Comments on the Haiti-Heli relief project

Who better to describe the operations of the Haiti-Heli than the employees and co-ordinators of the relief organisations on site? We would like to say thank you for their work and contribution for Haiti and, of course, for the professional co-operation.

BILD hilft e.V. "Ein Herz für Kinder"

Martina Krüger, Director:
"German Help One" the helicopter from "Ein Herz für Kinder" and "Heli Aviation" is saving lives in the earthquake hell of Haiti. Thanks to fast help from the air, it has now been possible to fly dozens of casualties from regions difficult to access to hospital. Moreover, thanks to the helicopter, it has been possible to deploy doctors, medicines, food, drinking water and further relief supplies without delay to the areas most urgently in need of assistance. We are very pleased that, thanks to the helicopter deployment, it has been possible to provide targeted help quickly and effectively to those suffering so much as a result of this unimaginable natural catastrophe. Kind regards, also to your colleagues".

Kinderhilfswerk Stiftung Global-Care

Beate Tohmé, Assistant to the Management:
"Our team has arrived safely in Germany. Many thanks for your help which made their work VERY MUCH easier!!! Ultimately, you saved lives because the doctors had more time to treat patients instead of being on the road under difficult conditions!!! ..."

Humedica Internationale Hilfe

Ms Simone Winneg, Project Co-ordinator:
"On behalf of all the Haiti team and the people at our head office in Kaufbeuren, I would like to thank you for your non-bureaucratic and simple handling of the organisation of relief flights with the helicopter – our co-ordinators were thrilled" ... "Thanks to the use of the helicopter, our team was able to visit not only Jacmel, but also areas surrounding Léogâne in one day, which meant we saved an enormous amount of time and expense and made the relief more effective." ... "Thank you very much indeed for this great service which made our work so much easier and meant that we were able to provide help in a much faster and more targeted manner." Here you can read the complete Statement by Humedica about the relief operation.

ADRA Deutschland

Fritz Neuberg, Project Co-ordinator:
"We came across the Heli Aviation team thanks to a colleague in a friendly relief organisation. From the very first moment, we not only had a very positive sense of the willingness to help but also of the friendly and congenial manner of the entire team. Heli Aviation is making the work in a very difficult environment much simpler and easier for us. The transport of our water tank would surely have cost a total of 3 days organisation/transport, but in this way we received our tank on site within two hours. Our assessments in the mountains surrounding Port-au-Prince would not have been possible either without Heli Aviation. As it is, we have a better picture of the on-site situation and are better able to prepare projects for these remote areas. In the meantime, we have also provided each other with mutual support, a symbol of the good co-operation. Many thanks indeed for the excellent support. Heli Aviation is therefore not only helping us but ultimately the victims of the earthquake in Haiti."

Unsere kleinen Brüder und Schwestern

Evelin Schuster, Medical Co-ordinator:
"The crew of the helicopter "German Help One" is providing very valuable services for the people in Haiti. The patients in our "St. Damien" hospital have benefited greatly from the transport of people and relief supplies. Our national director Father Richard Frechette writes: "The helicopter was very useful; the pilots always friendly and helpful". Together with many local staff, Father Richard would like to continue to step up aid deliveries to remote regions. According to his observations, international relief is still heavily concentrated on the capital of Port-au-Prince. The Haiti Heli makes it easier to supply these often outlying areas. We are very grateful and happy that "Ein Herz für Kinder" and Heli Aviation reacted so quickly after the earthquake and helped in such a non-bureaucratic fashion. The "German Help One" contributed to saving the lives of children and their parents. Thank you for this very good co-operation!"

St. Boniface Haiti Foundation

Betsy Sherwood, MSW, Field Officer:
"Greetings from Fond des Blancs, Haiti,
I wanted to take a few moment to extend our deepest gratitude to you and all of the employees working on German Help One here in Haiti. I am a field officer at a remote, rural hospital called St. Boniface situated about 5 long, bumpy hours outside of Port-au-Prince. After the January 12th earthquake, our poor, but peaceful hospital became a hub of excitement as there were critically injured patients completely displaced. Overnight, we were charged with becoming a center for treating Spinal Cord Injuries, absorbing nearly 20 newly paralyzed patients who had no where to go for post-operative care and long term rehabilitation. Our hospital is remarkably well equipped but extremely challenging to access, especially for these patients whom had just undergone extremely invasive spinal surgery and were suffering from deep and dangerous ulcers and wounds. In their condition, none of the doctors felt they would be able to withstand the dangerous journey overland to us, the only way to get them out to us for the appropriate care was through the use of helicopters. German Help One has trasnported more than 10 of our patients, either bringing them out to us from Port-au-Prince to start their lives over and begin the lengthy rehabilation process. And in other cases, transporting extremly medically fragile patients into the city for emergency, life saving surgery. Without out your help we have paitients who would have died of senseless infections. Though we understand that helicopter rides are not sustainable and that eventually ground transport will be the only options, this is still a time of dire need for these paitients. Not only the ones in Fond des Blancs, but in Port-au-Prince and the North as well. We know of at least 20 vulnerable paraplegics who will need to be transported at sometime over the next months or so. Please pass on to your supporters that Christian, Kay, Jens, Marcus, Cedric, and Benjamin are truly saving lives. Lives of people who will never walk again but have had the chance to fly a safer place thanks to your mission.

Keep up the amazing work."

UNITED NATIONS

Safari Djumapili, OCHA Leogane, Haiti:
"Dear colleagues,
Please note that, two international volunteers from Hands On Disaster Response "HODR" were successfully evacuated to Port-au-Prince this afternoon at around 16h00 with Helicopter funded by Germany Foundation for "MDM International" Delegations operating in Haiti. Following my telephone conversation with Marc from HODR, the two evacuated patients are feeling much better at the Hospital (Foyer Saint Camille) in Port-au-Prince. We very much appreciate how quick this helicopter landed to Leogane Helipad from Port-au-Prince (15 minutes after an emergency phone call, this helicopter was already on the ground before even patients left MSF hospital in Leogane!). I take this opportunity to thank MDM Logistic in Santo Domingo for immediate and quick action taken following our emergency phone call, we also thank Ruth (MDM Spanish) for sharing the number and finally MSF Suisse for its first aid, assistance and advice provided patients."

Médecins du Monde

Emmanuelle Sanchez, Coordo Log - BLSD, Medecins du Monde - DRI:
"Dear Héli-aviation Team,
Here is a thank you message for the Médevac we had to manage yesterday afternoon with Héli-aviation. I am happy everything is going well in our collaboration, and I can just hope than we will be able to continue to work together."

Haiti Hospital Appeal

Lisa Carnie, Rehabilitation Co-ordinator:
"Dear German Help One team,
My name is Lisa Carnie and I am the Rehabilitation Co-ordinator for the Spinal Unit in Cap Haitian, Haiti.  I just wanted to write to you on behalf of us all here to express our gratitude for the services of the German Help One team. We have 19 patients at our hospital who all sustained terrible spinal cord  injuries after the tragic earthquake and many have been left with permanent paralysis.  It would not be possible to meet the ongoing medical needs of our patients if it wasn’t for helicopter services that your team provides. Our patients must go for all tests, imagining, medical and surgical interventions at Milot Hospital, as our rehabilitation facility does not have the capacity to treat any acute medical problems that may arise.  Milot is only about 50 minutes up the road from our unit, however the road is in such an appalling state that it is not possible to transfer our patients by road.  Many of our patients are awaiting surgical intervention meaning that their spines are still unstable.  If they were to travel by road it would likely cause further injury, complications, and would certainly cause them a great deal of pain. The German Help One team are always amazing with our patients, and treat them like the precious cargo that they are.  They are always exceptionally cautious of their paralysed limbs, and assist to position all patients extremely carefully in the helicopter.  This is so important as even on such a short journey their skin can break down and they are very vulnerable to obtain injuries if not handled correctly.  We are so grateful for this as further complications would likely mean many more months of medical intervention for our patients.

Our unit would not be able to access the essential acute care facilities and medical supplies at Milot if we didn’t have the support from German Help One.  So thank you very much on behalf of our appeal, all staff and patients at the Spinal Unit.  The service is making the difference to all 19 of our patient’s lives."

Foyer St. Camille

Anita Ennis, Foyer St. Camille
"Dear German Help One team,
Firstly I want to thank you most sincerely  for your help with our medivac from Mare Rouge to Foyer St Camille today. Please advise the crew that Pierla is comfortable and will go to theatre tomorrow for essential cleansing of her extensive burns and possible surgery for her hands, one of which appears quite bad, with a couple of fingers greatly effecte. It is difficult to adequately express just how important this medivac was for Pierla. Given that she sustained extensive burns to both arms, hands, torso and left leg on 3/5/10 and received delayed, inadequate, and inappropriate treatment, we still hope our combined efforts (GERMAN HELP One and our medical team) will have a successful outcome. This is the third medivac you have assisted us with, one in March, Willy Altidor a spinal injury who you transfered to Milot spinal unit for us, the second in april - a young American volunteer, with acute appendicitis - from Leogane to the Foyer, and Pierla today.

Each of these interventions were essential and life saving and I really want to thank you for your help. I would also like to thank you and all the team for the great care and consideration shown to patients, their family members, and our team. Nothing was too much trouble for your team, every request was given due attention. Everything was considered possible.

I sincerely hope that Donors will find a way to reconsider dropping your service which has been vital to so many."

Kinderhilfswerk Stiftung Global-Care

Beate Tohmé, Assistant to the Management:
"Dear Heli Aviation Team,
attached you find a letter of thanks of our project manager sister Phylli from Haiti for the relief operations with the helicopter! In the name of the earthquake victims we thank you sincerely for your engagement and the generous support!"
Read here the complete letter of thanks.