Haiti: Two Albuquerque Responses

The earthquake in Haiti last January brought forth some great responses from three Albuquerque-based organizations.

The Prizm Foundation and Racine Kreyol Cultural Arts formed a partnership in September to develop disaster housing prototypes for use in Haiti.  The shelters, which are 315 square feet, are intended for families displaced by the devastating Magnitude 7 earthquake that hit the capital city of Port au Prince especially hard.  The New Mexico Business Weekly published a great piece about the project in September.  Read the article entitled Prizm Foundation to send disaster housing prototypes to Haiti

Another locally based organization that has responded in a generous manner to the crisis in Haiti is Acupuncturists Without Borders, which provides immediate disaster relief and recovery to communities that are in crisis resulting from disaster or human conflict. AWB is committed to creating alliances with local community based organizations and treating all who have been affected - survivors, first responders, emergency personnel and other care providers.

The organization has developed the Haiti Disaster Recovery Program. Read Haiti report from trainer Doris Owanda,

AWB uses the concept of community acupuncture.  Here's a partial description:

Community acupuncture is a highly effective and efficient way of treating a variety of individual and community conditions in areas of conflict, disaster or devastation. Clients are treated in a group, sitting up in chairs, fully clothed. Needles are inserted in the ears based on a protocol developed by the National Acupuncture Detox Association. Other needles may be used on accessible body points as needed.   Read more

Even though the organization has members around the globe, its headquarters are right here on Virginia Street NE in Albuquerque. (AWB is not to be confused with another worthy organization,  Acupuncture Sans Frontieres).

There have also been some individual responses from local folks to the Haiti crisis.  We blogged back in September about Sharon Barefoot's decision to spend a year as a nurse with the Catholic Medical Mission Board in Haiti.  She will be providing updates through her blog Barefoot in Haiti.