[Chapter-delegates] Solidarity with the Haitian Internet community

[Lynn St.Amour]

Dear Colleagues,

We are all deeply shocked and saddened by the recent earthquake in  
Haiti, and the terrible toll it has extracted from the Haitian people  
and the nation.

In these first days, the major priority, of course, is the  
humanitarian relief effort, and to this end, we encourage all ISOC  
members and friends to donate what they can to the relief effort.

Our thoughts go out immediately to the people of Haiti, especially to  
our friends, colleagues, and fellow members in all affected areas.

In the chaos of the destruction, we have heard many stories of the  
vital role of communications technology in search and rescue, in  
reuniting families, and in guiding the relief efforts. Despite the  
damage done, many aspects of Haiti’s Internet and telecommunications  
infrastructure have continued to operate and have proven invaluable to  
the crisis response.

More than anything, this affirms the importance of the Internet  
Society’s mission, and it guides us in how we can apply our efforts to  
helping the people and the nation of Haiti recover.

Restoring damaged communications infrastructure will be crucial to the  
humanitarian and disaster relief efforts underway. In the longer term,  
providing the help Haiti needs to further develop and improve its  
Internet infrastructure will support the institutions of governance,  
business, and education necessary for rebuilding Haiti’s social and  
economic recovery.

The Internet Society had already planned to dedicate significant  
efforts towards education and capacity building in the Caribbean  
region in 2010. In light of this recent tragedy, much of this effort  
will be refocused and intensified around Haiti. Together with our  
regional partners, we will in the coming days, weeks, and months  
communicate more about our plans, and how we can best meet the needs  
expressed to us by the Haitian Internet community.

These efforts will be lead by Karen Rose, ISOC’s Director of Access  
and Development Initiatives, with the close support of our Latin  
America and Caribbean Bureau, and the Chapters and members in the  
region. For now, the ISOC homepage links to the Red Cross humanitarian  
appeal. Soon, we will begin providing links on how we can all  
contribute to the longer term Internet-related projects that will  
support Haiti’s recovery.

We especially wish to draw attention to the immediate response of  
organizations such as Inveneo, NetHope, the Network Startup Resource  
Center (NSRC), Packet Clearing House (PCH), LACNIC, the IEEE, and many  
others, all mobilizing for much-needed, practical, on-the-ground  
assistance.

Finally, on behalf of the ISOC community, we send a message of  
solidarity to leading members of the Haitian Internet community, such  
as Max Larson Henry, Reynold Guerrier, and Stephane Bruno, who are  
working tirelessly to restore and rebuild.

In these distressing times, there is at least some comfort from  
knowing that we can call on the unstinting support of a global,  
dedicated, community.

Sincerely,

Lynn St.Amour
President & CEO, Internet Society

Raúl Echeberría
Chair, ISOC Board of Trustees

Technical organizations
=======================
Inveneo
http://www.inveneo.org

NetHope
http://www.nethope.org

Network Startup Resource Center (NSRC)
http://nsrc.org

Packet Clearing House (PCH)
http://pch.net

LACNIC
http://lacnic.net

IEEE
http://www.ieee.org

Humanitarian relief
=======================
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
http://www.ifrc.org

UNICEF
http://www.unicef.org

Médecins Sans Frontières
http://www.msf.org