About half of the 350,000 inhabitants of Gonaives have been directly affected by the last hurricanes in the housing aspect. About 60,000 people have been displaced to temporary shelters, while tens of thousands are living with neighbors, friends and relatives as their houses are being cleaned from contaminated mud or waiting to be renovated — in many cases, homes need to be completely rebuilt.

This is the second video made this week by the film-maker and AMURT volunteer Anádi. You can also watch it at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c__yTlINmhQ

All the videos from the Rapid Response Team in Gonaives are being uploaded to the AMURT Relief Channel at You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/AMURTRelief

AMURT-Haiti’s volunteer Abraham Heisler (Anádi) is a film maker from NY city who came to Haiti to help with documenting the conditions in the city and to accompany the emergency relief efforts. This is the first of a series of videos that shall continue to illustrate the transition between the rapid response and the long term development strategy of AMURT-Haiti.

More videos are being uploaded regularly at the AMURT Relief Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/AMURTRelief

Anádi has also produced other videos about AMURT and Haiti earlier this year, which are available at www.youtube.com/anadirockski.

AMURT (Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team) is an NGO working worldwide through grassroots partnerships and a dynamic, progressive and sustainable development approach (www.amurt.net). This weblog “AMURT Ayiti” brings to the public the field experiences of our volunteers in Haiti and of the population we work with closely in our daily struggle and joy of service. Since 2004 AMURT Haiti has been focused at the NW of the country. The recent hurricanes have brought further desolation and extreme destruction to the whole country, but particularly to our working region.

Here you will find photos and stories from the core of both rural and urban Haiti, both in English and Kreyòl.

For more information on our integrated development and current relief efforts and how you can participate and help, check http://www.amurthaiti.org.

Read, enjoy and join us!

AMURT (Ekip d’Ananda Marga de Soulajman Inivèsèl) se yon ONG mondyal ki travay sitou avèk òganizasyon kominotè yo epi sou yon apwòch dinamik pa yon devlopman pwogrèsis epi dirab. Weblog “AMURT Ayiti” sa-a pataje avèk piblik eksperyans de travay ki volontè nou genyen nan Ayiti epi de tout moun ki nou travay ansanm chak jou ak efò epi jwa an de sèvis.

Depi 2004 AMURT Haiti konsantre travay li sou zòn Nòdwès. Syklòn yo resan te dezole popilasyon ankò epi fè yon vreman gwo dega nan tout peyi-a, sitou nan zòn ki nou travay.

Isit w’ap jwenn foto epi istwa yo ki soti kè Ayiti peyizan epi iban, toulede nan Angle epi Kreyòl.

Pou plis enfòmasyon sou efò ki nou genyen kounye-a pou devlopman entegre epi pou soulajman, epi pou konnen ki jan ou ka patisipe tou, verifye http://www.amurthaiti.org.

Gade, rejwi epi reini ak nou!

Really sweet kids from the AMURT-supported national school at the village of Ti Plas, Commune Anse Rouge, NW of Artibonite, Haiti

This was the second day of the food distribution implemented by AMURT and AMURTEL in cooperation with the local community leaders and funded by the UN agency Programme Alimentaire Mondial (WFP). 1,300 families are receiving the food daily at the Bigot area, in the devastated city of Gonaives. About 120,000 people will benefit from this program by the end of a two-month emergency response, which in the case of AMURT is coupled with another project for the reinforcement of grassroots organizations through the Food for Work initiative, also in partnership with the UN and the local Ministry of Education.

Coooperative community work to clean the muddy schools and restart the classes

“Travay pou Manje” (Food for Work, in Kreyòl) is a program that encourages the local population to engage in the urgent rehabilitation of their livelihood through community services. 19 schools are being cleaned at the moment through the community leadership support of AMURT, which will enable thousands of children and youth to resume their studies in two weeks. Before AMURT pioneered the start of this program, most of the population already expected to have no possibility of studying in Gonaives until January of 2009!

Please visit the website www.amurthaiti.org to see more information on the relief disaster response and to participate in it.