Connections

I was listening on the latest Haiti emergency response team call for NetHope members today. As the group went around the virtual table providing their input, I heard a number say they were grateful for the connections we were able to provide. We have a dozen member locations wired in the Port-au-Prince area since the quake on the 12th. They were also grateful for having Joe, and the Cisco and Inveneo teams there to help solve the myriad of problems that inevitably crop up providing technology links. A number of people said they did not have IT people on the ground in Haiti. Our team became their arms and legs.

In my last entry, I mentioned the power of people connections at work in technology connections. Collaborating means sharing the people as much as the solutions. Maybe more so. I've often referred to this as the "virtual village. In a village, everyone knows each other. When a barn needs building, the carpenters, painters and masons show up and lend a hand. This is what our village in Haiti is doing with the ICT building blocks. We help each other, so together we can help those who need us most.