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Post by hop2 on Sept 30, 2017 2:25:09 GMT
pattyraindrops I think it’s too soon to plan something like going to help. Currently they are in survival mode and acquiring adaquate food supplies for the people who live there is difficult. However, keep your mind open and your eyes open for organized groups that will eventually be helping. It takes time, but many people from my temple went to New Orleans to help rebuild after Katrina. They went periodically for about a year working with local organizations that organized their labor so time would be utilized and not wasted. They co-ordinated with a temple down there and also did habitat builds ( which they do here ) If you belong to a religious organization then check with the wider charitable piece of that organization to see what they may be organizing. Perhaps check with habitat for humanity in a month or two, I don’t know where they go. There are several organizations from NYC that are organizing immediate and long term aid for PR there have been news stories locally so perhaps check out if those organizations need labor. Most groups like that only take 16 & up Good luck Thank you. When did your group first start going there? Several months? A year? My brother went with our church to parts of FL near him and helped about a week after it but, but he lives in FL so I know that is different because he could return home each night. Good to know about the age. My youngest is 16 so that is good. I don’t remember - I didn’t go I had children too young to leave here but we donated air line miles for others to go & money. It was a few months out the first time I think.
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quiltz
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Post by quiltz on Sept 30, 2017 2:25:20 GMT
"Voluntourism" is the worst kind of tourism. You are putting your values and your way of doing things, which is completely dis-respectful of the people that you are "trying" to help. Give money for them, to have professionals and military to do the job right, the first time. I agree that is the case right now, with many (but certainly not all) Caribbean islands in an extremely dire emergency situation. But these countries will need help for many years, long after the emergency teams have left. What is wrong with taking a few days out of your vacation to help an organization such as Habitat for Humanity (just a hypothetical example) help someone rebuild their house? It seems that some are characterizing the OP as insensitive and ill-informed. Why can't we help now with money and later with labor? The 'thing that is wrong' is that people are not properly trained. Insurance & liability come into play. Most of the voluntourism is a feel good for the person doing the act, and not necessarily what is truly needed by the actual people that you are trying to help. You, (general you) are imposing what you (general you) feel that what you think is necessary, may not be what is TRULY necessary. I have volunteered with Habitat and they are picky about who they let into disaster zones. To me, 'voluntourism' is a kind pat on the back of the person who is trying to help in a desperate situation.
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scrapaddie
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Post by scrapaddie on Sept 30, 2017 3:04:36 GMT
Think about Habitat for Humanity. International trips are fun.... You get to know the people of the area. And they know where you can be of service in an organized and safe way.... I've gone to El Salvador (3 times), Costa Rica and Romania with habitat. You could work a week and then go play.
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oaksong
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Jun 27, 2014 6:24:29 GMT
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Post by oaksong on Sept 30, 2017 3:04:59 GMT
I agree that is the case right now, with many (but certainly not all) Caribbean islands in an extremely dire emergency situation. But these countries will need help for many years, long after the emergency teams have left. What is wrong with taking a few days out of your vacation to help an organization such as Habitat for Humanity (just a hypothetical example) help someone rebuild their house? It seems that some are characterizing the OP as insensitive and ill-informed. Why can't we help now with money and later with labor? The 'thing that is wrong' is that people are not properly trained. Insurance & liability come into play. Most of the voluntourism is a feel good for the person doing the act, and not necessarily what is truly needed by the actual people that you are trying to help. You, (general you) are imposing what you (general you) feel that what you think is necessary, may not be what is TRULY necessary. I have volunteered with Habitat and they are picky about who they let into disaster zones. To me, 'voluntourism' is a kind pat on the back of the person who is trying to help in a desperate situation. I see what you're saying if the people who volunteer don't properly coordinate their efforts. For organizations that have some forethought, this could be a real opportunity, perhaps unlike any that has been seen before. Maybe people could be screened and trained ahead of time, to be matched with the right situation when they arrive at their destination. As we have seen over and over, sending money into areas doesn't always filter down to those who need it. And if those people do receive money and goods, it's only enough to get them through the immediate disaster. There is no way that these decimated areas are going to receive enough money to completely rebuild. Many, many churches, non-profits, and service organizations will be sending in teams of people to help when the time is right. I love the idea of tapping into tourism for some of that labor.
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Post by pattyraindrops on Sept 30, 2017 3:16:38 GMT
I agree that is the case right now, with many (but certainly not all) Caribbean islands in an extremely dire emergency situation. But these countries will need help for many years, long after the emergency teams have left. What is wrong with taking a few days out of your vacation to help an organization such as Habitat for Humanity (just a hypothetical example) help someone rebuild their house? It seems that some are characterizing the OP as insensitive and ill-informed. Why can't we help now with money and later with labor? The 'thing that is wrong' is that people are not properly trained. Insurance & liability come into play. Most of the voluntourism is a feel good for the person doing the act, and not necessarily what is truly needed by the actual people that you are trying to help. You, (general you) are imposing what you (general you) feel that what you think is necessary, may not be what is TRULY necessary. I have volunteered with Habitat and they are picky about who they let into disaster zones. To me, 'voluntourism' is a kind pat on the back of the person who is trying to help in a desperate situation. And to me, coming into a place and assuming what needs to be done isn't really listening. Which is why questions need to be asked. I'm a specialist in my area for JustServe.org. We find that many people call charitable organizations and overwhelm them with calls asking what they can do or telling them what they will do without finding what the organization needs. One of the great things about JustServe is that charities can put the things they actually do need on the website, then volunteers can volunteer for these things through the website or they are guided to volunteer through the organization's own website. In this way the people at those charities can get the help they actually need and not have to pat someone on the back for something they don't need. It also keeps them off the phone a little bit so they can do the things they need to do more. So I'm not looking for a pat on the back. I can find enough things to do around here that are actually needed. I'm just looking for a little info ahead of time so I can make good choices.
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ellen
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Post by ellen on Sept 30, 2017 3:34:28 GMT
Hurricane Charley made a mess of Sanibel and Captiva Islands in August of a year that I now forget and we vacationed there 11 months later - hardly anyone was there. The islands were cleaned up, businesses were open, the beach was beautiful, everything was nice. Again hardly anyone was there. They needed tourists and we knew that being there, spending money was helping their economy. I would recommend that you hold off on doing anything. When Puerto Rico is ready to deal with tourists again, book a trip and spend some money supporting local businesses while you are there. My guess is no one will be booking vacations there for a while so you won't have problems with flights or lodging when you do go.
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PrettyInPeank
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Post by PrettyInPeank on Sept 30, 2017 3:47:25 GMT
This wins as one of the few posts on this crazy board that I have actually read and thought "What the hell?" I don't even know what else to say. It's not that crazy. We booked a cruise months ago to visit Puerto Rico and St. Marten. Because of Irma and Maria, those islands were removed and replaced on our itinerary. But before they were changed, an overwhelming amount of people on the cruise message boards still hoped our ships could stop in order to give a hand and spend money on tourism. Obviously it's a terrible idea to do that without training and direction, but a lot of people on those boards (surprisingly) wanted to help.
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Olan
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Post by Olan on Sept 30, 2017 13:33:52 GMT
I think it's great you'd like to help and ask questions first. Don't be discouraged.
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Post by ChicagoKTS on Sept 30, 2017 14:03:15 GMT
You will have the chance to volunteer for a lot of years is my guess. These islands are not going to be fully recovered for a long time. I have gone on two missions trips with my church to Biloxi. For the trip in 2016, we were just finishing-up the final couple of homes that had been damaged by Katrina. The youth group from church just this past summer went on a mission trip to Puerto Rico to help repair homes in a rural area. There was plenty of need even before the hurricane.
My suggestion is to put your good intentions on hold for a year or two and let the situation get settled and organized. Then I am sure you will be able to find organizations needing people to assist with ongoing recovery.
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georgiapea
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Post by georgiapea on Sept 30, 2017 14:10:56 GMT
My DD and her Hubs were caught on Antigua during Irma and helped repair a bakery roof. But they were there with friends from the US, one of whom was a native Antiguan so they had met the bakery owner. That's much different than going over later to help rebuild. I would suggest aligning yourself with a group going to work. You've got enough time to research what groups will be going and what they will be doing.
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Post by *KAS* on Sept 30, 2017 15:15:49 GMT
I agree that is the case right now, with many (but certainly not all) Caribbean islands in an extremely dire emergency situation. But these countries will need help for many years, long after the emergency teams have left. What is wrong with taking a few days out of your vacation to help an organization such as Habitat for Humanity (just a hypothetical example) help someone rebuild their house? It seems that some are characterizing the OP as insensitive and ill-informed. Why can't we help now with money and later with labor? The 'thing that is wrong' is that people are not properly trained. Insurance & liability come into play. Most of the voluntourism is a feel good for the person doing the act, and not necessarily what is truly needed by the actual people that you are trying to help. You, (general you) are imposing what you (general you) feel that what you think is necessary, may not be what is TRULY necessary. I have volunteered with Habitat and they are picky about who they let into disaster zones. To me, 'voluntourism' is a kind pat on the back of the person who is trying to help in a desperate situation. I think you're reaching here, a lot. I would agree with you if OP was thinking about throwing some tarps, hammers and nails in a suitcase and heading down next week. She's talking about 8 months from now, and there are plenty of groups who will have boots on the ground that can direct people on exactly what they need them to do on a day assignment basis in order to truly help those in need. And quite frankly, she was asking a general question. If you're volunteering with a group that is allowing people to do work that they aren't qualified to do, then you need to find a better organization. The disaster relief group I work with doesn't put people in those positions. I was quite qualified to sit and sift through ashes in Gatlinburg, and sift through rubble in Tuscaloosa, and tear out Sheetrock after a flood, etc. I wasn't building a house, I was helping a family. And if you think that's only to give ourselves a pat on the back and not actually help, so be it. Those that do it know otherwise.
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Sept 30, 2017 17:11:02 GMT
I agree that is the case right now, with many (but certainly not all) Caribbean islands in an extremely dire emergency situation. But these countries will need help for many years, long after the emergency teams have left. What is wrong with taking a few days out of your vacation to help an organization such as Habitat for Humanity (just a hypothetical example) help someone rebuild their house? It seems that some are characterizing the OP as insensitive and ill-informed. Why can't we help now with money and later with labor? The 'thing that is wrong' is that people are not properly trained. Insurance & liability come into play. Most of the voluntourism is a feel good for the person doing the act, and not necessarily what is truly needed by the actual people that you are trying to help. You, (general you) are imposing what you (general you) feel that what you think is necessary, may not be what is TRULY necessary. I have volunteered with Habitat and they are picky about who they let into disaster zones. To me, 'voluntourism' is a kind pat on the back of the person who is trying to help in a desperate situation. I'm curious as to what your experience is with "voluntourism" I had a friend who headed up a project in Jamaica that was amazing all around.
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Sept 30, 2017 17:15:02 GMT
Please don't be discouraged by the posts in this thread.
Your heart is in the right place. And hopefully when you are ready to travel you can speak with your pocketbook too.
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Post by Basket1lady on Sept 30, 2017 19:24:29 GMT
Think about Habitat for Humanity. International trips are fun.... You get to know the people of the area. And they know where you can be of service in an organized and safe way.... I've gone to El Salvador (3 times), Costa Rica and Romania with habitat. You could work a week and then go play. I was thinking of HFH as well. I have a friend who travels to other countries with HFH. She usually works for a week and often flies in ahead of her group or stays a little longer. She likes to see places off the beaten path and this works well for her. She was an Air Force officer in maintenance and her skills transferred well to this work. She also worked with HFH in the states for a de years before she started going overseas.
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Post by txdancermom on Sept 30, 2017 20:00:46 GMT
Unless you are part of an organized group that knows what they are doing, and know how to help in these cases,I would avoid going on my own, you may be more in the way than helping.
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Olan
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Post by Olan on Oct 1, 2017 17:15:44 GMT
Unless you are part of an organized group that knows what they are doing, and know how to help in these cases,I would avoid going on my own, you may be more in the way than helping. This "don't get involved" attitude is never the response when someone posts "Teen Missing in Juneau Alaska" or "My Neighbors Cousins Best Friend Experienced Infant Loss Casserole Ideas" type threads. Misguided help is better than no help at all when human lives may be on the line.
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scrapaddie
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Post by scrapaddie on Oct 1, 2017 18:00:12 GMT
Think about Habitat for Humanity. International trips are fun.... You get to know the people of the area. And they know where you can be of service in an organized and safe way.... I've gone to El Salvador (3 times), Costa Rica and Romania with habitat. You could work a week and then go play. I was thinking of HFH as well. I have a friend who travels to other countries with HFH. She usually works for a week and often flies in ahead of her group or stays a little longer. She likes to see places off the beaten path and this works well for her. She was an Air Force officer in maintenance and her skills transferred well to this work. She also worked with HFH in the states for a de years before she started going overseas. I have gone to places I never would have thought to visit... And I am glad I did!
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