Tifie support projects that help marginalized people with basic needs: Shelter, Power, Food, Water, Education, and Jobs. These are the building blocks to being self-sufficient. Tifie doesn’t run projects ourselves; instead, we partner with local organizations and people who know the needs, priorities, people, culture, and have a strategic plan for how to move forward. Tifie and Barebones traveled to Bahamas to set up shelters for Hurricane Dorian survivors. We are so thankful for the work that Open World Relief is doing and that we could help give people dignified living spaces.
Unfortunately for those living in the islands devastated by Dorian, their newly unfolding reality has disappeared from the news cycle, as new natural disasters and political upheavals have taken over. However, the need is great long after the initial shock of the first few days and weeks pass by.
By luck/blessing/happenstance/divine inspiration, we were connected to Maggie Whitcomb and her network, which included, so randomly (or not so randomly?) two people who we had worked with in Puerto Rico three years ago, one who had set up Barebones shelters. With a generous donation from Barebone’s logistics company, Mainfreight, a shipment of Barebones shelters, Discobed bunk beds and bedding were shipped and arrived by donated charter plane in Abaco..
Erik Workman was part of the initial Barebones product development team, and has helped set up Barebones shelters in Fiji after Cyclone Winston. He said he was in need of “an adventure”, and was available to fly out with little notice. He arrived in Abaco with a Delta pilot who volunteers on his off days to do humanitarian flights. The team from Open World Relief were working hard to prepare the shelter sites and construction plan. Erik reminded them that he was a strong back and hard worker, and ready to tackle whatever they needed that day. He wasn’t just there to set up shelters on behalf of Tifie and Barebones, and certainly didn’t need a ‘horse and pony show” that is common when donors are involved in humanitarian work. It seemed like there was a collective sigh, and he was put to work distributing clean water solutions around the island that day instead. Back home in Utah, hearing Erik recount this, made me so thankful, and proud, that we are truly in this together with our partners, and try to serve their needs first, acknowledging that they are the experts and know what needs to be done.
