Help Haiti Heal Benefit

Event Overview

2010-12-26T13:39:00.000-08:00

The people of Haiti are faced with the tragic aftermath of a devastating earthquake. People around the globe are reaching out to help and the people of Western North Carolina are eager to do their part in this global effort.

Help Haiti Heal Benefit Concert

VOLUME II

will take place on
Saturday March 13th at 7pm

at White Horse Black Mountain

White Horse Black Mountain
is a 225-seat venue in

downtown Black Mountain North Carolina.

Help Haiti Heal (volume 2)
includes performances by

LAURA BLACKLEY
NIKKI TALLEY

JIMMY LANDRY

WSNB (We Sing Nasty Blues)

EVERY MOTHERS DREAM
DAVE TURNER
SIRIUS.B

SHOD MY FEET
KIM HUGHES

and more to be announced soon

Saturday March 13
Music starts at 7pm

All ticket sales and other donations
go directly to the work of
SOIL
Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods
A non-profit organization which is
working directly with the people
of Haiti to build a better future.

SOIL
has been in Haiti for the past 3 years

and is uniquely positioned to
assist the people of Haiti
during this time of tragedy
but also on a long-term basis,

long after the TV crews

have gone.

YOUR TICKET PURCHASE and OTHER DONATIONS
GO DIRECTLY TO HELP THE PEOPLE
OF HAITI

One-day Ticket: $15.00

White Horse Black Mountain

is located at

105c Montreat Rd

Black Mountain, North Carolina 28711

(828) 669-0816

www.whitehorseblackmountain.com

Event Performers

2010-12-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

Performers for the Feb 6th and 7th concert included:

David Holt -- Kat Williams
Akira Satake --River Guerguerian
Free Planet Radio
Mariam Matossian -- Nikki Talley
Kellin Watson -- Sirius.B
Skinny Legs and All -- (featuring Jesse Barry)
Sons of Ralph -- Menage
Members of Steep Canyon Rangers
Paco Shipp -- Daniel Barber
Taylor Martin's Engine -- RiYen Roots
Kim Hughes -- Richard Inman

DAVID HOLT
http://www.davidholt.com/

Four-time Grammy Award winner David Holt is a musician, storyteller, historian, television host and entertainer, dedicated to performing and preserving traditional American music and stories. Holt plays ten acoustic instruments and has released numerous recordings of traditional mountain music and southern folktales.

Holt is well known for his television and radio series. He is host of public television's Folkways, a North Carolina program that takes the viewer through the Southern Mountains visiting traditional craftsmen and musicians. He served as host of The Nashville Network's Fire on the Mountain, Celebration Express and American Music Shop. He has been a frequent guest on Hee Haw, Nashville Now and The Grand Ole Opry. David can also be seen as a musician in the popular film, O Brother Where Art Thou.

David hosts Riverwalk: Classic Jazz From The Landing for Public Radio International. Riverwalk, in its thirteenth year, is broadcast nationally from San Antonio, Texas, and combines stories of the jazz greats told by Holt with the traditional jazz music of the Jim Cullum Jazz Band and guests including Lionel Hampton and Benny Carter.

The U.S. State Department has sponsored Holt's performances in many parts of the world as a musical ambassador, taking the sounds of American folk music to such diverse lands as Nepal, Thailand, South America and Africa.

Holt is a three-time winner of the Frets magazine readers’ poll for "best old-time banjoist." In addition, Esquire Magazine selected Holt for its first "Annual Register of Men and Women Who Are Changing America" in 1984. Called the "the best of the new generation," those chosen included such notables as Steven Spielberg, Sally Ride and Meryl Streep. All were selected for personal vision, originality and service to others.

MARIAM MATOSSIAN
http://www.mariammatossian.com/

Nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award (Outstanding World Music Album of the Year for her album In the Light) and two Canadian Folk Music Awards (Traditional Album of the Year for In the Light and Best New/Emerging Artist) in 2008, Mariam Matossian is an example of the musical treasures that exist in the world next door.

Mariam has been featured on CBC Radio and Radio Canada many times and her concerts have been recorded by the CBC and broadcast nationally across Canada. She has performed with acclaimed Canadian musicians such as Jesse Zubot, Ernie Tollar, Francois Houle, Elliot Polsky, Gordon Grdina, Andre Thibault, and Catherine Potter, among others. She has also performed with master oud player John Berberian.

Most of the traditional songs she sings have been passed down through her family – songs that have been favourites of her grandmother and her mother, and now they have become her own favourites.

"“...My dream has always been to share the story of my culture with as many people who want to listen. My grandparent’s story -- especially accounts of their faith, resilience, and hope despite the many obstacles that they endured -- and more recently, the plight of the street children in Armenia -- the very children who taught me some of the songs which are now on this album -- have inspired me. I long to share these stories with others. And as I pass on this music, these stories to others, I hope that people will be as enriched as I have been.”

In 1998, she travelled to Armenia, the first member of her family to set foot in the Homeland. She volunteered for an English language newspaper there and through that work, learned about the plight of the many street children. In 2002, she took a leave of absence from her teaching career to return to Armenia to work with these children. It was during this time that Mariam’s passion for singing met her new commitment to bring attention to contemporary Armenia. When she returned to Vancouver, she continued to perform the songs she had learned from her family and songs she had learned in Armenia, including those taught to her by some of the children she had worked with in Yerevan. Those who heard her sing told her she needed to record.

In 2004, Mariam released her first CD, Far From Home and began performing with her ensemble which includes accomplished musicians from the jazz and world music scene in Canada. Her debut recording has won rave reviews and has had airplay across Canada, in the United States and Europe. It was chosen as one of Echoes 25 Essential Albums for 2005 in the United States on NPR. Mariam’s interpretation of Groong/The Crane was also featured in Canadian-Armenian filmmaker, Araz Artinian’s moving documentary, The Genocide in Me, about the Armenian Genocide of 1915, which Mariam’s grandparents survived as children.

In 2007, Mariam released her second album, In the Light, which is a compelling combination of her interpretations of traditional Armenian folk songs and her own original compositions.

AKIRA SATAKE
www.akirasatake.com/music.asp

Akira Satake first discovered the banjo through his older brother’s Flatt and Scruggs recordings while growing up in Osaka, Japan. After relocating to New York City in his early 20's he spent two decades honing his innovative banjo style in venues from Village clubs to Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. He went on to master the shamisen (Japanese banjo) in his own original style, and has made it an important part of his repertory.

Satake garnered international attention with his collection of original compositions, "Cooler Heads Prevail," and shared the 1998 German Music Critics’ Award for Best World Music Recording with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He has performed and/or recorded with such artists as Shawn Colvin, Nancy Griffith, Jim Lauderdale, Hazel Dickens, Bela Fleck and Tony Trischka, and produced award-winning CDs for Tim O’Brien, Mamadou Diabate, Johnny Cunningham and flamenco guitarist Gerardo Nunez.

American banjo virtuoso Tony Trischka calls Satake, "a brilliant banjoist with a split-level passion for the fiery breakdowns of southern Appalachia and the kaleidoscopic rhythms and melodies of World Music." In 2004, a short documentary film about him and his music was shown on New York City cable television.

KAT WILLIAMS
http://www.myspace.com/katwilliamsinthehouse

As so many of the greatest performers in history, vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughn, Mavis Staples, and many others, are aging or have passed on, Kat has taken up the torch and is reaching a new generation that never got to experience these masters in person. Ms. Williams, like many of the Greats, comes from a humble beginning.

Born in Buffalo, NY in 1967 to a 14 year old mother she met only once, she became the 31st foster child in the home of Mary and L.C. Williams, who later adopted her. Beginning at age nine, she spent the rest of her childhood caring for her adoptive mother who was slowly dying of cancer. Shortly after her 17th birthday, both Mary and L.C. passed away and Kat found herself homeless on the streets of New York City. With a fiery passion for life, her exuberant personality, and her undying perserverance, she blossomed gracefully into a strong and independent woman.

In 1997, Kat moved to Asheville, NC and soon took the town by storm, becoming the most sought after singer in the region. She bared her soul to the crowd, inviting audiences in for a glimpse of a truly phenomenal woman and an authentic, from the heart, performer. Years later, Kat's musical philosophy is "I have no competition- I can only give you the best of me." Filled with a passion for song, an astonishing animated style, a spirited sense of humor, and that remarkable laugh, Kat takes the stage and makes magic happen.

Kat has performed with solo pianists, big bands, and a full symphony orchestra. She sang the score to a ballet production of Porgy and Bess to rave reviews. Out of hundreds of people who auditioned, she was chosen to open for Jay Leno on his comedy tour of the area.

In 2003 a local playwright wrote an entire musical around her, which was later performed Off-Broadway in New York. She was personally requested by the actor Robin Williams as the featured entertainer at a private party he was hosting.

In addition to covering standards and classic torch songs (the way they were MEANT to be sung), she writes much of her own material. Singer, actress, and songwriter, Kat is truly a triple threat.

RIVER GUERGERIAN
www.guerguerian.com/

River Guerguerian has been inspiring audiences with his ecstatic and versatile percussion for over 25 years. Whether playing with world-class symphonies or studio musicians, partnering with Grammy-award winning composers, or creating dynamic plays of rhythm for his own projects, River’s passion and attention to the vibrant life of the drum reverberates throughout the crowd.

In 1988, he began creating works with Grammy and Oscar-winning composer Tan Dun. Over the next several years he continued to tour with other artists performing in concert halls in Tokyo, Moscow, Rome, Berlin, Hong Kong, Barcelona, Athens, Istanbul, London, including such renowned venues as Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, and Lincoln Center.

In 1994, River sold all his possessions, left civilization for five years, and lived in a wildlife sanctuary in the Himalayas. The raw power of nature initiated intense research and experimentation into the physiological effect of sound on brainwaves states. River continued his investigations into trance-inducing instrumentation as he traveled to different cultures learning unique methods and techniques.

Drawing on this diverse background, River plays all genres of music pulling original sound from Frame Drums, Middle Eastern and Afro-Cuban percussion, Drumset, Marimba, Tabla, Kanjira, Cajon, Gongs, Singing Bowls, Loopers, and various found objects. His compositions have been commissioned and performed by chamber ensembles, universities, modern dance companies, and new music festivals.

As a studio musician, he has recorded on over 120 albums and film soundtracks, including John Cage's documentary film, “I Have Nothing to Say and I Am Saying It”. He has also performed and/or recorded with such groups as the BBC Symphony Orchestra, New Music Consort, Tibetan Singing Bowl Ensemble, Paul Winter Consort, Talujon Percussion Ensemble, Chuck Berry, Sophie B. Hawkins, and Ziggy Marley/Gipsy Kings.

Since 1999, River has been living in the mountains of Asheville, NC with his wife and three daughters. He travels internationally with Turkish master musician Omar Faruk Tekbilek. You can also hear his lyrical style with his world fusion jazz trio Free Planet Radio and his solo project The River Guerguerian Experience.

NIKKI TALLEY
http://www.nikkitalley.com/

Nikki Talley is a versatile performer and regional favorite with multiple appearances at venues and festivals over the past 10 years. Switching seamlessly from the acoustic ballads of her mountain youth to the full bore rock anthems of her generation, Talley’s energetic stage performances, powerful voice and engaging lyrics have won the hearts of fans all over the southeast.

At the early age of five, Nikki Talley began singing for her kindergarten graduation. After years of singing around the Carolinas, she recorded her debut album, Brother, in 2002.

In 2004, she relocated to Toronto, Canada where she became part of the vibrant music scene there playing numerous club dates. While in Canada, she recorded her 2nd album, Telling Lies.

Some years later Nikki returned to the Asheville area and was invited to compete in a regional American Idol type competition, Carolina Star. She was awarded first prize out of 300 competitors and received a 10,000.00 prize which she used to record her most recent album, To Be A Bird.

This most recent recording highlights her diverse talents, both as a vocalist and instrumentalist featuring her talents on piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar and banjo.

(MORE Performer Bios to follow soon )

Event Performers for March 13

2010-02-23T11:59:00.000-08:00

EVERY MOTHERS DREAM
LAURA BLACKLEY

SHOD MY FEET

NIKKI TALLEY

JIMMY LANDRY

WSNB (We Sing Nasty Blues)
DAVE TURNER
SIRIUS.B
KIM HUGHES

Videos of the Concert

2010-02-09T13:09:00.001-08:00

Nikki Talley:

Event THANK YOUs

2010-02-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

The
Help Haiti Heal
Benefit Event
Wishes to Thank

THE MUSICIANS
of Western North Carolina
and Upstate South Carolina
who donated their time and talent

Bob Hinkle and Kim Hughes
of White Horse Black Mountainwww.whitehorseblackmountain.com

Don Talley
of The Black Mountain Music Scenewww.blackmountainmusicscene.com

Bert Brown
Technical Director
White Horse Black Mountain

Nikki Talley

Woody Talley

Jesse Romine

Brett McCall

Andrew Wheelerof Sativa Sound

Rod Murphyof 6;14 Films

Morning Glory Cafe

Red Rocker Inn

Inn Around The Corner

Carolina Mountain Rentals

Steve Breckenridge

Daisy Talley

Jerry Pope

Mitzi Brown

Lorin Mallorie

Kit Morehead

Danielle Demarino

Nick Frayer

Nora Bryan-Dougherty

Parker Brooks

Mark Fuller

Jeff Brown

Ellen and Brad Stroman

Dawn Wilson

Margaret Marchuk

John Fernandez

Gina Buscaglia Murphy

Jennifer Saylor

Jeff Fobes

Jon Elliston

Aaron Price

Dave Hamilton

Matt Kinne

Jeremy Ferguson

Ras Jacob Marley

Lorraine Conard

Donna Cannady

Suzannah Tebbe Davis

Cathy Bastianelli

Jenna Lindbo

Jill Schonberger

Dorisse Aho

Kathy Sharkey

Joan Engelhardt

Jason McKeown

Wesley Duffee-Braun, StudioAsheville

April Steyert

WLOS TV
WMYA TV
The River 98.1
The
Mountain 105.9
Star 104.3
AshevilleFM.org
The Black Mountain News
MountainXpress
Asheville Citizen-Times
The Mountaineer
Weaverville Tribune
BlogAsheville
Ashevegas
Scrutiny Hooligans
Blog Hendersonville

ANDThe Peopleof Black Mountain North Carolina
for their demonstration of
Community Spirt and Compassion

Event Photographs

2010-02-08T07:19:00.000-08:00

Click Here to view photos from the Asheville Citizen-Times

If you have additional images of the event to share, please send images or links to on-line photos to dontalley@gmail.com

Morning Glory Cafe to provide food for HELP HAITI HEAL Benefit

2010-02-05T14:42:00.000-08:00

Our friends at Morning Glory Cafe in Black Mountain will be providing food for sale throughout the Help Haiti Heal Benefit .
http://themorningglorycafe.com/index.html

Morning Glory Cafe is a favorite dining spot in Black Mountain and has already held their own benefit effort to raise funds for Haiti. Yet when owner Chris "Cookie" Hadley heard about the 2-day Help Haiti Heal Benefit concert, he was quick to volunteer and insisted on providing the food.

All proceeds from food sales will go directly to SOIL (Sustainable Organic Integreated Livelihoods).

A big White Horse THANK YOU goes out to "Cookie" and all the great folks at Morning Glory.

About Cookie:
Chef Christopher Hadley, known to everyone here simply as “Cookie”, has been working in the restaurant industry since 1987. Starting as a dishwasher in his teens, he worked his way through every job possible in a variety of different restaurants, learning the trade as he went. He has worked under many brilliant chefs in a multitude of different styles from Italian to Asian-fusion. He also spent five years as the chef at an organic farm, cooking three meals a day for 50 people, using mostly ingredients grown on site.
After working as Executive Chef for Pomodoros Greek and Italian Café for 6 years, Cookie is excited to make The Morning Glory Café the best it can be

Help Haiti Heal Schedule of Performances

2010-02-01T15:19:00.000-08:00

SATURDAY FEB 6th

7 PM WELCOME
7:10 Woody Talley, SOIL Intern in Haiti

(multimedia presentation)

7:30 Nikki Talley
8:00 David Holt Band
8:30 Akira Satake Band
9:00 Free Planet Radio
9:30 Mariam Matossian
9:45 Ash Devine, Volunteer in Haiti
(multimedia presentation)
10:15 Riyen Roots
10:30 Paco Shipp
10:45 Mbrs of Steep Canyon Rangers
11:15 Kat Williams
11:45 Sirius B
12:15 FINALE with ALL PERFORMERS

SUNDAY FEB 7th
2 PM WELCOME
2:10 Woody Talley, SOIL Intern in Haiti

(multimedia presentation)

2:30 Buyaka
3:00 Daniel Barber
3:30 Sons of Ralph
4:00 Taylor Martin’s Engine
4:30 Menage
4:55 Kim Hughes Richard Inman
5:05 Peggy Ratusz
5:20 Kellin Watson
5:50 Skinny Legs and All
6:20 FINALE with ALL PERFORMERS

The Rocket Club partners with Help Haiti Heal

2010-02-01T04:50:00.000-08:00

Help Haiti Heal Benefit has become a true community event as musicians from throughout the region are donating their time.

The "community" nature of the event has expandanded again as The Rocket Club in West Asheville and 3 great bands will be donating their proceeds from an upcoming performance to the fundraising efforts of Help Haiti Heal on behalf of SOIL.

On Saturday night February 6th,

Shod My Feet,
Kovacs and the Polar Bear, and the
If You Wannas

will perform at The Rocket Club and donate their ticket sales to the overall fundraising work of Help Haiti Heal.

Comments from Help Haiti Heal Benefit Performers

2010-01-25T09:59:00.001-08:00

"The news from Haiti has been devastating and the photos have been unbearable to look at. My heart breaks for the people there… and then I think to myself, what good is that? How does my heart breaking change things for the people? How does my weeping help them?

I look at my own babies and hold them close to me, unable to imagine what I would do if anything were to happen to them… and then I look at the images from Haiti again, and think, what are those moms and dads doing right now? Ah, this is too much…

What can I do right now?
I can pray. I can send aid. And I can sing.

I can sing at this event and hopefully raise money to help this hurting nation in some way.

So, this is what I will do. I will sing I will sing and I will pray.

---------Mariam Matossian http://www.mariammatossian.com/

MOST RECENT NEWS ABOUT THE BENEFIT

2010-01-23T14:20:00.000-08:00

Help Haiti Heal Benefit spreads from Black Mountain to West Asheville as 3 great bands will be donating their proceeds from a performance at The Rocket Club on Sat February 6th to the overall fundraising work of Help Haiti Heal on behalf of SOIL.
Participating bands in the Rocket Club portion of Help Haiti Heal are:

Shod My Feet,

Kovacs and the Polar Bear, and

If You Wannas.

-------------------------

The Help Haiti Heal Benefit Concert will be Webcast LIVE via UStream. Viewers anywhere in the world will be able to watch the concert LIVE on the web.
Both days of the concert will be viewable at
www.ustream.tv/channel/help-haiti-heal-benefit

--------------------------

New Updates from SOIL workers in Haiti have been posted at
www.helphaitihealbenefit.com/2010/01/sunday-january-17th.html

--------------------------
Help Haiti Heal event to include Sale of donated Art to Benefit SOIL..

( CLICK HERE for full details )

--------------------------

Armenian vocalist Mariam Matossian has been added to the lineup. Mariam was was nominated for a Wsetern Canadian Music Award and 2 Canadian Folk Music award for her album In The Light.

--------------------------
American Idol contestant Jesse Barry and Skinny Legs and All have accepted an invitation to perform at the Help Haiti Heal benefit event.

Benefit Expands to include Art Sale for SOIL

2010-01-23T14:14:00.000-08:00

In addition to the musical performances, visually creative members of the community are participating in the fundraiser by donating pieces of art and craft for sale with proceeds going to SOIL - Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods, a grassroots organization in Haiti.

Art and Craft pieces are being donated by:

1 - the Clay Studio of the Black Mountain Center for the Arts,

2 - the East of Asheville Studio Tour, and

3 - individual area artists and craftspeople.

On Sunday February 7th, the second day of the 2-day benefit, donated artwork will be displayed at the offices of ERA Realty between the hours of 1pm and 6pm.

ALL proceeds from the sale of professionally created art work and crafts will be donated directly to the Haitian relief work being done by SOIL.

Information for arists/craftpersons interested in donating:

Donated pieces should be of a professional standard and can be dropped of at the ERA Realty Offices in downtown Black Mountain on Friday February 5th between the hours of 1pm and 4pm.

The artwork and crafts will be secured until the end of the sale on Sunday. Artists and craftspeople should make sure that the item donated has an asking price securely attached as well as the maker's name, address and phone number. Any unsold items must be picked up at the ERA offices at the end of the sale Sunday, Feb. 7th.

The ERA offices are located at 100 West State Street in Black Mountain, just two doors down from White Horse Black Mountain. http://www.erapinnacleproperties.com/

Any questions can be directed to Brad or Ellen Stroman
by calling
717-799-3025 or 717-649-4280
or emailing:
brad@bradstroman.com
patrinki@hotmail.com

Those professional artists and craftspeople interested in participating should contact Brad or Ellen by Friday, January 29th.

Videos of SOILs work in HAITI

2010-01-18T14:43:00.000-08:00

THROUGH THEIR OWN EYES - The Children of Haiti tell their own stories through pictures

The girls from the youth group UJDS (Union Jeunes por Developpment Shada -- Teenagers for the Development of Shada) perform a rap that they composed about fighting for change in their community.

Updates from Sasha Kramer in Haiti

2010-01-17T19:11:00.000-08:00

Excerpts from HAITI:
Messages from
Sasha Kramer
(co-founder of SOIL)

who is on-the-ground in Haiti

Click HERE to view images from SOIL taken after the earthquake

==============================
Sunday Mar 7 2010
==============================

Dear friends,

I am sorry that I have been out of touch for the past several weeks. Every day is like a lifetime and at the end we just collapse into bed after a cold shower, and in the morning we sit up and look out at the camp spread before us and the whirlwind begins again. But most of us have managed to hold on to our sanity, tethering our minds to our work. As the weeks go by the city begins to look more familiar, the shattered buildings have become a part of my mindscape and there are moments when I barely notice them. People wind through the traffic jams and the streets are lined with vendors, people who have left the camps during the day to return to their old sites along the street, sitting in front of their crumbled homes selling fried food and soaps. Children run around the camps in packs and their laughter filters through my pillows.

As the weeks drag into months I remain in awe of the ways in which people maintain their dignity, I am amazed by the discipline and kindness of hungry people. I think of how hunger can affect my own mood and wonder if I would be as compassionate and full of humor if I had not eaten for days. Despite the deepest resilience there is an anger brewing, a frustration with the fact that aid is not moving fast enough and as we move into the rainy season tens of thousands of people will be stranded without tents. Haiti has struggled with poverty for centuries but it was not a nation of homeless people. Haiti was a country held together by family and community and very few adults slept on the street. Before January 12 no one would have considered camping in Port au Prince, now over a million people sleep in the streets every night, forced to lay aside their fears as they drift off to sleep in a sea of neighbors and strangers.

For nearly 2 months Nick and I slept behind Matthew 25 house in the middle of a small tent city of some of our dearest friends, volunteers and doctors, adjacent to a camp with about 1400 people sleeping in it. Every night I left my purse next to my bed, and being myself I often left it out there in the morning when I went for coffee. In 2 months I never had a single thing stolen nor felt unsafe in any way. I even became accustomed to the evangelical woman with a megaphone who begins circulating around 4:30 am. I am used to the pace of life here, the easy smiles and the tough stares, the animated arguments and voiceless interchanges, but I will never cease to be impressed with the grace of the Haitian people, even in the face of inexplicable suffering.

Time passes and we have continued with our relief efforts though our strategy is shifting. We will continue to give food and water for the coming month, but we are also beginning to focus on sanitation solutions that could help prevent the spread of disease as the situation in Port au Prince shifts from emergency to recovery. Nick and I began attending the sanitation cluster meetings during our first week in Port au Prince, to get a better sense of the various actors. Just as people never slept in the street before the earthquake, there was no active interest in sanitation in Haiti prior to Jan 12. For centuries Port au Prince’s human wastes have been dumped into the ocean, rivers and fields without treatment. Before there was no question of where our wastes were going, and now the halls of DINEPA (the government direction of portable water and sanitation) are flooded with representatives of all of the world’s big organizations, everyone clamoring to get a handle on the sanitation crisis that has been unveiled by the earthquake.

Prior to the earthquake Haiti had by far the lowest sanitation coverage in the hemisphere and heavy child mortality due to water borne disease. In a city of more than 2 million people, hundreds of thousands never had access to a toilet and were forced to go to the bathroom in plastic bags or in nearby ravines. The sanitation crisis did not come from the earthquake, the earthquake only exacerbated it, as people spilled into the streets so too did their secrets, and when you don’t have a toilet, sanitation is a secret. Now the spotlight of international attention is directed on Haiti and it is impossible to ignore the increasingly dire sanitation crisis. Given that more than half a million people are displaced, there is a need for a minimum of 10,000 toilets to safely serve a population of that size. Two months after the crisis there are less than 3000 toilets in place in the camps and many of those that have been installed may be damaged in the coming rains.

In Petionville the two main squares are now home to over 13,000 people and only 15 portable toilets. Imagine if there are 866 people per toilet and 720 minutes in the day, that would mean that for everyone to use the toilet once a day there would be less than 1 minute per person. Also at the rate the toilets are being used, they need to be emptied every day and there are currently not enough desludging trucks in Port au Prince to service all of the toilets being installed. When the toilets are emptied they are taken to a new site set up by the government which is in the middle of the city dump. To get to the site you pass through piles of burning garbage the size of football fields. Hundreds of people come to the dump every day to scavenge for pieces of metal, and firewood. At the end of the steaming garbage there are 4 pits, dug shortly after the earthquake. The sludge from the toilets is dumped into or near the puts where it is mixed with all kinds of garbage and medical wastes. Now only 1 month after the holes were dug they are full and every day the amount of human wastes coming out of the camps is increasing.

SOIL is a small organization and we do not have the capacity to make an impact in terms of number of toilets, but we are innovative and we are planning on being in Haiti for the long haul. So we have chosen to focus our efforts on piloting ecological technologies and helping as best we can to coordinate between other large agencies to increase the efficiency and cultural appropriateness of service delivery. This week we began a project in collaboration with OXFAM – GB to construct 50 urine diversion toilets, 100 arborloos and construct a pilot composting site for Port au Prince. We will be working on this project for the next 6 months while continuing to move forward with our sanitation work in the north. We hope that our pilot work and our dedicated networking will help to create sustainable sanitation systems in Haiti. We are committed to breaking the cycle of disease that happens when people come in contact with untreated human wastes by rebuilding the nutrient cycle. By recycling human wastes through composting, the pathogens die off and the nutrients can be reused to enhance agriculture and feed people, breaking the disease cycle and closing nutrient cycle.

With the rainy season just weeks away, organizations focusing on health in the camps have warned of large-scale risk for outbreak of diarrhea due to the high density of the camps, the lack of proper waste management services, and poor sanitation services. The pace of aid is slow and the level of dissatisfaction is understandably growing. Sometimes frustration washes through me and I remember what Rea always says to me “se’m pa janm dekouraje” which translates to “my sister never give up”. If Rea can stand strong and keep fighting, fiercely moving through the dust of the crumbled buildings, then surely we can all find the strength to keep moving forward.

The rain began to fall a few days ago and I could feel the city shudder. As the rubble runs down the main streets and the latrines fill we feel even more committed to our work. I drift off to sleep at night, willing my heart to slow after the madness of the day, before I sleep it returns to the rhythm that reminds me that there is nowhere in the world I would rather be. Many organizations filled with good hearted people will come and go, restricted by security rules and short term contracts, but SOIL will stay and we will do our best to be the glue that holds together all of the incredible souls, Haitian and international, who are working for reconstruction and a sustainable future.

To maintain our immediate relief and sustainable sanitation work we need your support. Everyone has been so generous and I know how difficult times are for all of us. We ask you to continue to supporting our work on any level that you are able. Your love and donations can make a difference.

With love from Port au Prince,
Sasha

You can donate online at www.oursoil.org or send a check made out to SOIL to SOIL, 124 Church Rd., Sherburne, NY 13460.

Wish list:

•Laptop computers (we now have a new office and new employees so we are in desperate need of working laptops that can hold charge and connect to the internet.
•Digital cameras (as our team spreads out it becomes more and more important that everyone in the group can document their work through photos so that we can share it with you).
•Tents (tents are impossible to get right now in Haiti but if you have a link for a way to get cheap waterproof tents you can send them to Miami and we will find a way to get them to Haiti).
•USB keys (we need to get them for all of our employees and some of our grassroots partners so that we are able to share documents easily).
•Rechargeable AA batteries and charger
•Cordless drill (need several, one for Cap one for PAP)
•Backpacks (need some good travellin’ backpacks as our team is going back and forth between Cap Haitien and Port au Prince)
•Video camera (need a flip camera for Cap Haitien to document work in the north)
•Little moleskin notebooks (oddly invaluable)
•A Daihatsu flatbed truck for moving compost in Port au Prince. We need to raise $25,000 to get the poop-mobile… can you help?

We also welcome other material donations such as medicines, shoes and clothing, but given the tremendous logistical challenges of getting supplies shipped into the country, we ask that you organize a way to get the supplies to Haiti and we will be more than happy to help distribute them. We prefer, whenever possible to buy all of our aid supplies in Haiti through donations, thereby supporting the local economy, but there are some things, such as those on the list above, that cannot be found here. If you can send any of the items on this wish list please let me know so I can have a sense of what I need to keep looking for.

Any material donations from the list should be mailed in the next week (if possible) to the following address:

Sasha Kramer
c/o Kefryn Reese
1429 SW 15th Street
Miami, FL 33405

==============================
Monday February 15
==============================

Friday February 12, one month after the earthquake, the first day of Jounen jèn, the days of mourning and remembrance, and we walked through the twisted iron and dusty shards of glass of the shattered National Cathedral. As we crossed through the open door and stared down the length of the cathedral it was as though the world had ended and even the wind had disappeared into the silence of the rubble. Just blocks away, in front of the crumbling palace, thousands of people dressed in white were singing songs of grief and praise, but inside the National Cathedral, on this national day of remembrance there was only the sky and the crumpled flowers from the alter scattered across the floor where so many feet once tread.

As we stepped gingerly through the cement dust, climbing towards where the alter once stood, I remembered the last time that I walked down this aisle, through the sunbeams and the wailing, walking to pay my last respects to Father Gerard Jean Juste in June 2009. This place has always broken my heart. So many voices that once sang in this church have been swallowed by the earthquake and I longed to hear Father Gerry’s voice, but I knew what he would have told me. He would tell me that those of us who survived have to sing louder, to work harder and to love each other more. As we left the cathedral and passed the crowd on Champ de Mars I could hear the crowd of thousands singing their sadness into salvation. I knew that Father Gerry was with them, under the tarp churches, marching through the streets, watering the parks of the city with their tears.

When we got home in the evening on Friday everyone at Matthew 25, where we are staying, gathered to read aloud a prayer for Haiti. Three quarters of the way through the prayer the tears began rolling down my cheeks, I could see the cathedral as they carried Father Gerry’s body down the aisle and the flowers buried in dust that we had walked through earlier. I cried for hours that night for the first time since coming to Port-au-Prince. Mine were only drops in the lake of tears that flowed through Haiti this weekend as people said goodbye to their loved ones and their lost city.

I end with an excerpt from the prayer that we read on the 12th.

“Raise up your people from the ash heap of destruction and give them strong hearts and hands, shore up their minds and spirits. Help them to bear this new burden”

This week with your donations we were able to provide a week’s worth of food to over 350 families, deliver 24,000 gallons of water to 5 communities, provide medicines to several mobile clinics, give over 4000 water sachets in churches during Jounen jèn and purchase 140 tarps, reaching over 5,000 people in Port-au-Prince. In Cap-Haitien the SOL team provided food and medicines to victims of the earthquake that have been relocated out of the capital. SOIL is still small and though we cannot rebuild the National Cathedral, with your support we can help thousands of families in Port-au-Prince to bear this new burden.

It is the strength of the Haitian people that has helped me to rise from the ashes of my own fear and sadness, today on this final day of mourning I pray that I can treat the victims of this tragedy as they have treated me, with compassion, respect and dignity. I am so grateful to all of you who have helped to lighten Haiti’s load, this experience has helped us all to remember our humanity.

With love from Port-au-Prince,
Sasha

==============================
Saturday February 6
==============================

Driving through the city with the sun beating down and the smoke and dust blurring my vision, I am soaked in sweat and still the goosebumps rise over my skin. It is as if the souls of those still buried under the rubble are coursing through my veins, reaching for the sun, yearning to be free. I carry them with me as I ride through this broken city, but I can’t let them out, I am so afraid that they will take me with them to a place where I will no longer be able to serve, my mind is numb but my skin is crawling with loss.

This morning I returned to Mon Nazar for the third time, the place where Rea Dol’s school SOPUDEP is, the place where I first fell in love with this country, the place that was once a bustling mountain full of hope and promise. Now the pages from children’s notebooks float in the breeze, while neighbors pour gas into the crumbled houses, burning the bodies of their lost loved ones, wailing as the bulldozers move in, 20 days too late, when all that is left to recover are body parts and the dust of shattered dreams.

And still it is the resilience and not the destruction that threatens to break through the numbness, the children jumping rope and laughing in the middle of the burning garbage, the stranger who gently takes my hand and leads me through the rubble watching to make sure that the glass will never pierce through my faded sandals, the songs of love and solidarity that echo through the camps at night, the outpouring of support from friends around the world.

Haiti has always been a country of extremes, and never more so than now. Haiti will bend but she will never break. Instead of bringing Haiti to its knees, the majority of people who survived have risen to their feet, ready to march forward. People who never would have thought that they would have the strength to stand up following a tragedy of this magnitude, have done so much more than stand, they have found an inner fortitude, a reserve of compassion and dedication that was released by the quake, a river of courage that spills from their hearts and every day people traumatized by loss are engaging in extraordinary acts of kindness.

Last night as Jess Lozier and I were returning to the guest house around 7 pm, we saw a truck run over a motorcycle with two passengers down by the airport. We pulled back to see what had happened and found a crowd gathered around the two bodies on the ground. Everyone helped to lift the injured man and woman into the back of our pickup. Two passerbys came with us as we rushed the patients to the nearest hospital where they were turned away for lack of space. We then had to transport them to the general hospital over the bumpy roads. These two brave men who had never met the victims came with us, holding the bleeding patients as they cried in pain. When we arrived at the hospital Jess and I stayed with the patients and Romiel (our incredible driver who had already been working since 6 am) rode off with the two strangers in search of the families of the two victims. Around 10 pm Romiel returned with the two men and the families. Marcorel raced out to the hospital to tail us home to make sure we didn't have any problems. Both of the injured patients had severely fractured pelvises and would have died without medical treatment. Without any question of compensation these incredible people rose to the occasion and became agents of salvation, I cannot find the words to thank them.

The other day Cat Laine (AIDG) and I went to St. Claire’s church in the community of Ti Plaz Kazo, the church where Father Jean Juste inspired thousands. Father Gerry would have been so proud to see the line of 3000 people calmly waiting to receive a hot meal. Amidst the wreckage of Port au Prince this church is still a sanctuary and I could feel Father Gerry all around, his spirit holding up the walls of the rectory, his love cradling the souls of the hungry.

Rea and Dodo Dol spend each day driving through the city looking for the 540 kids from the SOPUDEP school. So far they have information about 265 of the students, including 26 who did not survive. We have been using some of the generous donations that SOIL has received over the past month to help Dodo and Rea to purchase food for the families of the surviving students. Every day the dedicated teachers and staff for the school prepare bags of food for the families and bring them out into the camps.

Jean Ristil, a dear friend and brave journalist from Cite Soleil, spends his days delivering water to the tent camps around his community. Nick Preneta, SOIL’s new water specialist, accompanies him most days and together they have delivered over 40,000 gallons of treated water to Cite Soliel. Jean Ristil broke his leg in a motorcycle accident 1 week after the earthquake, but undaunted he hops around the water tanker on his crutches helping to organize the community, often late into the evening.

In Cap Haitien the SOL team has been providing relief to the refugees flowing into the city. Setting up tents and distributing food and money to the victims who have filled the local hospitals. Everyone is working 7 days a week, throwing their hearts and souls into the relief effort, discovering their hidden talents and strengths, and breathing and dreaming in solidarity with their injured brothers and sisters.

Everyone has lost so much, but it is incredible to see the emptiness of loss transformed into the fire of action. Please know that your donations and solidarity are the fuel that helps us keep the fire lit, the fire that light our paths as we walk through the crumbling walls of this proud city, the fire that will eventually burn away the loss and destruction and from the ashes Haiti will rise again, as she always does.

So thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who have supported the relief effort in Haiti, your contributions are helping and we are so grateful. All of the money that has been sent flows directly into the hands of these courageous community organizers giving them the means to serve those they love. Please continue to give at www.oursoil.org and pass this message along to others who are holding Haiti in their hearts and prayers. You can keep up with our blogs at www.oursoil.org or by joining the SOIL facebook group.

With love from Port au Prince,
Sasha

==============================
Friday January 22
==============================

To our dear friends and supporters who have been so present through this difficult time. I feel like I have a wall of love and protection around me knowing that you are all holding Haiti in your thoughts and prayers.

When I first arrived in Port au Prince I spent a day at the UN compound by the airport where NGO’s, doctors and soldiers swarm around talking on satellite phones and running from meeting to meeting. I learned about the massive amounts of food aid that arrived in the first week and was stockpiled at the airport. I learned of the aid trucks filled to the brim with supplies blocked at the border and sitting idle at the ports. Since that day I have not returned to the aid compound and chose instead to go into the streets, into the camps where people hide from the sun, huddled together under tattered tarps waiting for the food that has yet to come, into the alleyways littered with the rubble of fallen dreams and the spirits of those we have lost.

I know that some of these stories of aid not reaching the victims are beginning to filter into the international media but I wanted to see if I can shed some light about why this is without casting blame. Everyone who has come here is devastated by this disaster, everyone wants to help but the slowness in distribution is not a question of intentions, it is a question of long standing fears and the security structures put in place in response to these fears.

A few days ago I got an email from Nicolas Kristof of the New York Times asking me to comment on the supposition made by many (not Nicolas himself) that Haitians have received large amounts of aid money over the years and have somehow squandered it. I responded to him by talking about fear, this same fear that is slowing the distribution of aid during this crisis. For centuries Haiti has been portrayed as a dangerous country filled with volatile and threatening people, unsafe for foreigners. This supposition, this fear and misunderstanding, has very deep implications for foreign aid and cross cultural understanding.

Fear, much like violence, is self perpetuating. When aid workers enter communities radiating fear it is offensive, the perceived disinterest in communicating with the poor majority is offensive, driving through impoverished communities with windows rolled up and armed security guards is offensive and, ironically, all of these extra security measures actually increase the level of risk for aid workers.

As I said, this wall of fear is not a new phenomenon and it has had very serious implications for the distribution of the millions of dollars of aid that have been flowing into the country for the past 10 days. Despite the good intentions of the many aid workers swarming around the UN base, much of the aid coming through the larger organizations is still blocked in storage, waiting for the required UN and US military escorts that are seen as essential for distribution, meanwhile people in the camps are suffering and their tolerance is waning.

Over the past 5 days I have been grateful to work with a small organization unhindered by bureaucracy and security restrictions. I am so thankful to work with a courageous team of Haitian community leaders and a respectful and fearless group of Americans. Thanks to the generous donations of our supporters SOIL has raised approximately $30,000 for immediate relief efforts and we are committed to providing that relief as quickly as we can get the money into the country.
The most striking thing I have noticed while visiting the many camps throughout the city is the level of organization and ingenuity among the displaced communities. Community members stand ready to distribute food and water to their neighbors, they are prepared to provide first aid and assist with clean up efforts, all that they are lacking is the financial means to do so. When the quake struck people’s savings were buried under the rubble of their former homes, banks are closed and no one has been able to access their accounts. Food and water are available for sale in the streets but no one is able to purchase them
Our hope is that SOIL, AIDG and other small organizations will be able to help provide communities with the means to meet their needs in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, bridging the gap during the time it takes for the larger organizations to mobilize.
I am honored to know a network of brave community leaders throughout Port au Prince whom I met during my human rights work from 2004-2006 and our team has spent the past several days visiting the camps with them and helping to distribute the resources that we have at our disposal.

Each day we have been

 purchasing water trucks to deliver to camps that have yet to receive water,

 giving money to community organizers who are then able to purchase food from local businesses and distribute it to the areas most in need,

 bringing doctors and medical supplies into zones of the city that have none,

 providing our generator to community cyber cafes so that people are able to contact their families,

 driving patients from the camps to medical clinics that can receive them.

The magnitude of this tragedy is unimaginable and we are aware of our limitations and our inability to help touch more than a small percentage of those affected. While it breaks my heart to think about those we cannot help, it also fills me with hope to see the impact that we have been able to make.

Each day I am awed and humbled by the dedication and compassion of my colleagues, both Haitian and international and touched by the outpouring of love and support that we have received from around the world. Please keep your love and donations flowing and we will do everything in our power to funnel that love and aid to the communities that need it the most.

With love from Port au Prince,

Sasha

============================
Tuesday January 19
============================
This afternoon, feeling helpless, we decided to take a van down to Champs Mars (the area around the palace) to look for people needing medical care to bring to Matthew 25, the guesthouse where we are staying which has been transformed into a field hospital. Since we arrived in Port au Prince everyone has told us that you cannot go into the area around the palace because of violence and insecurity. I was in awe as we walked into downtown, among the flattened buildings , in the shadow of the fallen palace, amongst the swarms of displaced people there was calm and solidarity. We wound our way through the camp asking for injured people who needed to get to the hospital. Despite everyone telling us that as soon as we did this we would be mobbed by people, I was amazed as we approached each tent people gently pointed us towards their neighbors, guiding us to those who were suffering the most.

When we got back to Matthew 25 it was dark and we carried the patients back into the soccer field/tent village/hospital where the team of doctors had been working tirelessly all day. Although they had officially closed down for the evening, they agreed to see the patients we had brought. Once our patients were settled in we came back into the house to find the doctors amputating a foot on the dining room table.

The patient lay calmly, awake but far away under the fog of ketamine. Half way through the surgery we heard a clamor outside and ran out to see what it was. A large yellow truck was parked in front of the gate and rapidly unloading hundreds of bags of food over our fence, the hungry crowd had already begun to gather and in the dark it was hard to decide how to best distribute the food. Knowing that we could not sleep in the house with all of this food and so many starving people in the neighborhood, our friend Amber (who is experienced in food distribution) snapped into action and began to get everyone in the crowd into a line that stretched down the road. We braced ourselves for the fighting that we had heard would come but in a miraculous display of restraint and compassion people lined up to get the food and one by one the bags were handed out without a single serious incident.

During the food distribution the doctors called to see if anyone could help to bury the amputated leg in the backyard. As I have no experience with food distribution I offered to help with the leg. I went into the back with Ellie and Berto and we dug a hole and placed the leg in it, covering it with soil and cement rubble. By the time we got back into the house the food had all been distributed and the patient Anderson was waking up. The doctors asked for a translator so I went and sat by his stretcher explaining to him that the surgery had gone well and he was going to live. His family had gone home so he was alone so Ellie and I took turns sitting with him as he came out from under the drugs. I sat and talked to Anderson for hours as he drifted in and out of consciousness. At one point one of the Haitian men working at the hospital came in and leaned over Anderson and said to him in kreyol “listen man even if your family could not be here tonight we want you to know that everyone here loves you, we are all your brothers and sisters”.

Cat and I have barely shed a tear through all of this, the sky could fall and we would not bat an eye, but when I told her this story this morning the tears just began rolling down her face, as they are mine as I am writing this. Sometimes it is the kindness and not the horror that can break the numbness that we are all lost in right now.

So, don’t believe Anderson Cooper when he says that Haiti is a hotbed for violence and riots, it is just not the case.

In the darkest of times, Haiti has proven to be a country of brave, resilient and kind people and it is that behavior that is far more prevalent than the isolated incidents of violence. Please pass this on to as many people as you can so that they can see the light of Haiti, cutting through the darkness, the light that will heal this nation.

We are safe. We love you all and I will write again when I can. Thank you for your generosity and compassion.

With love from Port au Prince,Sasha

==========================

Sun January 17

==========================

Last night we arrived in Port au Prince just before sunset. As we came into the city with our truck piled full of water, gas, shovels and food we got a flat tire. The news reports of looting have been so exaggerated that we were concerned that a mob of people might come take everything before we even made it into the city. I am pleased to report that, as per usual, reports of violence in Haiti are largely disinformation.

Yes, we did hear shooting late last night, and yes we did see a fight over a mattress at a camp in the city but our overall impression has been sheer amazement at the solidarity displayed by communities.

We drove into the city past the airport and along Delmas 33. Initially it looked like about 1 in 5 houses had sustained damage and perhaps 1 in 20 had completely collapsed. However as we got father in towards Delmas the damage looked much more severe with perhaps 1 in 5 buildings completely collapsed. I have never seen anything like this, honestly it is hard to even feel. People have not even begun to mourn as everyone is still in a state of crisis.

....As we waited for Marcorel to make his way through the camp to locate his family we saw several young men from the neighborhood setting up a large light rigged to some batteries. As light flooded the crowd of people they burst into song. Songs of solidarity, songs of grief, songs of thanks that they had survived. We followed Mako through the blankets and makeshift tents to where his family (8 brothers and sisters and his mom and dad) huddled together on a pile of blankets. They were so happy to see him and we all piled into their bed and Ellie, Paul, Cat and I were each handed a baby. The singing continued in the background as Marcorel’s family told the story of where they each were when the quake hit.

....Please keep sending your love and prayers. Also you can help us by getting your friends to sign up for the SOIL group on Facebook and follow our posts

==========================

Saturday January 16

==========================

I am writing to you tonight with a heavy heart. In one night our world changed in Haiti. When the earthquake struck I was at the SOIL house in Cap Haitien with a group of students from the University of Miami, Florida International University and Notre Dame. We were incredibly lucky in Cap Haitien and although the whole city shook, there was no major damage. As soon as the phones went dead I began to worry about Port au Prince. One of the students had a blackberry and we were able to get the news that the earthquake was very serious and centered around the capital. With no means of communication in the SOIL house, we walked through the streets in the rain to visit several radio stations to see if they had any information finally ending up at the house of AIDG (www.aidg.org), a partner organization of ours run by our dear friends Cat and Pete. It was then that the news really began to set in for us as we watched the pictures on CNN and began to receive reports over the internet.

The first night was the scariest with no news out of Port au Prince. Few people in the country slept well that night, everyone running through the list of friends and loved ones who may be buried beneath the rubble. On the second day we began to receive reports through the sporadic internet and telephone service, there were tears of relief and a collective grief that fell as raindrops, flooding the streets of Cap Haitien. We are so thankful to be able to say that no one from our organization was injured in the earthquake and we have been able to contact many of our friends in Port au Prince.

We will be leaving for Port au Prince tomorrow morning at 5 am with a team of 6 (myself, Bobo, Marcorel, Wisnel, Cat (AIDG) and Ti Paul) and a truckload of water, tools, T-shirts and medicines. Once we get there we will have a much better sense of the ways in which we can assist, from translation to coordination of volunteers to transportation. I will try my best to provide updates on our work and the general situation on my blog at www.oursoil.org, when we are able to access the internet.

The only thing that we can predict about what we will see is that it will break our hearts. To see the once familiar buildings and streets reduced to rubble and the tremendous suffering will surely bring us to our knees. But with your love and support we will keep standing back up. I also know that though the heartache will come moments of inspiration and solidarity. It has already begun to happen. People from all walks of life have started to come together in response to the tragedy and the outpouring of love and support from our friends in the US has been absolutely overwhelming. We are so grateful to all of you who have held Haiti in your hearts and prayers this week and we hope that you will continue to hold her in your heart long after this crisis has passed, the world has kept Haiti in the shadows for too long.

Media Contacts for the Event

2010-01-17T17:25:00.000-08:00

Primary Contact:

Bob HinkleCo-Owner of White Horse Black Mountain
Event Founder
www.whitehorseblackmountain.com/
whitehorseblackmountain@gmail.com
828.669.0816

Secondary Contacts:

Kim Hughes
Co-Owner of White Horse Black Mountain
Event Founder
www.whitehorseblackmountain.com/
whitehorseblackmountain@gmail.com

828.669.0816

Nikki TalleyCo-Coordinator of Event
Radio and TV Interviews Coordinator
Event Performer
828-989-2662
nikki_talley@hotmail.com
http://www.nikkitalley.com/

Don Talley
Co-Coordinator of Event
Website and Facebook Coordinator
Coordinator for Photographers, Videographers,
www.blackmountainmusicscene.com/
dontalley@gmail.com

Woody Talley
Co-Coordinator of Event
Former SOIL intern serving in HAITI in 2008
Coordinator of Video Presentations
http://woodyinhaiti.blogspot.com/
wtalley81@hotmail.com

Websites of interest:

http://www.helphaitihealbenefit.com/

http://www.oursoil.org/

http://woodyinhaiti.blogspot.com/

http://www.whitehorseblackmountain.com/

Haiti's National Anthem

2010-01-17T11:52:00.000-08:00

La Dessalinienne is the national anthem of Haiti. It is named in honor of the revolutionary general and first ruler of independent Haiti, Jean-Jacques Dessalines. The lyrics are by Justin Lhérisson and it was composed by Nicolas Geffrard. Haiti adopted the anthem, as a result of a competition held in 1903, on the occassion of Haiti's centennial on January 1, 1904.

(Listen to an instrumental version of the Haitian National Anthem )

(Listen to a brief clip of a choral version of the anthem sung in French )

An English Translation of the anthem:

For our country,

For our forefathers,

United let us march.

Let there be no traitors in our ranks!

Let us be masters of our soil.

United let us march

For our country,

For our forefathers.

For our forebears,

For our country

Let us toil joyfully.

May the fields be fertile

And our souls take courage.

Let us toil joyfully

For our forebears,

For our country.

For our country

And for our forefathers,

Let us train our sons.

Free, strong, and prosperous,

We shall always be as brothers.

Let us train our sons

For our country

And for our forefathers.

For our forebears,

For our country,

Oh God of the valiant!

Take our rights and our life

Under your infinite protection,

Oh God of the valiant!

For our forebears,

For our country.

For the flag,

For our country

To die is a fine thing!

Our past cries out to us:

Have a strong soul!

To die is a fine thing,

For the flag,

For our country.

Haiti and It's People

2010-01-17T11:28:00.000-08:00

"Our past cries out to us: …Have a strong soul!"
...so read the words of the Haitian National Anthem

Haiti is a nation of strong-minded people who have overcome many obstacles throughout their storied history. From colonial opression and occupation to natural disasters including hurricanes and earthquakes, the people of Haiti have never succumbed to defeatism and have repeatedly risen to the call of self-determination and hope for the future.

The people of Haiti are a proud, strong, independent, people with strong hopes for a brighter future for their children, their grandchildren, and future generations.

The country's motto is: "Strength Through Unity"

Very phrases in their National Anthem speak to the strength and hopes of the people and their connection to the soil.

Let us be masters of our soil. ….. Let us toil joyfully.

May the fields be fertile ….And our souls take courage.
Let us toil joyfully ….. Let us train our sons.

Free, strong, and prosperous,

…….Our past cries out to us: …Have a strong soul!

Strong Souls are what have seen Haiti through it's previous obstacles and although those Strong Souls are hurting,

they are ready to rebuild.

The island of Hispaniola, of which Haiti occupies the western third, is one of many Caribbean islands originally inhabited by the Taíno Indians, speakers of an Arawakan language. The Taíno name for the entire island was Kiskeya.

After centuries of colonial occupation by various European powers, Haiti became independent on January 1, 1804, the date on which Jean-Jacques Dessalines read the Haitian Declaration of Independence, on the Place des Armes in Gonaives.

Haiti is situated on the western part of Hispaniola, the second largest island in the Greater Antilles. Haiti is the third largest country in the Caribbean behind Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Haiti at its closest point is only about 45 nautical miles away from Cuba. Haiti's terrain consists mainly of rugged mountains interspersed with small coastal plains and river valleys.

Haiti has a long and storied history and therefore retains a very rich culture. Haitian culture is a mixture of primarily French, African elements, and native Taíno, with some lesser influence from the colonial Spanish. The country's customs essentially are a blend of cultural beliefs that derived from the various ethnic groups that inhabited the island of Hispaniola. In nearly all aspects of modern Haitian society however, the European and African elements dominate. Haiti is world famous for its distinctive art, notably painting and sculpture.

Haiti is a largely Christian country, with Roman Catholicism professed by 80% of Haitians. Protestants make up about 16% of the population. Haitian Vodou, a New World Afro-diasporic faith unique to the country, is practiced by roughly half the population.

In 1925, Haiti was lush, with 60% of its original forest covering the lands and mountainous regions. Since then, the population has cut down an estimated 98% of its original forest cover for use as fuel for cookstoves, and in the process has destroyed fertile farmland soils, contributing to desertification. In addition to soil erosion, deforestation has caused periodic flooding caused by tropical storms.

The Haitian Flag (Kreyòl: Drapo Ayisyen, French: Drapeau d'Haïti) in it's current form was adopted by Haiti on February 17, 1986. The first red and blue flag was sewn by Catherine Flon on May 18, 1803, during the Congress of Arcahaie, under instructions of Jean-Jacques Dessalines. Dessalines is said to have asked to remove the white of the French flag, which led to the red and blue design.

The coat of arms in the center carries the words: "L'Union fait la force" (transl. Unity Makes Strong). Initially the flag had the inscription: Liberté ou la Mort (Liberty or Death).

On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, with its epicenter 16 miles west of the capital and largest city, Port-au-Prince, which was devastated. At least tens of thousands of people were killed, although it will take time to determine the exact number of dead; the Presidential palace, Parliament and many other important structures were destroyed, along with countless homes, businesses, hospitals, schools and shantytowns.

(sources: Wikipedia article on Haiti and Library of Congress Study on Haiti )

=======================

The People of Haiti Respond to the Crisis:

Ciné Institute Director David Belle reports from Port-au-Prince:

"Haiti can be proud of its survivors. Their dignity and decency in the face of this tragedy is itself staggering."

"I have traveled the entire city daily since my arrival. ……. "NOT ONCE have we witnessed a single act of aggression or violence. To the contrary, we have witnessed neighbors helping neighbors and friends helping friends and strangers.

We've seen neighbors digging in rubble with their bare hands to find survivors. We've seen traditional healers treating the injured; we've seen dignified ceremonies for mass burials and residents patiently waiting under boiling sun with nothing but their few remaining belongings.

=======================

Former President Clinton Comments on Haiti:

"Before this disaster, Haiti had the best chance in my lifetime to fulfill its potential as a country, to basically escape the chains of the past 200 years. I still believe that if we rally around them now and support them in the right way, the Haitian people can reclaim their destiny.

Haitian immigrants do very well when they come to America or France or Canada. I've always thought that given the right organization and support, Haiti could become a self-sustaining and very successful country. I still believe that.
In order to stave off a disaster and get Haiti on its feet again, the world needs to respond in rapid and coordinated fashion.

Once we deal with the immediate crisis, the development plans the world was already pursuing have to be implemented more quickly and on a broader scale. I'm interested in just pressing ahead with it.
Haiti isn't doomed. Let's not forget, the damage from the earthquake is largely concentrated in the Port-au-Prince area. That has meant a tragic loss of life, but it also means there are opportunities to rebuild in other parts of the island. So all the development projects, the agriculture, the reforestation, the tourism, the airport that needs to be built in the northern part of Haiti — everything else should stay on schedule. Then we should simply redouble our efforts once the emergency passes to do the right sort of construction in Port-au-Prince and use it to continue to build back better. "

read full response from President Clinton

=============

Where The Money Goes

2010-01-16T13:14:00.000-08:00

All proceeds from the benefit will go directly

to the work of SOIL

SOIL

(Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods)

SOIL has been on the ground working directly with the people of Haiti for the past 3 years. They are ideally suited to address the immediate AND long-term needs of the people of Haiti.

Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL) is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting soil resources, empowering communities and transforming wastes into resources in Haiti.

We believe that the path to sustainability is through transformation, of both disempowered people and discarded materials, turning apathy and pollution into valuable resources.

SOIL promotes integrated approaches to the problems of poverty, poor public health, agricultural productivity, and environmental destruction.
We attempt to nurture collective creativity through developing collaborative relationships between community organizations in Haiti and academics and activists internationally Empowering communities, building the soil, nourishing the grassroots.

Your donations will go DIRECTLY to the relief work that SOIL is doing.

Learn more about SOIL at:
www.oursoil.org

=========================

Read Updates from SOIL workers in Haiti

View Images of SOILs work following the earthquake

Explore a CNN on-line feature on the work of SOIL in Haiti
which was published on Jan 4 2010,
just days before the quake

Explore a CNN video about one of the many creative ways
SOIL is inspiring the children of Haiti to
make their villages a better and cleaner place

View photos of some of the projects
SOIL is involved with in Haiti

Read Woody Talley's blog about

his first hand experiences with

SOIL as an intern in 2008

A Seed is Planted....A Benefit is Born

2010-01-14T10:11:00.000-08:00

A Seed is Planted....A Benefit is Born

One Small Mountain Town in Western NC Reaches Out To Haiti

The situation in Haiti has touched the lives of Americans from all walks of life. Famous celebrities, musicians, movie stars, have held fundraisers with a big coverage from the national media. But small town America is also reaching out to the people of Haiti during this time of crisis.

Black Mountain, North Carolina is typical of many small towns across America. When faced with the challenge of how to respond to the devastating images on the media, they steeped forward to do something positive.

Black Mountain is a small Western North Carolina town of 7,000 souls located about 20 miles from Asheville. News of the devastating earthquake in Haiti moved a group of townspeople so deeply that in less than 24 hours a simple fervent wish to do something, evolved from a small concert into the two-day Help Haiti Heal Benefit.

The story begins on Thursay January 14 as Bob Hinkle and Kim Hughes, co-owners of White Horse Black Mountain, watched the TV news coverage of the quake.

"We couldn't take in what we were seeing in the media.. It hit us hard. We knew we were in the middle of this amazing community of musicians. That's when we looked at each other and said 'Let's do a benefit'.” commented White Horse co-owner Kim Hughes.

Hinkle and Hughes were already stretched thin with several new and pressing projects at White Horse Black Mountain (and in their own lives). But Bob and Kim had a burden and a vision, which wouldn't go away.

After an hour of brainstorming (and panic) the couple decided this was an idea which needed many hands and hearts if it were to succeed. They penned an email outlining the Haiti Benefit concert concept and sent it to a few friends in hopes that some might be willing to pitch in.

Asheville-based singer Nikki Talley replied within a few minutes and volunteered to take on the role of music coordinator. More emails followed. More responses.

Within the hour, volunteers began to step up. Someone offered to design a poster. Someone else volunteered to put together a website and create a Facebook event. The response was enthusiastic. A flurry of emails and Facebook posts flew back and forth.

By noon on Friday January 15, the seed of an idea from 18 hours earlier had emerged from the soil, sprouted, and blossomed. The concept of a benefit for Haitian earthquake victims became of the reality of the Help Haiti Heal Benefit.

Offers to perform at the benefit came in from bands throughout Western North Carolina and from as far away as Charlotte NC and Greenville SC. Regional and national favorites including David Holt, Akira Satake, Mariam Matossian, Kat Williams, Sons of Ralph, Menage, Sirius B, and Paco Shipp quickly signed on. By mid-afternoon the evening concert had expanded to a two-day event.

Jesse Barry, a young 17 year old blues singer from Asheville auditioned for American Idol several weeks early and this very week American Idol announced that Jesse had been selected to advance to the next level of competition in Hollywood.. Jesse is a member of a young band called Skinny Legs and All. She and the band had also been watching the scenes from Haiti and volunteered to perform at the rapidly expanding Help Haiti Heal Benefit concert.

One of the first decisions to be made was where to send the money. The media was filled with the names of charities receiving money for Haiti, but Bob and Kim hoped for something with a local connection, an organization focused directly on Haiti.

“It was important to Kim and I that we find an organization working directly in Haiti. We wanted to give to someone who was at the very grassroots levels of work in Haiti; someone who would be there long after the cameras and news media were gone, someone who could help with the immediate relief work but also help make a long-term difference in the lives of the people of Haiti” commented White Horse co-owner Bob Hinkle”

Nikki Talley had just the ansnwer they were looking for.

SOIL is located in a Haitian city that received minimal damage from the quake but a significant focus of their on-going work had been in Port-au-Prince, ground zero for the devastating earthquake. Soon after the quake, SOIL workers rushed to Port-au-Prince to assist in the recovery work.

Kim Hughes stresses that “100 percent of the ticket sales are going directly to the Haiti relief efforts of SOIL. Our musicians are also donating 100 percent of their CD sales to the work of SOIL.”

By Friday night, 24 hours after Bob and Kim had made the decision that they must do something positive for the people of Haiti, Help Haiti Heal Benefit had become a community project taking on a life and momentum of it’s own.

In the days to follow, plans for the Help Haiti Heal Benefit concert continued to expand as more people in the Black Mountain community stepped forward with ideas for expanding the benefit event and maximizing donations for the work of SOIL in Haiti.

Local artists volunteered to hold an Art Sale of donated items to raise money for the work of SOIL in Haiti.

A local restaurant volunteered to provide food to sell during the benefit event to raise mony for the work on SOIL in Haiti.

Local web afficianados are setting up a Live Webcast of the concert via Ustream.com so that anyone in the world with an internet connection can view the live concert in Black Mountain NC. (see: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/help-haiti-heal-benefit )

Talks are already underway for doing a second benefit concert a few weeks later.

Small towns across America are reaching out to support the work in Haiti. It's a testament to the spirit of the American people and the ability of a small idea to grow and when watered with compassion and enthusiasm.

[Read more about the unfolding plans for Help Haiti Heal Benefit concert at www.helphaitihealbenefit.com ]

Full permission is granted, to edit, rewrite, or use excerpts from the article as needed.

Additional Images available on request from dontalley@gmail.com

Websites of interest:
http://www.helphaitihealbenefit.com/
http://www.oursoil.org/http://www.whitehorseblackmountain.com/

About SOIL
Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL) is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting soil resources, empowering communities and transforming wastes into resources in Haiti. We believe that the path to sustainability is through transformation, of both disempowered people and discarded materials, turning apathy and pollution into valuable resources. SOIL promotes integrated approaches to the problems of poverty, poor public health, agricultural productivity, and environmental destruction. We attempt to nurture collective creativity through developing collaborative relationships between community organizations in Haiti and academics and activists internationally Empowering communities, building the soil, nourishing the grassroots.

About SOIL co-founder Sasha Kramer:
Sasha Kramer (Co-founder SOIL) is an ecologist and human rights observer who has been working in northern Haiti in the town of Milot since 2004. She received her Ph.D. in Ecology from Stanford University in 2006. Her dissertation, entitled Nitrogen, Microbes and the Human Predicament: the Ecology and Relevance of Nitrogen Recycling focused on human disturbance of the global nitrogen cycle and its impacts on the earth’s ecosystems. In 2006 Sasha Co-founded SOIL and completed a postdoctoral research position with the Collaboratory for Research on Global Projects at Stanford where she coordinated an ecological sanitation project in Haiti in collaboration with Stanford’s Engineers for a Sustainable World and several Departments at Stanford University: Anthropological Sciences, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Biological Sciences and the School of Medicine. Sasha is currently an Adjunct Professor of International Studies and a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Miami, though she spends the majority of her time in Haiti. She is also the co-founder of SOL (Sosyete Oganize pou Lanati), a Haitian non-profit dedicated to promoting environmental justice and ecologically sound development.