Following is the text from a press release that we sent out today;

Haiti Connect, a volunteer organisation founded by Tipperary based couple Evert and Kate Bopp, scored a major success in their efforts to help the people of Haiti.

Haiti Connect which was set up in January after the devastating earth quake hit Haiti killing over 200,000 people. The organisation set out to provide technology assistance to NGO & aid organisations as well as local Haitian organisations such as hospitals, schools, orphanages etc.  Most of this was aimed at building computer networks and providing internet access for these organisations however, as Bopp says, “We also understood that the absence of a dependable electricity supply was a serious issue in Haiti”. The organisation managed to secure the donation of a large capacity (60kw) diesel generator and shipped this to Haiti together with over 200,000 euro worth of other equipment.  “The generator was more than we would need for our own projects and had the capacity to power a small hospital or a school. We were sure that we would find good use for it” says Bopp. That opportunity arose when Evert Bopp found out about the “CAMEJO” project run by an organisation called “Renewal4Haiti”. This organisation was helping to rebuild a hospital in Leogane, Haiti. Leogane was where the epicentre of the January earthquake lay and the new hospital there, which was to open in February, was flattened by the quake.

Renewal4Haiti had been working hard to rebuild the hospital and was ready to open the first medical facility in Leogane. However they lacked an electricity supply. Electricity to power the operating theatres, electricity to power the sterilising equipment and electricity to power oxygen equipment to deal with the flood of cholera patients. All they had was a small generator that wasn’t able to cope with the needs of the facility. To complicate matters even further this small generator broke down just at the outset of the cholera epidemic that is still holding Haiti in its grip.  When Evert & Kate Bopp heard about this they quickly made the decision that this was the best location to donate their generator to.  “I was talking to several hospitals and clinics at that time. All of these were hindered by the lack of reliable power to some extent. However we only had one generator and as heartbreaking as it is you have to make choices and prioritize needs. Leogane had no real hospital and the impact of donating a generator would be the greatest there so the generator went to the CAMEJO hospital in Leogane. To be honest I wish we had a hundred generators to donate as there is still no real infra-structure to address these needs in Haiti. And that is nearly 11 months after the earthquake struck”

The impact of having a reliable power source at the hospital in Leogane has been significant to say the least. Jodel Charles the Haitian born director of Renewal4Haiti who runs the project had the following to say:

“It helped us to save lives. Paediatric nebulizers (we see a LOT of kids with asthma and respiratory issues) get powered from it especially”

“Thanks again Evert. I don’t think even you realize the magnitude of electricity at a hospital. Patients don’t even want to leave CAMEJO even after them being discharged. When our generator broke down, we were force to rely on a backup one of only 4kW. Needless to say we were very limited in the care we were able to offer and were frequently forced to subject hospitalized patients to spend the night in the dark. Thanks to the generous folks at Haiti Connect, we now enjoy a 60kW generator and are able to power all of our medical equipment without interruption to service. It powers our operating room and all of the equipment in our trauma services. We treat 100-115 outpatients daily and 20 inpatients on average daily”

In the meantime Haiti Connect continues their hard work to address the current needs of people in Haiti as well as contribute to the rebuilding of the country. They have an ongoing need for volunteers willing to travel to Haiti as well as donations of funds & equipment. “We currently have seven pallets of medical and other supplies ready for shipment to Haiti but do not have funds to pay for the transport costs. Financial donations or a shipping company willing to ship it to Haiti at no costs would be very welcome” says Evert Bopp. In the longer term Haiti Connect is currently involved in 4 projects to provide IT equipment and Internet access to the Haitian people and they have also plans to assist Haitians in starting their own enterprises using the technology provided to them.  “We make a point of working with Haitians and Haitian organisations as much as possible as the real future lies in enabling the Haitian people to build their own future”.

A pdf copy of the press release can be downloaded here.

For more details please see www.haiti-connect.org or call Evert Bopp on 086-8645099

We also want to thank Fidelity Engineering for donating this generator.