How to Volunteer in Haiti

Want to Volunteer in Post-Quake Haiti?

As the head of corporate citizenship activities for Expedia, Inc., a common question I receive when a natural disaster strikes is “how can we help?” I always suggest making a contribution to a trusted aid organization. But many times people are compelled to get their hands dirty and do something. The trick is that most relief groups need volunteers with specialized expertise (think medical, logistics, engineering), making it nearly impossible to give the “doers” much direction.

So, I was excited to get an invitation to travel to Haiti this past April to explore volunteer opportunities offered by Hands On Disaster Response (HODR), a US-based relief organization working in Leogane, Haiti. (Leogane is located near the January 2010 quake’s epicenter; 90 percent of this coastal town was destroyed and an estimated 30,000 people lost their lives.) What’s cool about Hands On Disaster Response is that they don’t require special volunteering expertise.  Virtually any enthusiastic person who is willing to pay their way to the disaster location can volunteer with the organization.

Here’s a bit on my experience in Haiti as well as a few personal insights to consider if volunteering in Haiti is something you want to do:

Haiti is not “As Seen on TV.”

Despite researching the conditions in Haiti prior to my travel, my expectations vs. the reality were totally off the mark. My vision of Haiti was naively rooted in the media frenzy of destruction, gore and utter chaos.

Of course, dramatic signs of disaster still loom; enormous piles of rubble and half toppled buildings are easy to spot, expansive wall-to-wall tent-communities do exist and there’s thick, chalky dust wafting through the air. With all of the destruction, I was really taken aback by the sense of calm and normalcy I felt (knowing full well that this post-disaster survival life was not “normal”).  Clusters of Haitians milled about the streets.  Children sauntered along sidewalks in crisp, pressed school uniforms. And vendors sold fruit from the sidewalks and juice from mobile carts. But what I struggled with emotionally was what I knew was there, but couldn’t really see – grief, hunger, despair.

[Take a virtual ride through the streets of Port au Prince]

Expect tough living conditions. And then some.

Having never been in a disaster zone before, I envisioned bucket showers, bunk bed accommodations and daily volunteer work with HODR as some sort of disaster relief summer camp. Silly me! (To HODR’s credit, their web site is exhaustive about post-disaster risks and conditions in Haiti. If you go, take them very seriously.)

HODR Base Camp

I began my adventure by inhaling a steady mix of dust from the rubble and auto exhaust during the windy 18-mile, 2-hour drive from Port au Prince to Leogane. The heat in Haiti is intense; it’s the kind of heat that makes you lose your appetite and causes perpetual thirst…no matter how much water you guzzle. The cool relief of a bucket shower was fleeting and quickly replaced by the sticky film of sweat and bug repellant (don’t want Malaria!).   Sleep is hard to come by and sleep accommodations are communal (snores of 100 volunteers still echo in my head…OK, not all 100 snored but it was LOUD). And just when my mind settled around 2 a.m., dozens of Haitian roosters began to warm their vocal chords and continued singing ‘til dawn.

And I had it easy. I was there on a site visit, meeting with people, watching—not doing— the hard labor and emotional work that the HODR volunteers do in the sweltering Haitian sun for 6+ hours a day, 6 days a week. I thought I was tough. I thought I knew what I was getting into.  I thought that I was up for an adventure and could take whatever Haiti threw my way. But I was wrong. I left Haiti questioning my resilience, something that was readily apparent in the dedicated HODR volunteers.

It’s about what Haiti needs, not about what you want.

Volunteering in Haiti post-disaster is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for the casual volunteer or someone looking for a volunteer vacation. (Be cautious not to fantasize about a Lifetime Movie of the Week being made based on your experience. Not gonna happen.)

Streetside Tents

HODR volunteers are absolutely passionate about the impact they are making on the people of Haiti, regardless of the personal sacrifice required.  If your motivation for going is heaps of praise, accolades and limelight, think twice before signing up. The HODR disaster relief work is both emotionally and physically exhausting, and some would find the living conditions unsuitable. Project scope may change day-to-day, even minute-by-minute. Personalities may clash.  You need to be self reliant and willing to pitch in with chores at base camp. The nightly snore-a-thon/rooster chorus may be more than you can take. And it’s HOT.

That said, volunteering with HODR might also be just what your soul’s been searching for.

One last tip: If you do decide that volunteering with HODR in Haiti is for you, free up some room in your pack by leaving your ego at home. You’ll need that luggage space for a battery-powered fan, a double dose of patience and the cushiest air mattress you can get your hands on.

Guest post by Megan Prine, Head of Corporate Citizenship Activities for Expedia, Inc.