Operation USA will focus a good portion of its relief and recovery efforts in Jacmel—knowing it can make a significant impact in this smaller and somewhat overlooked community.

The first project to be confirmed is the rebuilding of the public school, Ecole Nationale Jacob Martin Henriquez.

Operation USA is partnering with Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the philanthropic organization of Honeywell Corporation, to reconstruct this primary school that will serve over 400 students (K-7) who couldn’t otherwise afford to go to school.

This project will be built in partnership with the City of Jacmel, with the support of its exceptional Mayor, Edwin Zenny—a nationally known anti-corruption figure and committed activist for Jacmel’s future.

OpUSA has partnered with LA-based Artists for Peace & Justice to support Father Rick’s lifesaving work. Initial response includes the purchase of $140,000 worth of food and cooking utensils.

Future projects will include help to rebuild neighborhood schools of varying sizes depending on population resettlement.

Operation USA began working with the Port-au-Prince based NGO L’Athletique d’Haiti following the hurricanes that hit the Caribbean in the fall of 2008. The series of storms paired with a 50% rise in food costs exacerbated the already dire circumstance, leaving many impoverished Haitians without access to basic food and nutrition. Malnutrition was at crisis level for those most vulnerable, especially children.

L’Athletique d’Haiti (LADH) is an after-school sports program that serves children from ages 6 to 17 in Cité Soleil and Bel Air, the poorest slums in Port-au-Prince. In a country where soccer is a national obsession, the lack of sports programs deprives young people of the opportunity to acquire self esteem, discipline and dedication—the skills developed through playing sports. The program additionally offers a nutritious daily meal and transportation to its participants.

To address the increased demand created by the hurricanes, Operation USA contributed to the funding of a new cafeteria for the facility. Additionally, OpUSA provided LADH with a grant to support their food program which serves children from some of the most destitute areas of Port-au-Prince and surrounding provinces.

Now, in the wake of the January 2010 earthquake, the needs have grown.

The facilities at L’Athletique d’Haiti sustained some damage in the earthquake–however, a large number of the children and families the program supported have suffered tremendously. Many of those who survived lost their homes.

The two soccer fields at LADH are currently housing as many as 500 families, sheltered in self-made or donated tents. They are being provided food and water, alongside medical care. Under the guidance of LADH’s inspiring founder Boby Duval, massive food distributions have been undertaken for those living on site.

Operation USA is currently working with LADH to address both current and long-term needs. From providing material aid, shelter and water purification systems, to rebuilding infrastructure and funding for programs, OpUSA remains committed to this program.

Nonprofit community clinics provide healthcare to all people, regardless of their ability to pay. They serve the uninsured, working poor, high risk and vulnerable populations. But the demand for their services is increasing just as their funding is decreasing. For over 27 years, Operation USA has provided supplies, equipment and medicines—free of charge—to community clinics and health centers throughout California.

Operation USA’s California Clinics Supply Program provides, on average, more than $5 million worth of materials each year. Over 100 nonprofit agencies are served throughout the state that provide clinical, mental health and/or social service care to men, women, and children in need. Partnering with manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers, donated products are shipped directly to the clinics based on their current needs.

Operation USA maintains a 24,000 sq. ft California Board of Pharmacy-licensed warehouse at the Port of Los Angeles and a 6,000 sq ft. warehouse at the Port of San Francisco where donated items are received, staged and stored.

Operation USA Open Warehouse events are held regularly for partner clinics who are invited to ’shop’ at the warehouse and select, free of charge, useful items from the inventory. These events allow the clinics to interact with each other as well as learn more about the donating companies.

Operation USA’s California Clinics Supply Program continues with thanks to many generous supporters. Product donors include: Brother’s Brother Foundation, Heart to Heart International, Kaiser Permanente, DAVA Pharmaceuticals, King Pharmaceuticals, McKesson, Mitsubishi, and others. The California Endowment, Kaiser Permanente, Blue Shield Foundation, McKesson Foundation and The Lincy Foundation, among others, provide financial support.

On May 12, 2008, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake hit China’s Sichuan province. The quake, whose epicenter was just 50 miles northwest of the densely populated city of Chengdu, affected over 15 million, injured 350,000 and tragically claimed the lives of as many as 70,000 people.

Schools were particularly hard hit by the quake—at least 7,000 school buildings in Sichuan Province collapsed. Tragically, more than 5,000 children were killed.

OpUSA partnered with Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the philanthropic arm of Honeywell Corporation, to reconstruct a village-level primary school that now serves over 450 students. A ribbon-cutting for the Honeywell Three Villages United Primary School was held in May 2009.

Operation USA and Honeywell remain committed to the recovery process in China. Second phase projects are underway and include the construction of five primary care health clinics in Liangping County, Chongqing, as well as the construction of a second primary school.

]]> http://www.opusa.org/projects/chengdu-china-school-rebuilding-project/feed/ 0 30.6586018 104.0648575 http://www.opusa.org/projects/hurricane-katrina-disaster-response-an-overview/ http://www.opusa.org/projects/hurricane-katrina-disaster-response-an-overview/#comments Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:19:03 +0000 admin http://opusa.org/?p=210 On August 29, 2005, the world watched in horror as Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of the United States. Not only was this worst natural disaster in our nation’s history—the fury of the storm was matched only by the failure of the government to respond effectively.

The hurricane caused extensive and severe damage in Louisiana and Mississippi, with New Orleans clearly the hardest hit area. A break in the levee system caused massive flooding throughout most of the city. Preliminary damage estimates for the region were well in excess of $100 billion; over 1800 people died; and it is reported that as many as 275,000 homes were lost.

Less than a month later, Hurricane Rita made landfall on the southern coast of Louisiana and Texas. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage and was the third Category 5 hurricane of the historic 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. While Rita remained well to the south and west of New Orleans, more parts of the levee wall were breached causing major reflooding in New Orleans.

An impoverished region before the storm, the impact of Katrina and Rita added a devastating hurdle to the already taxed social services system in both Louisiana and Mississippi. As first responders to the area, Operation USA rapidly sent a wide range of emergency supplies to community-based clinics in both rural and urban areas.

To address the needs of Katrina victims in the immediate aftermath of the storm, Operation USA focused our resources on community health clinics. Having over 27 years of experience supporting low income health programs, OpUSA provided an initial $8 million in supplies and $700,000 in cash grants to Gulf Coast clinics. These resources ensured the clinics’ continuity of operations and allowed them to provide critical disaster relief and social services.

While the natural devastation and the egregious human errors have been well documented, the will and determination of Gulf Coast residents affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita continues to inspire as they rebuild their lives and revive their communities. Although there has been significant progress in much of the region, many residents are still struggling to reconstruct their lives. Operation USA continues to respond to unmet needs.

Operation USA has continued to invest in the future of the region’s children by funding afterschool programs and mental health initiatives that are designed to bring stability to their fragile lives. The Awesome Girls Mentoring Program, a long-term partner, offers afterschool programming for at-risk girls that gives them a place of safety and shelter, as well as provides a nurturing environment where they have the simple freedom to be children again.

Operation USA received over $4 million in donations from private citizens, corporations and foundations. Over $12 million more in products and transportation was also donated. Operation USA’s extensive experience in Asia resulted in quickly mobilizing partners on the ground.

Projects were funded in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and India. The scope of work ranged from providing emergency supplies such as water purification, medical aid and shelter materials to longer-term recovery projects that included building health centers, giving livelihood grants, as well as making the commitment to rebuild an entire Sri Lankan fishing village.

Operation USA remains an active and dedicated part of the long-term recovery process, and numerous projects continue in a large number of these communities.

Formed in 2001, the VISIONS leadership program was intially a summer camp conducted by volunteers from around the world teaching English, computer and leadership skills in Sri Lankan orphanages (children’s homes) in Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Jaffna. Operation USA is supporting the construction of The Visions Learning Center, which will be built adjacent to the Kalagam Girls School in Colombo. This new building will allow for the institutionalizing of ongoing Visions Summer Programs.

The Kalagam Girls School educates hundreds of Tamil girls every year, and has recently absorbed a large number of displaced young girls from the North East. This multistoried learning center will house a Visions office, ample space for student groups and activities from the adjacent school (Saiva Mangaiyar Vidyalayam), halls for special trainings and English classes, a computer lab, a multimedia room and a Montessori nursery. Over 400 refugee children from the Northeast will benefit from this project, as well as countless other disadvantaged and deserving youth and teachers in Colombo.

UPDATE: Field Report, January 2010
 
Operation USA recently visited the site of the nearly complete Visions Learning Center in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Started in 2008, the center now has five completed floors, and is expected to be complete by summer of 2010.

Built as an addition to the Kalagam Girls School in Colombo, the Center will provide additional space for a computer center, leadership training, arts education, and a space for cultural activities. The Visions Center will provide leadership training programs for young girls affected by the tsunami and the conflict, many of whom live in regions where access to education is inconsistent. The center aims to provide a permanent base in Colombo for ongoing Visions training programs across the islands.

Mekong Plus was founded in 1994 to assist those who live in poor, rural areas of Cambodia and Southern Vietnam—with a priority to work with the poorest of the poor (income of around 100 dollars/year).

Creating low cost, long-term solutions to poverty alleviation with a focus on sustainable development, these projects have great potential to achieve powerful social change in the communities they serve. Mekong Plus’ programs include microcredit, agriculture extension, training of village technicians, education and health, and generation of employment. Overall, the programs impact more than 150,000 people every year.