Santa Cruz for the benefit of Andre's family in Haiti will also be collected.

Thank you so much, Minorsan, for your support. Maybe you'll inspire other groups to organize their own fundraisers too. Like they say, many grains of sand make a mountain, many drops of water make an ocean. Together we can help Andre's family rebuild their house in Haiti.

Two weeks after the quake

I can't believe it's been two weeks since the earthquake first hit and Andre's family is still camped out on the street in Port-au-Prince. We've been able to send money twice and luckily they got it easily because his brother the police officer went to Western Union with his stepfather. Another Haitian friend in Florida said it took her relatives two days to pick up the money she sent because the lines were so long.

Andre's stepfather walked up to an uncle's village in the mountains a few days ago to inquire about land to build on. He found one lot that he liked for $11,000, but we're hoping he can find something cheaper. The other alternative is to build on his grandfather's land in Duval village, but because it's even farther off the Petionville-Kenscoff road and there's no electricity, it's not ideal either. I'm afraid that after living in the capitol for so many years, they won't be happy living in such a remote area. So we asked Andre's stepfather to look for cheaper land in his brother's village.

After four days without any contact, we're now able to get through to an uncle's cell phone because he gets better service for some reason. It's wonderful to be able to talk to Andre's mother, grandma, and other relatives. They're hanging in and surviving, although sometimes they sound more desperate. His grandmother, especially, says she is ready to go back to the village.

We asked about the relief efforts. They told us there is an American base about a half mile from them, but there were so many people that they had to fight just to get a bottle of water and cookies. Even though the stores have been destroyed, little by little there are more street vendors with food for sale. So Andre's family prefers to buy what they need, even though the prices have doubled and tripled. The money we've sent them has been used up quickly because of inflated prices and because they've been sharing with his aunts, uncles and cousins. I don't know if other relatives are planning to go back to the mountain villages or stay in Port-au-Prince. I'm glad that Andre's family wants to leave the capitol. I don't think it's going to be a nice place to live for many years to come. Not that it was that great even before the earthquake. I've always preferred the mountain villages.

Haiti Relief: PROGRESS 12/25/2010

After four days without communication, we finally heard from Andre's family. They are all still doing well and seem optimistic about the potential move to Duval. We asked about if they had taken advantage of any of the aid that was provided, they said after waiting in a very long line, they were given water and cookies. :-) I guess that is better than nothing!

Over the past four days Andre's step-father ventured up to the families land in Duval. He assessed the situation and still wants to build up there, which is really good news.

We have asked Andre's step-father to get us a quoted price for the materials needed to build a foundation in Duval. This will help us aim for our first major logistics milestone. :-) Once we have the price we can negotiate it down (hopefully) and have materials delivered.

Andre and Chelsea also wired some more money to the family today. We all have our fingers crossed that they can receive it as smoothly as last time. Some of the money came from a local donor and we really appreciate it!!!!

Haiti Relief: MAPS

View Larger Map
Here is the general location of their previous house before it was destroyed by the earthquake.

Haiti Relief: EVENTS

Events:

FEBRUARY 21st 2010: MINORSAN Haitian Fundraiser!!!

MARCH 6th 2010: Raffle and Haitian Dinner

MARCH 13th 2010: Parish Publick House - 7pm-10pm - Dan P and The Bricks, The Huxtables, and and artist to be named.  $10 entry fee!

Haiti Relief: VIDEO

She's explaining how people broke into the old family house. This is
the house that Andre's stepfather Mathieu grew up in. You see Johnny,
Mathieu, Andre and his cousin Sherley in this video.



This is Delmas Road, the main drag, near Andre's family's house. We
went up and down Delmas a million times. Always a traffic jam. I could
walk faster than we could drive it.


Andre and Chelsea's road trip last summer.

Haiti Relief: NEWS

Here are some news articles I have come across that are worth the read:

• Haitian Ambassador To The US Speaks About The Future

Haiti Relief: PHOTOS

Haitain "TapTap"


Everyday Life

Andre and his friend "Coach" overlooking residential area of Port-au-
Prince before the quake..

Andre's neighborhood in Delmas, Port-au-Prince

Neighbors outside Andre's family's house in Duval. His grandmother is
standing in yellow.

Andre's sisters, mother and aunts prepared a huge feast for the
extended family to celebrate the christening of Andre's god-daughter
in June 2009.

This third story addition to Andre's family's house was built for his
married sister and her family just a year ago.

Downtown Port-au-Prince, June 2010

Haiti Relief: PRESS!

• SENTINEL ARTICLE 1 - 01/07/2010
• SENTINEL ARTICLE 2 - 01/22/2010
• KION TV SPOT - 02/15/2010 
• KION BLOG - 02/15/2010
  

Haiti Relief: PROGRESS LINKS

• PROGRESS REPORT: 01/22/2010 - Wire Transfer Successful!
• PROGRESS REPORT: 01/25/2010 - Assessing Duval
• PROGRESS REPORT: 02/17/2010 - Athis Looks Like The Spot!
• PROGRESS REPORT: 04/21/2010 - Now We Wait!
  

Haiti Relief: PROGRESS 12/22/2010

Andre spoke with his step-father and brother last night and assured us that everyone is still in good health.  Listening to the call I could tell they were in good spirits, they even had a few jokes to share! They have received the wire transfer of $400 dollars, which Andre thinks is enough to get them a ride to Duval and hopefully food and water for a couple weeks.  This is a major milestone as we now know that we CAN get them money! 

We're not sure if we'll be able to contact Andre's family today, but look for an update when they get to Duval!  MAJOR MILESTONE!!!  

Haiti Relief: HOW TO HELP!

Thank you for your interest in helping!


04/06/2010:
** We are officially a federally recognized 501c3 organization!  You're donation is tax deductible! **

** Be sure to include your name, address, phone number, and email (if you have one) with every donation **

MONETARY DONATIONS:

PayPal:

- Routing Number: 121000358 (paper & electronic)
026009593 (wires)
- Account Number: 0176241929
- More Info: B Of A Transfers

 

- Routing Number: 321177706
- Account Number: 31332844
- More Info: http://www.bayfed.com/ac/wiringinst.html

Make Checks Payable To:

Action Santa Cruz
P.O. Box 1692
Santa Cruz, CA 95061-1692

OTHER DONATIONS:
Let's talk about it! I'm sure there is something outside of money you can do to help!
Contact: Josh Brown, contact info available on the front page.

Thank you!
-Josh Brown

Haiti Relief: THE PLAN!

The first step is to set up a bank account to receive donations for
Andre's family so they can relocate to their mountain village.

At the moment, the family is camped out on the streets of Port-au-
Prince. Their house has been damaged extensively and is unsafe to
enter, especially while aftershocks are still occurring.  We succeeded
in wiring $400 to his stepfather to help them hire someone to drive
the six family members and whatever possessions they might have
salvaged from their home up to Duval village, about seven miles east
of Port-au-Prince.

Our goal is to raise approximately $35,000, which will be sent
directly to Andre's stepfather, in $500 increments as the work
progresses.

1. Move the family in with relatives in the mountain village to escape
the chaos and danger in Port-au-Prince.

2. Provide food and water and living expenses for the family because
only Andre's brother who is a police officer still has a job. His
stepfather had two tenants, but with the house destroyed that income
is gone. His sister is a preschool teacher, but the school is
destroyed. The same story for his brother-in-law's school.

3. Negotiate a land purchase from their uncle because his land is
closer to the Petionville-Kenscoff Road than Andre's grandfather's
land in Duval. It may be possible to negotiate a lease-to-buy plan.

4. Buy building materials, concrete, sand, rebar and have them
delivered to the building site so the foundation can be poured.

5. Using a phased approach complete construction of the home
for his grandmother, stepfather and mother, and three adult siblings.

6. Purchase a four-wheel-truck for the family to be able to travel
back-and-forth to Port-au-Prince to purchase food and building
supplies. The truck can also provide a small job as a bus service for
other villagers. We will look into the possibility of shipping a used
truck from Florida since Haiti probably has a huge shortage of
vehicles. We also don't want to purchase the truck too soon after the
earthquake because it could be a security risk for the family to
protect the vehicle from looters and criminals.

7. Eventually we want to rebuild in Port-au-Prince so the family can
have a home in the capitol for the family members who will be able to
work again or study, plus to rebuild the rental apartments so that
Andre's stepfather and mother will have income again and can support
themselves.

Locally Organized Haitian Relief!

Action Santa Cruz is putting together a relief sponsorship for some very special people.   Let me introduce you to Andre and Chelsea.   

"Thanks God. My family is alive."

This is the only Facebook post by Andre Cherer after a 7.0 earthquake devastated his country, horrified the world, and forced his family to fend for themselves on the streets of Port-au-Prince. A private person, Andre prefers to keep his feelings to himself. But with the world's eyes focused on Haiti, and as the only Haitian in Santa Cruz, California where he moved a year and a half ago to live with his American wife Chelsea George, it's hard not to get noticed.

The couple was still on vacation in Mexico when Haiti's worst earthquake in 200 years hit. For three long, agonizing days, and three sleepless nights, Andre knew nothing about his family. With fatality estimates of 200,000, he could only pray that no one in his family had died. Normally, Andre uses Skype to call family member's cell phones. Even on a good day, Port-au-Prince has limited electricity, so the internet is not an option for staying in touch with his family back home. But with cell phone towers destroyed or damaged, Andre and millions of other Haitians who live abroad, mainly in the U.S. and Canada, were left in the dark.

Andre called all his Haitian friends in other countries, including the Dominican Republic where he'd lived for five years, to see if anyone knew anything. Finally, in the evening of January 15, more than 72 hours after the earthquake hit, a friend in Canada told Andre that he'd been able to reach his brother Billy's cell phone in Port-au-Prince. Andre called Billy and was assured that his family was all okay even though their house was badly damaged. Billy asked Andre to call back in a half hour while he went to look for them. At long last, Andre heard the voices of the ones he loves most: his mother and stepfather, two brothers and two sisters, his brother-in-law, and especially his 82-year-old grandma who raised him in their mountain village of Duval.

Now the hard part begins -- rebuilding this family's life. Before the quake, they had a relatively comfortable life. His stepfather is a retired builder who constructed the family home with two apartments below that gave them income. His married sister Marjorie and her husband recently hired him to add a third story on the house for them. Andre's brother Johnny works as a police officer, while sister Beatrice teaches pre-school, and youngest brother Reginald is a student. They only got electricity a few hours a day, usually late at night after the family is asleep, and water was delivered to a cistern and pulled up by bucketfuls, but for Haiti they had a comfortable life.

Now they're faced with no home, no income in the family other than Johnny's job, and only Andre abroad to help. Their hope is to move back up to their mountain village, buy some land from an uncle, and build a house. The roads to Duval could barely be called roads, but with a four-wheel drive truck, they could transport building material, commute back and forth to Port-au-Prince, and possibly make some money taking others to and from the village. Eventually, they'd like to rebuild the house in Port-au-Prince so that the ones who work and study in the city could stay there, and the family could earn rental income again.

Although it's not Andre's style to ask for help, his wife and many of their friends have encouraged them to accept donations to help his family. Even in this bad economy, the American people have been so generous in helping the Haitians. The Red Cross and other organizations have received millions of dollars in donations. But sometimes it's hard to know exactly where that donation money goes. Does it really reach the people who need it? For this reason, giving directly to a Haitian family so they can start their lives over amid the rubble of their country, is a way to see the results of your donation. 


Here is the Sentinel Article I was referring to earlier in the blog post:
 Santa Cruz man connects with Haitian family


--Stay tuned for more updates.

Welcome!

I have created this blog in the interest of rallying local Santa Cruzians to help out. 

This blog will be dedicated to various annual and ad-hoc charity based events.   My goal is design a new type of charity involvement. 

My idea consists of the following guidelines:

• Helping People From All Over The World
• Focusing On "Hands On" Volunteering And Fund Raising
  
• Bringing People From All Walks Of Life Together To Help For A Common Cause
• Delivering Tangible Results And Making Long Lasting Impressions

As this Blog develops I will be listing various events that anyone can take part in.  Things may look sparse on the blog, but trust me, I'm working hard!  I am also interested in others ideas, and at some point will find a way for people to submit suggestions.

Don't Be Shy!  There is always a role you can play!