Bringing Connectivity to a Devastated Haiti

The scenes of destruction emerging from Haiti are, I think you will agree, heartbreaking. Amid the ongoing horror, we're hearing the usual litany of post-disaster needs: food, clean water, medicine, and sanitation. But in our connected world, you need to add another to that list of must-haves: telecommunications.

"Telecoms isn't a luxury in emergency response. It's core to the mission," says Paul Margie, U.S. representative for the group Télécoms Sans Frontières, or TSF.

These folks are a Geek Squad made of some seriously tough stuff. They go into disaster zones in teams of three, armed only with the gear needed to establish satellite communications links.

TSF's mission is two-fold. First, establish secure Internet and phone communications for aid agencies, so that relief workers can talk to and coordinate with one another, not to mention access mission-critical things like email, field reports and satellite maps.

Once that's done, though, TSF teams then set up call centers, and offer locals a free phone call to anyone, anywhere in the world.

The photo you see above, for example, was taken in Haiti in 2008, following floods that devastated parts of the island.

With local cell service currently intermittent at best, you can bet that Haitians are desperate to make contact with loved ones inside and outside the county.

Paul Margie explained it like this: "People want their families to know they're alive, and they want them to know who's not. They want to try to get resources from people they know. And they want to try to reconnect with their families."

As noted on the TSF Web site, a donation of $10 can mean a five-minute phone call for an affected family.

TSF has been going into disaster zones for more than a decade now. The aid workers who founded it did so for the simple reason that, on missions, they were approached by people who -- even before they asked for food or water -- asked if they could make a phone call to relatives. This video gives you a good overview of the scope and breadth of their work:

As of this writing, TSF already has one team of three on the ground in Port-au-Prince, and six more volunteers on the way.

I should note that Télécoms Sans Frontières isn't the only group working to enable the modern day connections that aid groups need to get their jobs done. The World Food Program has dedicated Emergency Response Teams that go in and establish communications in support of food aid distribution.

Geeks everywhere should be proud of these men and women.

UPDATE: See photos from TSF's work in Haiti here.

Haiti Earthquake: How You Can Help The Victims:


• The American Red Cross is accepting donations by phone. You can text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross's efforts, or call 1-800-Redcross or 1-800-257-7575. Visit their Web site to find out more.
• Interaction, the largest coalition of U.S.-based NGOs focused on the world’s poor, has set up a Haiti relief donation page, listing several participating organizations where you can donate.
• UNICEF is also accepting donations for the relief efforts in Haiti and the Caribbean region. Visit their Web site or call 1-800-4UNICEF to donate.

(Photo courtesy of Télécoms Sans Frontières)