Haiti – A Curious Job Ad

How about this for an advertisement for a short term job :

Wanted – People for a week’s manual labour .
Description – you will travel to the poorest country in the western hemisphere with a group of like minded people . You will be working from 5 am to 5 pm each day in temperatures in excess of 45 degrees Celsius . Work will be carried out at a higher pace than would be normal in Ireland . You will construct 45 houses , one community hall , two soccer pitches , one garden area , one playground and numerous latrines . You will work with a very limited supply of building tools , equipment and supplies and may be exposed to torrential downpours during this 6 day period .
You will need to provide your own work boots and clothing etc . Accommodation will be provided in 6 man tents – please bring your own bedding , torches etc .
Medical – Please prepare against Malaria , Cholera , Tetanus , Typhoid , Diarrhea and other such conditions .
Wage - None
Oh , I forgot – please pay us €4,500 before you leave !

Would you go ?

Well , 350 people did go . Here are just some of these people :

From the left :
Jerome MacCarthy - Civil Engineer , originally from West Cork , now in Limerick
Thomas Atkinson – Building Manager from South East
Aideen Fahy – HR Manager from Galway , working in Dublin
Ger Shinnick – Facilities Manager from Fermoy
Martin Walsh - Truck Driver from Waterford
Padraig Cleary – Supermarket Manager in Carlow

The job description above was prophetic – it was possibly a little worse than described . These guys worked their butts off for the week – I found it hard to keep up with them .
Guess what – this group and so many more want to come back again next year .

As they say – go figure !

Interested ? Check it out at http://www.havenpartnership.com/

And here is one of the finished buildings :

Haiti and Haven – A week’s work

Well we’re back from our week’s work in Gonaives , Haiti . Over 340 of us travelled to Haiti over a week ago and spent 6 full long days working on the Monte Blanc site . I’d like to write a few posts over the coming weeks outlining the worthwhile work being carried out by Haven in Haiti and to introduce you to some of the people , the circumstances , the issues we discovered while over there . Can I just start by giving a before and after view of the week’s work . This was the situation in the camp when we first arrived :
As you can see , much had been started before we arrived . Haven has a permanent presence on this site ( along with quite a number of other sites) and has a largely local workforce working on their various projects . One of the leaders of these permanent sites is our own JP from Riverstick , Co. Cork . In addition to building houses , Haven has a structured training programme in place , helping the locals to develop sustainable skills to continue with the building endeavours . JP and his team oversees the building and training of the workforce throughout the year .
As a group of volunteers , it was our job to finish off the housing complex . Here is a photo of the development when we finished work last friday evening :

You’ll notice the completed houses with their bright colours and , in the foreground , the playground that was started and finished for the local community .
More photos in later posts will show the various other projects that were finished in the week .

Off to Haiti

So , finally , we’re off to Haiti on saturday !
I’m very fortunate to be part of the Haven Build it Week , taking place from 2nd to 10th April , in Gonaives , Haiti . I’m part of a great group of about 300 people , all of whom have raised the money , taken the time off and committed to building houses for so many in the local community of Gonaives .
I have to admit that I’m suffering some nerves ! What will we see ? How will the Haitians have recovered from the terrible earthquake , the subsequent cholera outbreak , the hurricane season ?? I’ve no doubt that many of the group flying out from Dublin early on saturday morning will be feeling similar nerves and concerns .
I’ve been fortunate to meet and listen to Leslie Buckley on a couple of occasions over the past months . Leslie and Jane Buckley founded the Haven Partnership a number of years ago after Leslie , in his role as executive of a caribbean based mobile phone business witnessed , first hand , the terrible conditions that the people of Haiti live in .
Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere .
I’ve also met many of those who have taken part in previous “Build it Weeks” – all great people . Everyone who had been there before couldn’t wait to get back there again – they will be whipping me into shape as a general labourer for the week . We received the daily schedule last week – this is going to be hard work ! Starting at 0500 each morning and working through the day .
A big thank you to everyone who helped me raise a few euros – I achieved double my rowing target . As the trip was deferred since the originally scheduled November departure , I kept it going and got to 2000 kilometres (a lap and a half of Ireland) on that damned rowing machine !
So , if you’ll permit me , I’ll try to get back into this blogging when I get back (no internet access while we’re there) and describe some of the things , the people , the situations we come across .

Customer Service !!!

I found myself “enjoying” a nine-hour stopover in London last weekend and , rather than hang about in Stansted , I headed into London city for the afternoon . It was a good day with the streets of Regent Street , Oxford Street packed with people .

Now , before I describe my experiences , I need to nail my colours to the mast . I am an Apple fan . Since I changed to Apple computers about 10 years ago , I have become a complete advocate of the company and it’s products . In addition to having a number of computers , iPhones , iPods etc – they are also clients of mine . Apple is a great business here in Cork , employing well in excess of 1,000 people . Why do I like their products ? They make using IT easy – that’s important for a guy like me who doesn’t understand what’s going on underneath the bonnet !

So , I go into the Apple Store . My first impression – it’s packed at 2pm on a Sunday . I have a good look around . All Apple products are on display – but not in display cabinets . They are on display on tables and desks . People are playing with them , touching them , exploring them , experimenting with them . Not some products – All products . Indeed , there are much more than just one of each product . I think that there were at least 8 iPads on display with people playing with them . There was no one walking around asking people not to touch , not to play . There were no restrictions – none !

I brought my own laptop – was keen to check my e-mails . There was free high-speed internet access . No login codes needed . Usage wasn’t provisional on making a purchase . There was no time limit . No restrictions , no ifs buts maybes . Simply – please come into my shop and use it for free ! (Irish Hotels and Cafes – please take note !)

Somebody was giving a lecture on how to use iPhoto ( a software application that comes with all Apple computers) . This was being staged in a small theatre-like lecture area . There were maybe 50 people at the lecture . It was very professionally delivered – The cost – free !

All around the store people were receiving one-to-one tuition and/or help with their Apple products . This service was being given by Apple “Geniuses” . Again – free ! Many people I saw were receiving help with old Apple products . Again , no conditions , preconditions etc .

So , with all this free stuff , how does Apple continue to be one of the most profitable and valuable companies in the World ? Well , I counted over 50 people queuing to purchase a product . I stayed in the store for at least one hour – the queue never fell below that number .

My read on this is quite simple – the customer’s experience is superb . Ok – their products are the best in the world but this is no longer enough – most other companies in the world have customers who believe that their products are the best . These days we have to “wow” the customer – that’s what Apple does .

Watch Apple continue to grow from strength to strength .

Half Way There ! Downhill from now on !

Had a big weekend – I hit the half-way stage . I’m now at 527 kilometres and have brought my daily average up to 12 kilometres .
I have committed to row 1,000 kilometres on the Concept 2 Ergometer . It has been a hard slog but am now well and truly into the habit of 70-80 kilometres each week . On the plus side , I’ve lost 6 kilos in weight and have to say , do feel much fitter . But – it is boring ! Over an hour most evenings on a machine – it is helped by some music , Bruce Springsteen Live at Hyde Park is my poison
As you know, I’m raising funds to travel to Haiti as part of the 2010 Haven “Build it Week” . This will take place between 31st October and 7th November 2010 .
So I have another few weeks to make it to the 1,000 mark .
Regarding sponsorship – all funds have to be in next tuesday 31st August .
I have set up a page on mycharity.ie . Any help would be greatly appreciated : Click Here
Thanks a million

French Healthcare

Was away with family in France recently – I had work to do and my fabulous family had a few days break . Unfortunately , my 10 year old daughter had a setback and had to have her appendix taken out in a hurry . She suffered an absess in her appendix , which then lead to peritonitis . While a terrible thing for us all and in particular for her , the efficiency and care afforded to us by the French Healthcare system was second to none .
A brief timeline of events – Day 1 pain in stomach , Day 2 to local GP . Local GP very efficient and caring was unsure of diagnosis and monitored her situation for 2 days . Day 4 – GP sends us to local public hospital . Admitted at 12 midday . Series of tests run by paediatric doctors for a few hours which eliminated other possibilities .
Here’s my measure of how good they were . 4 pm – bloods taken , 4.25 pm results in hand , 5 pm Echograph (ultrasound) , 5.45 pm on the operating table , 6.45 pm in her private room in this public hospital .
All throughout the day we were treated with speed , professionalism , courtesy and kindness . 5 days of care followed during which a clown visited her each day to cheer her up , smiling medical faces met us frequently each day and kept us up to speed on everything . We had another fold-down bed in her room so we could “room” with her . My daughter talked about her French “hotel” .
While a bad experience to become unwell – it was made all the easier by our treatment by the French doctors , surgeons and nurses .
A couple of tips , if I may . Go online to the HSE website and apply for your free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) . Here is their site . This proved invaluable to us . Not only did it pay for 80% of all our treatment – it made the administration so easy . All we did was hand over the EHIC card and everything was taken care of . Health Insurance – The VHI were fantastic – upon calling their helpline I was showered with assistance – they exceeded all our expectations . I received many phone calls from them checking on my daughter’s progress . I know they have received some adverse press of late – I can only say that all my dealings with the VHI have been extremely positive .
At the end of all this we have a much recovered daughter who can only speak most highly about the French Healthcare System . As for her mother – well , she can’t stop talking about how much peace of mind she had during this time
I’m thinking that the next time I begin to feel unwell – perhaps a trip to France may be in order !!

The Mysteries of Photography revealed

I have an Olympus DSLR which I purchased a few years ago . It’s a great camera and I’ve captured great shots of family and friends over the years . However , there is only one setting , as far as I have been concerned – “Auto” .
I hear great things of a one-day training course run by Martin Hurley which is designed to give a good introduction to Digital SLR photography . So , upon hearing great recommendations from a friend I signed up for this course last saturday . Like the others in attendance , I didn’t have a clue of how to use the camera properly .
Over the course of the day things that were previously black magic to me ( ISO , Shutter Speed , Aperture , Depth of Field , Light Metering , White Balance , Histograms , JPEG vs RAW and the best way to take photos ) were explained and demonstrated by Martin . You know , I could possibly have read about these things in the manual ( being an Expressive Personality , it is illegal for me to read such manuals !) but Martin made it easy to understand and apply these things to get much better photographs . Martin’s style , combined with a great one-to-one interaction ensured that I , and the others present , went away with a great working knowledge of how to use our DSLR cameras better .
Can I wholeheartedly recommend this course – Martin runs them regularly and details of his next courses are here. It’s really well worth a day of your time .