Escape from Haiti

April 10, 2008
by Rodney Olsen
9 Comments

I have only a couple of minutes online right now so I can’t say too much.

I just want you to know that our team managed to get out of Haiti yesterday under some extremely trying circumstances.

It was very difficult getting to the airport and at times we were in very real danger. We finally hooked up with some armed police who escorted us to the airport.

We were to fly to Dominican Republic but the flight was cancelled. The airline was not prepared to fly into Haiti. We’re now in Miami. We got a good night’s sleep last night and will fly on to Dominican Republic to see more of Compassion’s work later today. We’ll stay there for a few days and I’ll be flying home on the originally planned flights. I should be home on Tuesday afternoon.

You can read more on the situation by going to this article at Times Online.

The Haitian capital was paralysed by food riots yesterday as the United Nations gave warning that soaring food prices were spurring unrest around the world.

Rioters returned to the streets in Port-au-Prince a day after UN peacekeepers had to fire rubber bullets to prevent hungry Haitians from storming the presidential palace. Columns of smoke rose over the city as demonstrators, demanding that the Government take action over the rising price of foodstuffs such as rice, beans and oil, set fire to barricades made from tyres.

At least five people have been killed and more than 20 injured. Protesters compared the burning hunger in their stomachs to bleach or battery acid.

I will write more soon and hopefully be able to post an interview. I’m hoping to chat to Arthur Muhl during the breakfast programme on Sonshine FM tomorrow.



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The story so far

April 7, 2008
by Rodney Olsen
2 Comments

OK … I’m now on a full sized computer and can say a little more.

I’ve also just had 8 hours sleep and so the world is looking a little better.

I had a fabulous start to my trip. We turned up at Perth Airport in plenty of time to catch the 10:45 a.m. flight to Sydney on Saturday morning. That’s when I was told that the flight would now leave at 3:25 p.m. Brilliant.

We headed back out of the airport and spent some family time at McDonalds. I normally wouldn’t want to spend an entire day at Maccas but I needed to stay at least ‘near’ the airport.

Finally my plane left the ground shortly after 4:30 p.m. I arrived in Sydney after 11:00 p.m. and managed to find my way to the hotel where the rest of the team had had a lovely dinner and a briefing on our upcoming trip. Oh well … I was there at least.

The next morning we got Sydney International Airport and got on board for a thirteen and a half hour flight to Los Angeles. I now know how battery hens feel. Crammed in for that length of time isn’t such a good idea.

I love the way that they help you adjust to the time zone you’re going to. We were on the plane and left Australia around 10:00 a.m. on Sunday so a while after take off we were given lunch. Sometime after that came a snack. A few hours later we were eating breakfast. Hang on … where did dinner and a good night’s sleep go?

It was an early arrival in LA but not quite early enough. Our connection with flights for the Miami plane was already going to be tight but an extra delay on our flight leaving Sydney meant that upon arrival we had to dash through customs and then just keep running to head for the Miami plane. It was a real accomplishment to finally sit down on the plane, even if it was the last row of the aircraft which came complete with stale lavatory smell.

Last night there was an amazing electrical storm. It was great to be able to watch it out of our hotel window but not so great to think that our two hour tour of Miami today will be under rainiy conditions.

This afternoon the real part of our trip begins. We’ll be flying into Haiti and we start visiting Compassion projects tomorrow morning. There’s an amazing itinerary planned for us, visiting several projects and interacting with the local staff and children. I’m really looking forward to being able to share more about the trip with you soon and to be able to show you some photos.

Despite a few hiccups here and there I’m having a wonderful time and am looking forward to all that the next fesw days hold.

Catch you soon.



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Beautiful downtown Miami

April 7, 2008
by Rodney Olsen
6 Comments

Here I am in Miami. We’re staying here tonight before flying to Haiti tomorrow.

It’s been the longest day of my life. I think all up that Sunday the 6th of April will run for 37 hours for me this year.  I’m not  good at  sleeping  on planes and so I  think  I’ve been awake for  most of it.

There’s lots to say about the journey so far and meeting up with the rest of the team. Unfortunately I’m using a very small keyboard and so I can’t write too much.

It’s around 10 o’clock on Sunday night here and there’s a big electrical storm outside the hotel. The news is on the wide screen in our room and they say that the storms will continue and will be severe.

The stormy weather already delayed our flight into Miami but not for too long. We’ve had dinner and now I need a shower and a sleep.

I’ll have a lot more to say in the coming days if I can get internet access.



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Heading to Haiti

January 10, 2008
by Rodney Olsen
7 Comments

ha-map.gifI’ve hinted a couple of times that I’ll be taking a long trip in 2008.

In April this year I’ll be joining a small group of others to fly to Haiti to observe the aid work of Compassion.

Compassion works with the poorest of the poor children in over 25 developing countries around the world in Africa, Asia, Central and South America.

Compassion works in partnership with local churches in developing countries; providing resources, training and expertise to assist in the operation of holistic child development programmes.

Each year in May, 98.5 Sonshine FM runs Compassion Day, a day where we highlight the great need to sponsor children in developing countries to provide a better life for them and their families. My trip will help me to communicate the vast need and the effectiveness of Compassion’s work.

The CIA’s World Factbook tells me that Haiti is a country in desperate poverty.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by the country’s widespread deforestation.

I’ll spend one day in Miami before about a week and a half in Haiti. Planning is in the early stages at the moment so I’ll tell you more as the journey gets closer.



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