----- Original message -----
From: "Inveneo" <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:50:10 +0000
Subject: Rebuilding Haiti with long-distance WiFi
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Imagine you're trying to coordinate the massive humanitarian response
to the Haiti earthquake - getting vital supplies to Haitians trying to
survive and rebuild their shattered lives. Yet you're constrained by
the crippled communications network that, like so many other services,
crumbled just two weeks ago.
This was the challenge faced by the members of NetHope, a
collaboration of 28 of the world's leading humanitarian organizations
as they scrambled to respond to the earthquake in Port-au-Prince.
- Building Critical Capacity
Just one week ago, Inveneo engineers Mark Summer and Andris Bjornson
flew to Port-au-Prince with 1,500 pounds (3/4 ton!) of networking
equipment to help NetHope's member organizations. In that short span
of time we've already deployed long-distance WiFi links to ten relief
organization locations, from Save the Children, to Care, to Concern
Worldwide, and SOS Children's Village.
By Sunday, we should have 15 locations across Port-au-Prince linked in
a reliable WiFi network, bringing high-speed Internet access -
critical communication capacity - to relief agencies making a
difference in Haitian lives.
- Making a Direct Impact
SOS Children's Village focuses on the care of orphans and children of
families in difficult circumstances. The staff, who come from all over
Latin America, are preparing for many new arrivals. They currently
have 150 children living at their site and are expecting to receive
300 more in the next few days. Trying to deal with this huge influx,
the staff have welcomed Inveneo's response.
We created a 9km long WiFi link from the CHF headquarters , which has
a 5.5 Mbps VSAT satellite connection, to the SOS Children's Village
location using a Ubiquiti Rocket M5/Rocket Dish combination.
While this isn't a particularly long link - we've gone up to 25km in
rural Africa - it was a feat in Port-au-Prince's cluttered urban
environment and crowded radio spectrum. In fact, our WiFi antenna
setup at SOS is quite significant. It's become a node to relay
Internet access out to two other organizations - WorldVision and
International Rescue Committee.
By living up to our mission of deploying sustainable ICT's to
organizations in need, we have helped SOS Children's Village focus on
their mission, serving the children of Port-au-Prince.
- The Need is Great
This communication network cannot come fast enough for the people of
Haiti. Here is Mark Summer's description of Port-au-Prince he's seen
while driving between WiFi installations:
Driving around you see many collapsed or significantly damaged
buildings, often right next to completely intact ones. Here in the
hills the damage is significantly less then down in the center of PaP
where in it seems that in many areas more then 50% of the buildings
are gone or beyond repair. We've seen buildings that have had two or
three stories and now no higher then 5 feet off the ground - it seems
as if walls just turned into sand...
Yet life is slowing rebounding. People are eager to find real work. At
Save the Children, Mark and Andris were assigned a helper - a young
Haitian by the name of Peedra. He told them he just got employed last
week, he used to work at a cybercafe and was eager to help and learn.
Opportunity can arise out of the most unfortunate circumstances.
- Expanding Our Impact
As we complete the initial NetHope network, we're receiving requests
for assistance from other organizations in Haiti to rebuild and expand
their ICT infrastructure. Haitian ICT entrepreneurs are also eager to
build their own skills, and participate in the reconstruction of their
country.
This is an opportunity to increase our impact, help Haitians rebuild
their businesses, and build lasting capacity in Haiti by expanding our
innovative technology model
[http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Inveneo/462343d44b/20f1b5114e/83824110f0/q=itpartners&utm_campaign=Rebuilding%20Haiti%20with%20long-distance%20WiFi&utm_content=&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_term=Text%20Version%20-%20Link%201]
into the country.
You can stay involved in these efforts by following us in real-time
via RSS email
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Inveneo/462343d44b/20f1b5114e/5d089d6099
- Please Support Our Response
We also hope you'll join NetHope, the EKTA Foundation, Aruba Networks,
the Orr Foundation, Steve Okay and Andrea Longo, and many of your
friends and colleagues in supporting Inveneo's Haiti response.
We are appealing for donations to cover the basic costs associated
with this expansion of our Haiti relief efforts, including equipment,
logistics and on the ground expenses. Please consider donating to
Inveneo using PayPal or Google Checkout.
Donate Now:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Inveneo/462343d44b/20f1b5114e/6eb971a25b/q=donation&utm_campaign=Rebuilding%20Haiti%20with%20long-distance%20WiFi&utm_content=&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_term=Text%20Version%20-%20Link%203
Inveneo is a US-based 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization. If
you are a US resident, and donate before February 28th, your donation
may be tax deductible for the 2009 tax year.
Thank you,
The Inveneo Team
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