Double Trouble: Charity Worker Draws Lessons for Haiti From Tsunami

Jan. 30, 2010 — -- As the relief effort in Haiti switches gears from emergency response to long-term aid, many observers recalled similar scenes of devastation from five years ago.

Elizabeth Firgeleski, a Connecticut native, was standing on the shores of Thailand, Dec. 26, 2004, when the tsunami waves hit Krabi Beach. As she watched longtail boats and the fishermen on them disappear into the waters and heard the screams of panic all around her, locals directed her to safety. She ran for her life, literally.

U.N. officials speculate that the death toll in Haiti will surpass the nearly quarter-million lives lost in the tsunami.

Firgeleski recalled the raw emotion of full-scale disaster.

"It's complete chaos," Firgeleski said. "Part of you is trying to make sense of the circumstance and the other part of you knows to run. You look around and all you see is devastation. But from chaos comes order and opportunity."

Firgeleski told ABC News that people who have friends and family in Haiti that are not yet reachable should remain positive.

"Communication in the aftermath is near-impossible," she said. "Cell towers are wiped, families are displaced and communities are in complete shock ... Hold on to that window of hope."

Firgeleski vowed that when she could, she would return and give back to the Thai people -- the very people she said gave her a fresh start at life. Two years after returning home, Firgeleski left her job in New York City, emptied out her savings and, in 2007, started a charity called "A Global Friendship."

"My motivation to start A Global Friendship was simple," Firgeleski said. "It stemmed from both my gratitude to those people that helped me to safety and the promise I made to those who I couldn't help that day."

A Global Friendship is a young, environmentally conscious, not-for-profit service and educational organization whose aim is to help develop communities in poor nations. It emphasizes self-sustainability, particularly among community matriarchs.

In Thailand, many such women lost their husbands in the tsunami.

The organization also works for equality and fair trade practices for artisans.

Project Home, a program of A Global Friendship, helps artisans get micro-financing and find markets. The program also teaches small business development skills. Eighty-five percent of proceeds go back to the artisans and the youth of Thailand.

Life Is a Privilege'

In order for artisans to participate in Project Home, they must agree to take on apprentices.

"The passing down of trade to younger generations is central to A Global Friendship's mission," said Firgeleski. "The hope is that a strong skill will help bridge the gap between past generations of inopportunity and future generations of success."

The opportunities for young women in Thailand are minimal. According to UNICEF, more than 500,000 women and children in Thailand fall into the sex trade industry each year. By providing other options for women, communities become stronger.

Last September, Project Home installed a water filtration system in Khao Lak's Duang Prateep Orphanage. The World Health Organization estimates that over 43 million Thais do not have access to clean, safe drinking water.

This April, before rainy season, Firgeleski will return to Thailand to put a roof on a school in Western Thailand that educates 74 young people.

"The greatest lesson for me is not to take any moments for granted," said Firgeleski. "Life is a privilege, and while many Haitians are in mourning, I hope that they will find the strength to make change happen as they rebuild. Together we can make the world a more beautiful place."

When the debris clears, A Global Friendship hopes to partner with organizations in Haiti to help Haitian communities rebuild.