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Guest Post - John’s Journey to Haiti: Conclusion of the 4 Part Story

For everyone who has followed my story up until this point, we’ve witnessed the awe-inspiring advancement and outpouring effort across every front of Haiti’s rebuild. From the first shipments of medical and relief supplies transported on Royal Caribbean ships, to the housing camps and school construction and restoring a sense of order and decency back to daily life; the progress has been powerful.

In addition to these projects, I’m also working on the development of the Citadelle as a tourist destination for our guests.  The Citadelle Laferrière is a large mountaintop fortress located near Labadee and the town of Milot.  At the base of the Citadelle there are the ruins of the Palais de Sans-Souci, which was the home of King Christophe. These structures were built between 1805 and 1820 and were part of defense system designed to protect the country from incursions from the French.

The goal of this project is to develop the infrastructure so the sites can receive guests from Royal Caribbean, which in turn creates sustainable businesses and jobs in the area.  To complete this task, we had to develop the logistical plan, safety enhancements, proposed tour routes, and timing along with identifying the basic infrastructure such as roads and waterside enhancements.  I have included a link to what we have submitted to the Ministry of Tourism just to give you an idea of what this tour could look like.  I have included pictures of the Citadelle itself.  In this case, the pictures simply don’t do it justice.

Citadelle Laferriere Mountaintop Fortress at the Top of Labadee in Haiti

stockpiles-of-cannon-balls-still-sit-at-the-base-of-citadelle-laferriere

No guarantee this tour will become a reality but we are pushing for it.

At this point I have completed my official assignment in Haiti but there is still a significant amount of work that has to be completed.  More than likely, I will be involved with these projects as they develop so I will provide updates via Adam’s blog if I’m invited to do so again.

BY:Adam|13th July, 2010 COMMENTS (18)

An Update on Royal Caribbean’s Newest Partnerships for Haiti’s Reconstruction

The project partners met with the President and Prime Minister of Haiti last week and, not surprisingly, they were very supportive of the project. Our view is that these types of projects are critical to move Haiti forward. While there are many other issues occupying the world’s attention, not least of which is the oil spill in the Gulf, Royal Caribbean will continue to take an active role in Haiti’s long-term rebuilding as promised. There are no illusions here. Haiti faces incredible challenges that are far beyond any one company’s capacity to solve. But we are committed to play our part.I hope our readers are enjoying John Weis’ series on his time in Haiti helping President Clinton and Paul Farmer with their relief efforts and the beginning of the reconstruction process.   If there are aspects of John’s coverage that you would like to have him further explore, please let me know.  I am proud of the extent and quality of the assistance that John provided.  He makes things happen even in the most challenging of circumstances.  That is a characterization that suits Haiti well.  Now John is “back” doing his normal job, which still involves driving our efforts to construct a new school in Labadee, and to galvanize the Citadelle restoration project.  Congratulations to John on a job very well done.

Citadelle Laferriere Mountaintop Fortress

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Continuing on the Haiti front, last week there was a press announcement that Royal Caribbean will be working together with Bob Johnson and his team at the RLJ Companies as well as WIN, a successful local Haitian business group, to foster economic development in Haiti.  The particular focus in the beginning will be to construct two factories that will build a special kind of structural panel that is hurricane and earthquake resistant, yet economical for applications such as our school project, housing development and other commercial applications. These panels are a product of the GBS Company from Charleston, South Carolina that partnered with the RLJ Companies to build an upscale hotel in Liberia a few years ago.

The project partners met with the President and Prime Minister of Haiti last week and, not surprisingly, they were very supportive of the project. Our view is that these types of projects are critical to move Haiti forward. While there are many other issues occupying the world’s attention, not least of which is the oil spill in the Gulf, Royal Caribbean will continue to take an active role in Haiti’s long-term rebuilding as promised. There are no illusions here. Haiti faces incredible challenges that are far beyond any one company’s capacity to solve. But we are committed to play our part.

BY:Adam|12th July, 2010 COMMENTS (4)

Guest Post - John’s Journey to Haiti: Part 3 of the 4 Part Story

As mentioned in my last post, we have been working with Maryse Kedar to establish temporary schools in some of these camps.  So far there are 14 primary schools and seven kindergartens impacting over 3,000 children.  If Maryse and her organization didn’t take the initiative to establish these schools, 3,000+ children would not have this advantage and necessity of life.  There isn’t room for everyone, but for the kids attending these schools, it’s making a difference.   Pictures speak a thousand words so here are the results of all the hard work:

Temporary School in a Camp in Haiti

Temporary Schools Provide a Quality Education For Children Living in Camps in Haiti

Putting these schools together was truly a team effort so I wanted to show you a picture of the team that did the majority of the heavy lifting making these schools possible.

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BY:Adam|6th July, 2010 COMMENTS No

Guest Post - John’s Journey to Haiti: Part 2 of the 4 Part Story

Before continuing to the next part of my journey, I should tell you that I’m no stranger to Haiti or its people. Leading Royal Caribbean’s nearly 30 year-long relationship with the country, my involvement in Haiti’s revival began long before the earthquake. While developing Royal Caribbean’s private destination at the port of Labadee for the Oasis of the Seas, my tourism path took an unexpected twist. I became a humanitarian aid coordinator overnight. From mobilizing deliveries of food and medical supplies on our ships to teaming up with smaller organizations to support the construction of schools and orphanages, this assignment has transcended the word “job” and become a life-changing undertaking.

I’m proud of how Royal Caribbean has put real people on the ground in Haiti and positioned teams spanning medical relief to infrastructure rebuild. We’ve chosen to pitch in and advance, rather than pull out and abandon Haiti in this grief-stricken hour. As one of its loyal investors, Royal Caribbean has played an integral role in Haiti’s economic progress. Stationed inside the temporary housing camps, I’m eager to share my account of Haiti’s aftermath, recovery—and Royal Caribbean’s plan to ensure long-term success and stability to this beautiful island.

My last article left you looking into the eyes of this family in Haiti.  Like most struggling through Haiti’s chaotic aftermath, this family was unsure what new hardships each day would bring.  Thanks to housing camps and a collective foundation of order, structure and humanity are being restored.

In speaking with the father, I learned this family had lost everything; they were only able to salvage some clothes out of the wreckage of their house along with some sheets and other materials to make their shelter.  He said he was making the best of the situation and wasn’t sure about the future, but they would make it through.  He also made it clear that especially now, the most important thing for him was to make sure his boys went to school and that they looked “respectable.”  The father’s trust in making the most of their present situation and his commitment to his children’s education shows his courage and his strength.  Looking at the picture of him standing next to his sons, it is easy to see the love that holds them all together.

Camp In Haiti

Going though the camps, you saw this situation a lot; fathers and mothers trying to keep their families together through very tough times and trying to do the best for their children.  Being a father myself, you try to put yourself in this situation and anything else going on in your life seems trivial compared to this family and what they will have to go through in the next couple of months, especially during the rainy season.  To help ease the challenges, Royal Caribbean is supporting ProDev’s temporary schools and the installation of water tanks to help provide education for the children and clean drinking water for the people living in the camps.

Water Tanks In Haiti

Woman Gets Fresh Water From A Water Tank In Haiti

The children in the camps really kept me focused and were huge motivators.  These kids are the future for Haiti’s recovery and helping provide these children with a quality education is very important for the long-term success and stability of Haiti.  When you walk through these camps, children are everywhere and love to interact with you.  They really put a meaning into why you’re in Haiti trying to make a difference.  Here are some of the children who live in the camp:

Children Living In A Camp In Haiti

Children Living In A Camp In Haiti

Join me again next week when I’ll take you inside the temporary schools erected in the housing camps. We’ll meet the team members behind these feats of construction, and witness their compassion and dedication to this community.  Brightened by the faces of smiling children, it’s within these classrooms that Haiti’s rebuild will become a reality.

Article by John Weis, Associate Vice-President of Private Destinations for Royal Caribbean International

BY:Adam|29th June, 2010 COMMENTS (2)

Guest Post - John’s Journey to Haiti: Part 1 of the 4 Part Story

It’s been over four months since I began my assignment helping with the disaster recovery in Haiti, and to say it has been a life changing experience would be an understatement.  I have seen things I never thought I would; possibly in the movies, but never in real life.  I have also met hundreds of people dropping everything in their normal lives to come down here and live in difficult conditions to help people they have never met.  Most of these people said they had a “calling” to help, and many ended up falling in love with the Haitian people after working here for a period of time.  This is especially true of those that worked with the children.  I also had the privilege of working with people I’ve known over the years that really stepped up to the challenge and ended up playing a leading role in the recovery effort. It was extremely gratifying to see this, and I was proud of them.

As for me, my focus was on helping organizations that were not familiar with operating in Haiti. We would help coordinate their shipments of relief supplies and make sure they reach their people on the ground.  I also worked with these organizations to build their skill sets and capacity internally, so they could coordinate their own shipments going forward.  In addition, I’ve also been working on some of the more strategic initiatives in the area of education, health and long-term growth, specifically job creation.  One area of particular interest is the development of the Citadelle as a guest destination.  I will share more details on this later in this blog.

Before I go any further, I want to make sure I recognize the people I’ve been working with. As most of these initiatives are a team effort, I have the privilege of writing about them on Adam’s blog.

First and foremost, I want to mention Maryse Kedar and her husband Daniel.  They were on the ground during the quake and their organization ProDev, was one of the first to take action by setting up water tanks in the camps, and then temporary schools for the thousands of children in these camps.  Their team, led by Sharon Ramon (one of those people who dropped everything to help those in need), set the foundation for the curriculum and organizational structure for Royal Caribbean’s school initiative.  This is something else I will share with you later in the blog.

Next is Lauren Ordway, who works for Royal Caribbean in the area of Safety and Environment, and coordinated the logistics associated with sending down hundreds of pallets with relief supplies via Royal Caribbean ships.  These supplies consisted of everything you can imagine from medical supplies, construction material, oxygen generators, food, clothing and dialysis machines.  A good portion of these supplies came from Compassionate Alliance who was with us from day one.  There were many organizations working with us, but this one in particular really went above and beyond for Haiti, and I want to commend them for this.

Completing the difficult task of unloading and distributing these supplies was David Southby and Dave Scott.  These two alternated as site managers for Labadee, and had the unenviable task of making sure that donated supplies were distributed to the communities fairly, and that assigned donations got to their NGO partners on the ground.  The word “difficult” doesn’t fully capture the full scope of this task, so I will just say thank you.

Finally there was Gary Bald, Richard Pruitt and Steve Williams who worked to coordinate the overall effort from a leadership, medical and direct resource standpoint.  Anything I asked for, these guys came through with executive support, medical expertise or the intellectual capital I needed to push through a problem.

I think it goes without saying, much appreciation goes to Craig Milan, Adam Goldstein and Richard Fain who had no hesitation supporting Haiti’s relief effort in spirit and, most importantly, from a resource and financial standpoint.  I can honestly say there was never a moment of hesitation in making the generous commitment they made to this relief effort.

I think I covered everyone, but that’s the problem when you start thanking people individually; there are so many, and inevitably, someone gets left out. So, if you’re one of those people, thanks!!!!!

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BY:Adam|22nd June, 2010 COMMENTS No