government - operation gonaives

Detailed Description:

In 2008, the island nation of Haiti weathered attacks from four different tropical storms: Fay, Gustav, Hanah, and Ike. Haiti�s location in the Caribbean makes it especially susceptible to these types of storms. While there are countless organizations world-wide devoted to providing aid to this third-world nation, relief aid can be especially difficult in this country because of the history of poverty and civil unrest. For example Cite Soleil, near the national capital of Port-au-Prince is the poorest city in the Western Hemisphere.

Students will be involved in activities that promote problem solving, hypothesis generation, and exploration. The primary goal for the learners will be to solve the problem �how will relief aid be delivered to the people of Gonaives, Haiti effectively and efficiently�. As a team, the learners will start by hypothesizing what things are important to deliver to a disaster area. They will use this hypothesis as a springboard into further research. The problem should be solved by leveraging each others� strengths, identifying all aspects of a complex scenario, and brainstorming creative solutions. Therefore a means of asynchronous communication will be provided in an online environment. A web-posting area (eg. Blog) will also be necessary to promote reflection within individuals. Along with the discussion and reflection forums, the online environment will be a �portal� to the world of relief aid that provides links to past and present relevant news stories, comparative case studies, and links to comparable organizations. These resources are provided to scaffold the learning of the students, who are assumed to have no prior knowledge in this area.

Learning Outcomes:

The learner will be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding o f the various cultural and human aspects to be considered.
when organizing a relief effort.
Identify possible health hazards for the area.
Design a logistical plan to move resources into the area.
Prepare a budget, identifying possible, realistic sources of income and expected expenses.
Demonstrate an appreciation for the various roles in a relief organization.
Demonstrate an understanding of how different relief focus areas interact with one another.