Providing "Barrels of Hope" to Haitian Earthquake Victims

Originally published in the March 2010 issue of Natural Awakenings of Ocala / Gainesville / The Villages

Local non-profits and businesses focused on sustainability are seeking community support for a program to build rainbarrels for the earthquake victims in Haiti, and fill the rainbarrels with supplies to begin rebuilding permanent structures.

A group of "green" citizens of Gainesville have banded together to create "Barrels of Hope" – an effort both teach local citizens how to build and utilize a rain barrel and then deliver those rain barrels to Haiti. Water distribution has long been a problem in Haiti, and many Haitians utilized concrete cisterns, which were damaged and contaminated by the earthquake. Bottled and distributed water has provided immediate relief, but creates waste and is not a long term solution. The rain barrels can be utilized by a family or group of people, will last for many years, and will arrive in Haiti filled with supplied to begin building permanent structures.

"Each rain barrel can be delivered independently and will contain enough materials to begin building what is known as an earthbag house", says Mary Alford, president of the Heart of Florida USGBC, the local chapter of the US Green Building Council. "These structures have already been utilized in Haiti, they are relatively quick and easy to build, they can utilize some of the concrete waste from the disaster and, in the future, can be plastered over and roofed to provide permanent structures." Earthbag houses are constructed by stacking sandbags to create walls, with barbed wire in between the layers to keep the walls stable. Some examples of earthbag houses can be found on the earthbag blog, found here:http://earthbagbuilding.wordpress.com/ .

Currently, the plan is to provide a rain barrel with a few hundred sandbags, a small shovel, tarps to provide a roof and collect rain into the barrel, and an illustrated guide to constructing the temporary shelters as well as how to transition these shelters to permanent structures. Other items that may be added to the barrel include crank radios or solar lights. "We also want to provide something beautiful in each barrel", says Alford. "A small picture, a scarf, anything to bring a small amount of beauty and hope into, what we hope will be, a new home.

Michael, a 22 year old Haitian studying green construction in Gainesville agrees. "These are good tools to help the people of my country rebuild in a sustainable way." Michael hopes to take the knowledge he has gained back to Haiti to help rebuild responsibly.

If you are interested in helping out the Barrels of Hope project, there are many opportunities. Individuals are invited to build a rainbarrel for Haiti during the Gainesville Environmental Film and Arts Festival March 19-28. You will learn about how to construct your own rainbarrel while providing a water source to someone in need.

Currently a donation of $250 will allow your family or organization to provide a solid shelter and a rainbarrel to a family in Haiti. If you sponsor a barrel, please consider sending some very small item of beauty to be added to your barrel, and a short message of hope. Corporate or individual donations of the following items will reduce the cost of sponsorship: New plastic drums (see picture), plumbing fixtures (call for details), bundles of 18" x 30" feedbags or sandbags, tarps, small folding shovels and barbed wire. The group hopes to obtain donation of good quality solar lights or crank powered radios for additon to the barrels, but these items are not considered essential.

The least expensive shipping option is through the ports, and the ports are not yet open to anything other than emergency food shipment at this time. However, ports are expected to be open to other shipments in March. If your organization would like to sponsor the shipping costs, that would allow more funding for additional building materials and training.

To keep updated on the efforts please check the fan page on Facebook (Barrels of Hope), or send an email to barrelsofhope@gmail.com. You may also contact Mary Alford directly at (352)339-3899 and leave a detailed message.

To see lots of pictures and find out more information, go to www.barrelsofhope.org !