Duke Haiti Lab Kreyòl (Creole) Blog

Carlo Diy had established language learning by Skype prior to the earthquake. Interrupted by his return to Haiti, the classes will resume soon. Check out HaitiHub.

Skype promises to be a vital link in international educational efforts in the coming years.

The NYT has covered the phenomenon of the lightening-quick person to person spread of verbal information and disinformation in Haiti, called telediol. Check it out!

Many relief workers may be using smart phones in Haiti with little inkling of the size of the bills that can ensue. If you have had this experience and are an ATT customer, call ATT, as they are currently accepting petitions for credit on international charges for voice, text, and data roaming in or with Haiti.

Unless your professional work depends on internet access from your phone, consider acquiring a local pay-as-you go phone with text messaging in Haiti. You can find one of the ubiquitous Digicel stores through the site below. If you need more minutes, you can do so online, or you can purchase supplementary sim cards with minutes from street vendors (–tell anyone on the street “Mwen vlè achte minit Digicel,” and a vendor will likely materialize):

http://www.digicelhaiti.com/en/

For people communicating by phone with Haitian contacts, you can “top up” their phone minutes by registering at the Digicel site and choosing “topping up” under “Quick links.” Cell phones are lifelines; preservation of your contacts’ communicative access to a larger world can be an important first step.

Health care workers using smart phones can download an app with English-Haitian medical Creole from Educa Vision.

Social media have been blazing new logistical and networking trails in the disaster zone. People considering relief work in Haiti may want to subscribe to the Facebook page of the Haiti Response Coalition-Tèt Ansamn pou Yon Nouvo Ayiti, where individuals currently in Haiti provide reports and comments from the field. On Twitter, Multilink’s InternetHaiti and the Fletcher School’s brilliant USHAHIDI are particularly effective organizations to “follow” for news about relief efforts–sign up!

The USS Bataan, USS Carl Vinson and USNS Comfort are chatting their way through the logistical nightmare of getting patients to medical response teams in Haiti:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/4344622.html

The Haitian government now has its situation reports, official communiqués, reference documents, and a list of functioning medical centers under the “Documents” page of this site, as well as a wealth of other materials. Crucial for linkage of relief efforts to the recovery of the Haitian state apparatus. www.aidg.org is helping to launch the site.

http://haitiseisme2010.gouv.ht/

See what INVENEO is doing to bring high-speed internet access to relief agencies:

http://www.inveneo.org/?q=haiti-links-grow

This service will be direly needed for Haitian educational relief as well. Anyone out there to start an educational relief network in which participating Haitian educational institutions/groups can gain internet access and work with international colleagues on curriculum, materials, fundraising, and networking for volunteers???

Check out these excellent sites for logistical support and relief informatics:

1. Ushahidi is using internet technology to create an informational and logistical bridge between earthquake victims and the appropriate humanitarian organizations to assist with their needs; just an extraordinarily important intervention:

http://haiti.ushahidi.com/

2. Evan Hansen, editor of Wired Online, has launched a site related to the rebuilding grid in Haiti: “Haiti Rewired”:

http://haitirewired.wired.com/