This post is part of a series called Miyamoto in Haiti The community also had an interesting reaction to the Miyamoto banner that was installed at the entrance of the Lycee: normally, people in Cite Soleil do not appreciate signs and banners with donor logos because they are perceived as disempowering, as taking ownership away from the neighborhood. But the community appeared to appreciate this banner because instead of NGO logos on the banner, there were the logos of Haitian companies who were willing to put their name and brand on a project from Cite Soleil. There has been a…

With this recent earthquake in Chiang Rai, there is heightened concern regarding the community’s seismic resiliency.  Whether a community leader, building owner or resident of the city of Chiang Rai, all stakeholders have a vested interest in mitigating the seismic risk facing the community, the city and the country.…

This post is part of a series called 2014 Liberia Earthquake Journals MONROVIA, Liberia–It’s 2:30 pm and the hot African sun bears down on us. Our plane is scheduled later today, but for now I face the blowing sea smell of the wind from the Atlantic Ocean. The beach is desolate, but absolutely wild and beautiful. It’s a pure honey brown sand beach in Buchanan in the county of Grand Bassa. My bare feet are in the sand with my business pants rolled up. I removed my tie hours ago.  These things make sense in northern European weather. Not here.…

This post is part of a series called 2014 Liberia Earthquake Journals MONROVIA, Liberia–It’s 9:30 am on a Monday and our second day in Liberia. We are here on a week-long mission to advise the Government of Liberia on low-income housing construction. Cojolo, our tall guide/guard and the Protocol Officer at the Ministry of Finance, waited for us for more than 30 minutes now in the lobby. I was concerned about his mood. He greeted me with a straight face and pointed at his watch. I swiftly ran into the breakfast room to fetch a cup of coffee. We were…

This post is part of a series called 2014 Liberia Earthquake Journals MONROVIA, Liberia–The African heat and humidity mingling with the smell of burning gas bombarded me as I stepped off the plane. The lush green jungle that framed the airport and the insect noises vibrating through the air overwhelmed me. After a hellish 27 hour flight from California, it was a vivid welcome to Liberia. This West African country is home to 4 million people. In November 2013, we received a letter from Liberia’s Minister of Finance, Mr. Amara Konneh, of the Republic of Liberia. Its purpose was to…

This post is part of a series called Miyamoto in Haiti When Structural Engineering Students for Humanity (SESH) decided that Haiti was to be the destination of our summer 2014 trip, we were often given a warning: “You will either love Haiti or you will hate it.” I am happy to report that after spending two weeks in a country that I never thought I would visit, I cannot wait to plan my return.The love that Haitian people have for their county is truly contagious. Despite the hardships they have faced, they firmly believe that Haiti is capable of achieving…