Why Haiti?

As you know, a cataclysmic seven.zero magnitude earthquake destroyed much of Haiti's capital city, Port-au-Prince and surrounding communities 15 days ago on January 12. The earthquake lasted seconds but in that short moment of time, Haiti's landscape and the nation's already fragile psyche was changed forever. It's hard to measure the costs of lives lost because so many of the dead are still buried under the collapsed building rubble. Miraculously, there are reports that people are still being pulled out of the concrete ALIVE after being trapped for 15 days! However, the unofficial count of 150,000 dead and 250,000 injured continue to grow with each passing day. 3 million people have been affected. Government buildings, The Cathedral, churches, hospitals, utilities, schools, stores, roadways, prisons all destroyed. Homes imploded upon themselves. The scope of devastation is apocalyptic. A survivor was quoted, "I thought this was the end of the world." This earthquake. In Haiti. This is exactly what Haiti didn't need: more suffering...for a very long time. Months leading up to the earthquake, Haiti's remarkable citizens, against all odds were making a small hopeful rebound of sorts for the better, then, all hell broke loose and the stone age descended upon them in seconds. Hope crushed. Why Haiti?

Haiti's history of suffering predates what happened this month. Hurricanes, disease, environmental deterioration, political corruption, crime, coups, illiteracy, slums, drugs, debt, lack of natural resources, poor construction, crumbling infrastructure, a growing hungry population, and, yes, previous earthquakes have all conspired to make Haiti the least-developed and poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti is only one hour away by plane from the richest country on the planet, the United States of America. Before the recent 2010 earthquake, Haiti's fact sheet read: 10 million people live in the country of which 80% live below the poverty line (poverty line is defined as people making less than $2/day), 2 million people are chronically-unemployed, 90% of Haitian children suffer from waterborne diseases and intestinal parasites, half of all Haitian deaths are HIV-Aids related, typhoid-malaria-tuberculosis-cholera(extinct diseases in the developed world)run rampant. Haiti has suffered and the suffering just got alot worse. Why Haiti?

There is no answer to the "Why Haiti?" question. Tragedies can befall us in some form at some time. From the epic tragedy of Haiti's earthquake to the personal tragedy of suddenly losing a loved one. All tragedies of whatever scope elicit the same question, why? Since an answer to this question is unanswerable to me, I answer the question with a question, that is, how can I help you in your time of need? For that question there are answers.

For Haiti, the answers came in waves of humanitarian aid that arrived soon after the earthquake and aid continues to pour into that damaged country. Help is coming in from all over the world, in money and in humanitarian aid. The global response to Haiti's immediate need has been a revelation of sincere compassion of those who have something to give to those who have lost everything. Money and aid have descended into Haiti non-stop since the earthquake. Countries have pledged millions of dollars for Haitian aid and support for years to come: European Union $475M, Brazil $225M, UK $33M, France $14M, USA $100M plus, Canada $130M, Italy waived $56M in loans, the Dominican Republic, who shares the island with Haiti, were the first responders with water, food, heavy machinery and offered the use of their hospitals to the injured. Other countries, like Israel, Japan, South Korea, India, Mexico have supplied "boots on the ground" to help with recovery, security and medical care. However, some great and powerful nations of the community of the world have not answered the call for help for which they will be judged: China, Russia and the Arabian Peninsula to name a few. International Aid Agencies from around the world have arrived in Haiti to support the herculean effort of repair and comfort. Doctors Without Borders, International Red Cross, Partners in Health, Giving Children Hope and Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and many more, are making a difference during this calamity. In fact, CRS had already established a presence on Haiti years ago which is 80% Catholic. CRS was dealing with the daily suffering before on Haiti but nothing could have prepared them for what the earthquake wrought.

CRS's mantra, "Giving Hope to a World of Need" continues to be tested in Haiti. The following is a press release from the front lines, "Almost immediately following the earthquake, CRS began delivering lifesaving supplies, including food and water to desperate survivors. The supplies were already in place in CRS' Port-au-Prince warehouse. CRS has a staff of 313 on the ground, with more personnel arriving daily. CRS Haiti's headquarters building was damaged but did not collapse. Until its structural integrity is assured, aid workers are working and sleeping outside in tents and cars. 1500 metric tons of wheat and oil will arrive shortly and be distributed immediately. In the neighboring Dominican Republic, CRS is preparing food packages to feed 50,000 people. The packages are 5 gallon buckets loaded with ready-to-eat foods that don't need to be cooked. CRS is also readying water storage containers, water purification tablets, hygiene kits, cookware and plastic sheeting in Haiti and the DR." CRS and all the other aid groups in Haiti and around the world are doing God's work.

As is proclaimed in the Third Beatitude, "Blessed are they who mourn; for they shall be comforted." It is our duty and obligation as human beings to comfort these poor people in whatever manner is appropriate. All of our help is urgently needed. Please donate your time, talents and/or money in helping our brothers and sisters in Haiti. Please pass this blog on to others, so that they too may be called to help. To find out how you can help, please call and donate to your favorite charity or aid group or contact Catholic Relief Services at 1.800.736.3467 or at their website http://www.crs.org. This is a call to arms, people. Not arms for fighting but arms for helping.

So, today, add these three things to your busy schedules: hug a loved one, be grateful for your blessings and write a check for aid to the victims of Haiti which may save a life.

Thank you for reading this today.