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  • From: regeneration CSA <regenerationcsa@gmail.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Haiti relief efforts
  • Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:13:36 -0500

Hi Folks,

I just got onto this list, and catching up with the posts on Haiti up to
now.

There is of course a lot that permaculture can bring to this first stage of
emergency work, as Geoff and Andrew did in Kosovo, etc. I am not in any
way opposed to people trying to work within the large aid agencies, USAID,
UNICEF etc. It is much needed. But of course just making better refugee
camps! is not where Permaculture is most effective, and lasting benefits are
what people want to offer with any solidarity work. A lot of folks have
already expressed this, realizing that "aid" is not enough.

So what is the "permaculture way" of organizing relief?

I propose it might look something like the following:

People organize groups in their local communities to support local affinity
groups going down to Haiti. This way people can do basic fundraising,
establish communications and logistics support, etc from their home base so
to speak. Small groups that are somewhat self sufficient will be less of a
burden on the resources of local orgs on the ground in haiti. And people
here will be more likely to go down if they know their family has some local
support, their animals are fed and watered, someone is back at home ready to
respond if one of their own is injured down there etc.

Community-based organizing here, for community-based solidarity down there.
If we have several local affinity groups that manage to get together, they
can then coordinate at a wider level, sharing access to resources, working
on projects, etc.

Finding groups to work with on the ground in Haiti is key. Who are we going
to be working with? What is their long term agenda? Is it led by the
community? I think if people pay close attention it won't be hard to find
local groups on the ground to ally with that share our basic values. I also
think if people do not pay close attention, they might just be serving the
interests of the "disaster capitalists" (read Naomi Klein if you haven't on
this) instead of the people of Haiti.

I think the folks at Grassroots Intl have been doing great work,
http://www.grassrootsonline.org/news/press-releases/grassroots-international-establishes-earthquake-emergency-relief-fund-haiti
and i would personally trust them to have good relationships on the ground.
There are a LOT of local NGO's on the ground in Haiti, and i know that
people have offered other suggestions. Whoever we work with, and hopefully
it will be various groups, if they are locally led and community-based we
will be doing well.

I would like to help organize with anyone else who wants to from our area,
the Hudson Valley area of NYS. There is some organizing going on down in
the city with various activist groups, but not much yet from Permaculture
identified folks here that I have heard of.

I hope that there will be because i think there are much larger issues at
stake here than just relief for people in Haiti. I think the more we are
able to organize in our own local communities for future disasters, where
ever they may be, the better off we all our. We gain so much; experienced
activists coming back to their own communities to strengthen the movements
there, networks of trust that can meet other needs beyond this one, etc etc.
All of this will come in handy, i am sure.

By doing community-based solidarity work we have as much to gain in our own
communities as we have to give, and that is how it should be.

solidarity,
kevin

--
Regeneration CSA
at Outback Farm
81 Clove Valley Rd
High Falls NY 12440
845 687 0535
http://www.regenerationcsa.org/




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