Laptop volunteers wanted for Haiti relief efforts

A Calgary woman is looking for volunteers who can help with earthquake relief efforts in Haiti using their computers.

Darlene Parker has organized a "CrisisCamp," which will be held in an office building in northwest Calgary on Feb. 6. It's part of Crisis Commons, a worldwide network of volunteer computer programmers and other professionals who collaborate on information technology projects meant to help those working in disaster zones.  

Volunteers working from Canada, the U.S., the United Kingdom and Colombia have already produced highly accurate global positioning system maps to help in the relief and rescue work underway in Haiti. They have also set up a system to let aid workers know where to find medical help or how they can exchange relief supplies.

Parker said there is still a lot of work to do so she is organizing a one-day training session in Calgary and looking for volunteers with technical and other kinds of expertise. A similar camp is being held in Ottawa on the same day.

"Bring your laptops; bring your knowledge," Parker said. "I need somebody with some real good project management skills as well. It's not just geeks. We actually need people who can translate because, you know, the language in Haiti is French Creole."

An expert in the not-for-profit sector says as technology advances, this kind of aid will increase.

"People who are thousands of miles away who want to help – beyond making a donation – now have an opportunity to use their skills in order to make a difference for those people on the ground," said Naheed Nenshi, who teaches at Mount Royal University. "And I suspect we will see much more of that going forward."

Parker's group doesn't have an office or staff but can be reached through the CrisisCommons website or Facebook.