This post is part of a series called Miyamoto in Haiti Jon Buckley, a 32-year-old project engineer in our San Diego office, used his vacation and paid his own way to volunteer in Haiti for the firm’s nonprofit, Miyamoto Global Disaster Relief.  Read his guest journal about his adventures – like eating BBQ goat, learning a few phrases in French and Creole and seeing the damage from a major earthquake for the first time in person. The highlight, though, was working on Miyamoto Relief’s newest project, the retrofit of a dangerous, 4,000-student school in the heart of Port-au-Prince. February 2,…

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…

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…

This post is part of a series called Miyamoto in Haiti As a structural engineering student travelling to Haiti with a small group of fellow students (SESH), I intended to apply my knowledge of structures in a way that would develop communities and directly benefit people. During my brief, yet eventful, 10-day visit, I encountered the reality, obstacles, and successes of a nation susceptible to devastating natural disasters. As a foreign volunteer group seeking to aid a society distressed by an earthquake, I realized we are not alone in this endeavor; many  non-profit organizations have made their way to Haiti…

This post is part of a series called Miyamoto in Haiti   In collaboration with UNICEF and the Haiti Ministry of Education, Miyamoto International has engineered and is managing the construction of 14 school campuses in Haiti. These schools are located in extremely remote areas where we’re using innovative steel-frame systems, the first of their kind produced and constructed by Haitian contractors. These systems make it easy rebuild quake-damaged or destroyed schools more quickly while maintaining the highest degree of quality control.…

This post is part of a series called Miyamoto in Haiti Croyez-moi, c’était pénible. Mais en retrospect, c’était une des meilleures décisions que nous ayons jamais prises. Nous avions sélectionné 16 entrepreneurs et leur avions formé dans la technologie et les affaires. Nous avions commandé des matériaux auprès de fournisseurs-Haïtiens locaux.…