General Notices

Dear Colleagues,

In the wake of the devastation wrought by a 7.0 earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010 The UWI has been working towards streamlining its efforts to provide assistance to the people of Haiti.

One of our colleagues, Dr. Marie-Jose N'Zengou-Tayo, Head of the Department of Modern Languages at the Mona Campus, was also in Haiti at the time of the earthquake, but is now back in Jamaica. Dr. N'Zengou-Tayo lost her brother and even as we rejoice in having her safely back with us, we extend deepest condolences to her. I have also written to the Ambassador of Haiti in Jamaica to express the solidarity of The UWI community with the people of Haiti. Similar letters have been sent to the leadership of three of the Universities in Haiti with which we have established a working relationship.

In the days immediately after the earthquake, two civil engineers from the Faculty of Engineering at St. Augustine, Dr. Derek Gay and Dr. Richard Clarke, visited Haiti as members of a Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) reconnaissance team. Their initial report confirmed the level of devastation and made some recommendations. The UWI has also been in contact with the CARICOM Secretariat to ensure that our response is also coordinated with their efforts.

CDEMA is CARICOM's coordinating agency and The UWI will work through CDEMA during this phase of activities. CDEMA has shared with us a list of skills that are urgently needed and you are invited to indicate your willingness to be deployed as part of national and regional governmental and non-governmental agency responses. This list is at the bottom of this bulletin. Please submit your names and profiles to Professor Trevor Jackson, Coordinator of The UWI Disaster Risk Reduction Centre at trevor.jackson@uwimona.edu.jm.

The Emergency Response Database compiled by The UWI in the wake of Hurricane Ivan in 2004 is being updated and persons with French or Creole language competencies are especially encouraged to submit their profiles and contact information.

I have been particularly heartened by the expressions of interest from our technical and support staff, and from our students. There are many activities taking place across our campuses and I would like to use this bulletin as a means of sharing information about those activities with our entire community. I would deeply appreciate information about such activities being shared with my office via email vcoff@uwimona.edu.jm.

Accounts have been opened across The UWI contributing countries and contributions have been coming in through that avenue. Staff and students across The UWI have also been assisting in other community-based and national fund-raising, clothing and food collection drives and these donations are being channelled through national and international relief agencies with direct contact with counterpart agencies in Haiti.    We thank you for your contributions in cash and kind and for the suggestions that have been coming in to the Office of the Vice Chancellor by email and through other avenues.

For the medium to longer-term efforts, The UWI will work with regional partners in the tertiary education sector to assist that sector in Haiti and to promote development activities in Haiti. In March, The UWI will host a symposium involving members of the Association of Caribbean Universities and Research Institutes (UNICA) that will focus on Haiti. Emanating from this symposium will be issues and recommendations that will inform a larger conference that has been mooted by the Principal of the Cave Hill Campus, Sir Hilary Beckles. You will be kept informed about those activities.

Sincerely,

Professor E. Nigel Harris

Vice-Chancellor

CDEMA list of required skills: 

Medical Personnel

Public Health

Construction

Emergency Medical Technicians

Surgeons

General Practitioners

Anesthetists

Internists

Obstetricians

Neonatal specialists

Pediatricians

Nurses

Midwives

Psychologists

Radiologists

Nutritionists

Water and Sewage Engineers/Specialists

Epidemiologists

Stress Management/crisis intervention Specialists Mortuary technicians

Civil engineers

Carpenters

Masons

Plumbers

Electrical installation specialists

General labourers

Communications

Administration

Linesmen

Technicians

ICT specialists

Language facilitators  (Haitian/St Lucian Creole/French)

Logistics

Hospital Administration

Secretarial support