A volunteer effort to transport surplus portable classrooms from Southeast Florida to help in the immediate reconstruction of Haiti...
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Organizations Cooperating To Send Over 730 Portable Classrooms To Haiti
We are an immediate interim solution that can be used to help bridge the gap between long-term rebuilding efforts and short-term needs.
Read "Haiti...A Window of Opportunity," and see Department of State Comments On Cholera Containment In Haiti...How We Can Help...See our Commentary Page.
Tour of Broward School Board Portables...10.4.10
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Is the C5A a rapid deployment solution for clinics? View the latest news and briefings here.
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OPEN LETTER TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY...A FUNDING SOLUTION
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OVERVIEW OF THE INITIATIVE
Due to the devastation of the January 12, 2010 earthquake and various aftershocks, over 1.5 million Haitians remain homeless, including over 300,000 orphaned children who lack safe school facilities. With Hurricane season now upon us, and the slow pace of re-building efforts, the Haitian people remain in fragile housing composed of tarps, sheets and tents. Education has been disrupted, and society is struggling to reach an operational threshold.
Our goal is to re-purpose
unused surplus classroom portables from South Florida, as classrooms,
medical clinics, and affordable housing, in Haiti.
Now that the student population in
Southeastern Florida has declined, these portables are not needed by the
School Boards in South Florida, and are in fact, slated for demolition,
disposition or storage without any mission. It would be a crime not to
put these structures to good use, especially given the enormous need in
Haiti. That's where our effort comes into play.
We are working to get trucking and shipping
companies to donate their services (or reduce the costs) to get the
portables (many are wood framed) to Haiti, or to get other
philanthropists to donate the funds for such shipment. The William
Jefferson Clinton Foundation has generously pledged to install many
portables it seeks to ship (creating much needed jobs for Haitians),
once received, but much more needs to be accomplished.
According to the Broward County School Board, there are 91 surplus portable classrooms which are sitting unused, ready to be shipped to the Republic of Haiti. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported on July 25, 2010 that scores of other unused portable classrooms are stored in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties by their respective school districts. It has been reported the unsubsidized cost to prepare to ship and transport the portables can cost thousands of dollars per unit.
Our goal is to serve as the catalyst and facilitator
in connecting the right community and business leaders with the local
School Boards, the Haitian Government, the Clinton Foundation, the
Bush-Clinton Fund and others, to achieve the goal of utilizing the
surplus portables for the Haitian rebuilding effort. Let me be clear
that we are not
collecting any money for this initiative.
Continue reading Overview of Initiative
Portables4Haiti Illustrated...
To view interactive map of project
participants, goals, values, phases, challenges and opportunities, click on elements below.
Select
below
to view full screen. Last Debategraph update: 10.6.10
at 7:48 a.m.
MEDIA REPORTS ON PORTABLES4HAITI...
November 19, 2010...CBS 4 Reports on Visit By Haitian Foreman To Broward Portables
November 19, 2010...CBS 4 Correspondent Carey Codd Blogs on Portables4Haiti Effort
August 17, 2010...South Florida Sun-Sentinel...Best Use For Empty Broward Portables...
August 4, 2010...CBS 4 Report on Surplus Portables
July 28, 2010...Destruction of Portable Classrooms Ignores Haiti's Urgent Needs
Please address inquiries to portables4haiti@gmail.com or call 954.465.1223 (US).
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Copyright © 2010-2011. Mitchell A. Chester. All rights reserved.
Last update: 3.13.11 @ 6:00 p.m. Eastern.