LANGFORD – When Canadians saw the devastation in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, they reached into their pockets giving millions to the international relief effort.
But one Vancouver Island community saw a need for more than just money. Langford Mayor Stew Young wants to use local development expertise to help homeless Haitian orphans. And young has assembled a group of people who are about to travel to Haiti to make it happen.
/A\ News will follow the Langford group and show how an international disaster hits home and what any one of us can do.
/A\ News reporter Stephen Andrew and videographer Brendan Strain begin a special assignment.
They call themselves “Team Haiti ,” an eclectic group of individuals from Langford.
There’s a building inspector, a police officer, a developer, his wife – the emergency social services coordinator, and a Fire Chief.
Tomorrow they leave their self-described comfortable lives destined Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital devastated by a massive earthquake on January 12th.
It is a city of disaster, death, and despair.
It seems an unlikely place to attract the attention of Greater Victoria’s fastest growing municipality, but it’s where Langford’s Mayor sees part of his city’s future.
“It moved me and I know it moved a lot of people,” says Stew Young. “You know, I have to be very supportive as the Mayor when people are coming forward in my community and saying we should do something. So, I think the time is right.”
Young’s first call was to his Fire Chief to look for ideas. It did not take long to find project.
Within days Bob Beckett was staring into the eyes of children who had lost not only their parents, but for many the only home they knew.
Young and Beckett say it became clear that a Catholic orphanage run by two elderly nuns and adopted by RCMP officers serving in Haiti would be the perfect place to start.
And Beckett says that plan was made easier because the RCMP officers were inviting them to come down.
“There was no despair,” says Beckett “But there was some degree of urgency identifying that they desperately need to have their orphanage rebuilt. They told us they were so pleased that the Langford community is interested to help and they asked how they can make the project work.”
For that Beckett turned to a man he knew he could count on; Langford’s Chief Building Inspector.
“I know Bob and I trust him,” says Dan Reynolds. “I said ‘Yeah’. I didn’t even think about it.”
Reynolds soon discovered Langford’s Mayor is not just looking to re-build the orphanage – he wants it built to a post disaster standard within months.
Reynolds will play a key role in the trip. He will assess the damage and see if the plan can be achieved.
“At first I thought maybe it would be better if you sent an engineer,” Reynolds explains. “If there had of been building codes, if there had been building inspections, maybe the disaster would have been mitigated down to what Chile is experiencing right now. I now think it is right to send a building inspector first just to find out what is available, what are the capabilities of the trades there and what materials do they have to work with. I can then work with the engineers and the builders like I do here every day.”
If Team Haiti is to succeed, it knows money is important.
For developer Terry Young, being asked to join the project could not have come at a better time. He has considered retiring for some time, but jokingly asks to what? Now he knows. Between playing with his grandchildren, Young will be raising funds.
It’s a task that he says will be easy by showing potential donors local communities can change the lives of people who live thousands of kilometers away.
“I see myself as just a vehicle to do that,” Young says. “If I go to someone for a donation I think I’m doing them a favour – in letting them let me take their money to spend it in a proper fashion.”
The team acknowledges it is an ambitious goal, but Langford’s mayor believes will be met.
Duration : 0:4:15
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