Rescue Boat To Haiti And Cuba
Spende geschützt
My name is Claire Shefchik. I'm a freelancer writer, editor and passionate sailor. I'm the author of Princess of Pirates: How I Ran Away to Sea (Cleis Press/Viva Editions). I'm a travel writer and blogger at Princess of Pirates.
As a starving writer who generally works for pennies, I don't get a lot of chances to do what I love and help people in a real, meaningful way. Then, finally I found one!
For weeks now, I have been set to go on a unique relief voyage during the first wo weeks of February 2016, onboard the sailboat Tandemeer (seen in the movie Trading Places starring Eddie Murphy! ) involving a small group of dedicated sailors and volunteers part of the International Rescue Group (IRG). We are going to Haiti and Cuba and providing desperately needed medical supplies for the cholera epidemic in these areas, as well as books, toys, clothing, water, electronic equipment, and other supplies to the people of Cuba. I was so exicted about the places I was going to see and the people I was going to meet and help out. I was already making plans for the trip!
Then: DISASTER!
Captain Sequoia of the Tandemeer has confirmed that he has a spot for me onboard. I had thought the cost was $500 and I was all set to go, but at the last minute the cost of fuel rose and the cost is now $1400, which is more than I can afford out of pocket right now, given I'm a freelancer and I live paycheck to paycheck. I don't blame him; boating is getting more expensive all the time, even if you're a dot-com millionaire with a superyacht, let alone a ragtag bunch of volunteers. But I was still heartbroken at the idea that I might not be able to go on this trip. My flight and lodging arrangements were already booked, so if I have to cancel, I'll be out that money as well.
If I can't raise the money, I will be out the cost of a ticket; nor will I be able to honor my obligation with the Haiti tourism board who has generously agreed to arrange to give me a tour of the island and show off the place that they call home.
That's why I REALLY need your help! I need to raise just $1400 in the next ten days, or I will not be able to go on this trip. I will be devastated if I miss out.
As you know from the news, diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States are normalizing, but we still have a long way to go.That's why cultural trips to Cuba, where we interact with the Cuban people, are so important to bring these two countries together after so many years apart. Getting to know and understand each other is a powerful way to combat hatred and mistrust.
On a sailboat, we can hop from port to port, see the faces of the people we help, get to know them, speak with them, share stories , and really understand what they need and how they live. But since we acn travel easily, we can also maximize the number of people we help.
Hurricane relief in Domenica
Problem is, boats are expensive to maintain; they requires food, fuel and docking expenses, which every volunteer is responsible for paying. I'm raising the tiny amount of $1400 to be a part of this voyage onboard the Tandemeer , simply to pay for my living expenses onboard the vessel for two weeks. I will be blogging, taking photos, and providing updates in real time, so donors will get to follow along on every step of the journey and see all the different ways we will help out.
Neither the captain or the organization has the funding at this point to pay for all the volunteers to be onboard. If we could live off the sea and and catch fish for our needs, we would, but we can't!
IRG helps out in Zihuatenejo, Mexico
Here's an update from Capt. Ray Thackeray at IRG about the mission:
"The IRG vessel Tandemeer is bound for Ile a Vache, a small but safe island south of Haiti where we will join company with a number of other charity boats providing many different kinds of aid to support Haiti during the long recovery from the 2010 earthquake and its aftermath.
We are taking much-needed medical supplies in support of the worsening cholera epidemic plus other supplies including 1000 cubic feet of recycled sails for Sails for Sustenance. We also expect to have doctors and other medical professionals on board to help in mainland clinics."
IRG has been a tremendous amount of good so far, and I'm so honored to have been invited to be a part of it.
Reasons Why Haiti and the Caribbean Still Need Help:
1. It's been five years since the devastating earthquake hit Haiti, one of the world's poorest countries. A disaster of such magnittude would be hard-hit for any country, but for an already-impoverished nation, it's going to take much longer than that.
2. The media has forgotten Haiti, but we haven't. The media tends to report on the lastest disaster of the moment, turning their attention away from those that dominated the headlines just a year ago. But that doesn't mean the need isn't still great.
3. Although the physical rebuilding has begun, disease is still rampant. Haiti is one of the few countries in the world that still suffers from cholera, a disease caused by contaminated water. The poor infrastructure doesn't have the supplies needed to combat it. That's where we come in.
4. Even when people get their basic needs met, their emotional needs are still there. Toys, books and other supplies are needed for children. These kids need a chance to be kids, and sailing on Tandemeer we can help them do that! For example, in Haiti, IRG partnerned with organization Zoe's Dolls to distribute dolls to 40 girls.
5. Education! Kids can't learn if they're struggling with basic needs, let alone afford school books or uniforms. IRG has partnered with Little Footprints, Big Steps to help the neediest children in Haiti get a good education and a chance at life.
This is a brief look at IRG's impact in the first half of 2015.:
Two boats (Thunderbird 5 and Tandemeer) and 50 volunteer crew delivered 12,000 pounds of cargo to the Bahamas and Haiti including food, medical supplies, clothes, tools, ropes, rigging, 55 sails for subsistence fishermen, 5 laptop computers, 20 water jugs, baby and children's supplies, an outboard motor for Ile a Vache's community in Haiti to use on an emergency taxi boat to transport supplies and ferry people to the clinic on the mainland as needed.
We also developed relationships in Florida, Bahamas, Haiti, Dominican Republic, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Isla Mujeres Mexico.
One of the 40 recipients of Zoe's Dolls, Haiti.
Children's Safehouse Little Footprints Big Steps, Les Cayes, Haiti were a major recipient of aid and they distributed Zoe's Dolls to 40 girls.
Again, I am blogging in real time over on Princess of Pirates.
More information:
IRG was featured in SAIL Magazine in 2012.
Follow my journey in real time on Princess of Pirates
Again, I'm trying to raise just $1400, or I will not be able to go on this trip AT ALL. And I'm not going to lie, I will cry, because this was such a perfect opportunity to see a little-known part of the world and help out the remarkable people who live there. All I wanted was a chance to do that and give back a little, something that I have never had the chance to really do.
Again, every dime of money you contribute to this trip will be used to fund my living/travel expenses on this remarkable journey of hope, love, and understanding. I'm so honored to receive any bit of help you can offer! Please help me go on this trip!
THANK YOU!!!
As a starving writer who generally works for pennies, I don't get a lot of chances to do what I love and help people in a real, meaningful way. Then, finally I found one!
For weeks now, I have been set to go on a unique relief voyage during the first wo weeks of February 2016, onboard the sailboat Tandemeer (seen in the movie Trading Places starring Eddie Murphy! ) involving a small group of dedicated sailors and volunteers part of the International Rescue Group (IRG). We are going to Haiti and Cuba and providing desperately needed medical supplies for the cholera epidemic in these areas, as well as books, toys, clothing, water, electronic equipment, and other supplies to the people of Cuba. I was so exicted about the places I was going to see and the people I was going to meet and help out. I was already making plans for the trip!
Then: DISASTER!
Captain Sequoia of the Tandemeer has confirmed that he has a spot for me onboard. I had thought the cost was $500 and I was all set to go, but at the last minute the cost of fuel rose and the cost is now $1400, which is more than I can afford out of pocket right now, given I'm a freelancer and I live paycheck to paycheck. I don't blame him; boating is getting more expensive all the time, even if you're a dot-com millionaire with a superyacht, let alone a ragtag bunch of volunteers. But I was still heartbroken at the idea that I might not be able to go on this trip. My flight and lodging arrangements were already booked, so if I have to cancel, I'll be out that money as well.
If I can't raise the money, I will be out the cost of a ticket; nor will I be able to honor my obligation with the Haiti tourism board who has generously agreed to arrange to give me a tour of the island and show off the place that they call home.
That's why I REALLY need your help! I need to raise just $1400 in the next ten days, or I will not be able to go on this trip. I will be devastated if I miss out.
As you know from the news, diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States are normalizing, but we still have a long way to go.That's why cultural trips to Cuba, where we interact with the Cuban people, are so important to bring these two countries together after so many years apart. Getting to know and understand each other is a powerful way to combat hatred and mistrust.
On a sailboat, we can hop from port to port, see the faces of the people we help, get to know them, speak with them, share stories , and really understand what they need and how they live. But since we acn travel easily, we can also maximize the number of people we help.
Hurricane relief in Domenica
Problem is, boats are expensive to maintain; they requires food, fuel and docking expenses, which every volunteer is responsible for paying. I'm raising the tiny amount of $1400 to be a part of this voyage onboard the Tandemeer , simply to pay for my living expenses onboard the vessel for two weeks. I will be blogging, taking photos, and providing updates in real time, so donors will get to follow along on every step of the journey and see all the different ways we will help out.
Neither the captain or the organization has the funding at this point to pay for all the volunteers to be onboard. If we could live off the sea and and catch fish for our needs, we would, but we can't!
IRG helps out in Zihuatenejo, Mexico
Here's an update from Capt. Ray Thackeray at IRG about the mission:
"The IRG vessel Tandemeer is bound for Ile a Vache, a small but safe island south of Haiti where we will join company with a number of other charity boats providing many different kinds of aid to support Haiti during the long recovery from the 2010 earthquake and its aftermath.
We are taking much-needed medical supplies in support of the worsening cholera epidemic plus other supplies including 1000 cubic feet of recycled sails for Sails for Sustenance. We also expect to have doctors and other medical professionals on board to help in mainland clinics."
IRG has been a tremendous amount of good so far, and I'm so honored to have been invited to be a part of it.
Reasons Why Haiti and the Caribbean Still Need Help:
1. It's been five years since the devastating earthquake hit Haiti, one of the world's poorest countries. A disaster of such magnittude would be hard-hit for any country, but for an already-impoverished nation, it's going to take much longer than that.
2. The media has forgotten Haiti, but we haven't. The media tends to report on the lastest disaster of the moment, turning their attention away from those that dominated the headlines just a year ago. But that doesn't mean the need isn't still great.
3. Although the physical rebuilding has begun, disease is still rampant. Haiti is one of the few countries in the world that still suffers from cholera, a disease caused by contaminated water. The poor infrastructure doesn't have the supplies needed to combat it. That's where we come in.
4. Even when people get their basic needs met, their emotional needs are still there. Toys, books and other supplies are needed for children. These kids need a chance to be kids, and sailing on Tandemeer we can help them do that! For example, in Haiti, IRG partnerned with organization Zoe's Dolls to distribute dolls to 40 girls.
5. Education! Kids can't learn if they're struggling with basic needs, let alone afford school books or uniforms. IRG has partnered with Little Footprints, Big Steps to help the neediest children in Haiti get a good education and a chance at life.
This is a brief look at IRG's impact in the first half of 2015.:
Two boats (Thunderbird 5 and Tandemeer) and 50 volunteer crew delivered 12,000 pounds of cargo to the Bahamas and Haiti including food, medical supplies, clothes, tools, ropes, rigging, 55 sails for subsistence fishermen, 5 laptop computers, 20 water jugs, baby and children's supplies, an outboard motor for Ile a Vache's community in Haiti to use on an emergency taxi boat to transport supplies and ferry people to the clinic on the mainland as needed.
We also developed relationships in Florida, Bahamas, Haiti, Dominican Republic, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Isla Mujeres Mexico.
One of the 40 recipients of Zoe's Dolls, Haiti.
Children's Safehouse Little Footprints Big Steps, Les Cayes, Haiti were a major recipient of aid and they distributed Zoe's Dolls to 40 girls.
Again, I am blogging in real time over on Princess of Pirates.
More information:
IRG was featured in SAIL Magazine in 2012.
Follow my journey in real time on Princess of Pirates
Again, I'm trying to raise just $1400, or I will not be able to go on this trip AT ALL. And I'm not going to lie, I will cry, because this was such a perfect opportunity to see a little-known part of the world and help out the remarkable people who live there. All I wanted was a chance to do that and give back a little, something that I have never had the chance to really do.
Again, every dime of money you contribute to this trip will be used to fund my living/travel expenses on this remarkable journey of hope, love, and understanding. I'm so honored to receive any bit of help you can offer! Please help me go on this trip!
THANK YOU!!!
Organisator
Claire Shefchik
Organisator
Stillwater, MN
