Orléans Star
Published: Friday, January 29, 2010

The needs will not disappear

No doubt you have watched the non-stop news coverage on the tragedy of the Haiti earthquake and the untold suffering that continues some two weeks after the earth in and around Port-au-Prince – with the quake’s epicentre some 25 km west of the capital city – shook violently.  

With a confirmed death toll at 150,000 and mounting still, the 132 live-rescues some seven, eight, 10 and even 12 days after the quake are nothing short of pure miracles. And Canada can be justifiably proud of its globe leading response of aid when measured in per capita dollars. A quiet pride in knowing that our government – not a specific political party, but the machinery and apparatus of our government writ large – and everyday Canadians have done the right thing by opening their hearts and wallets... period.

And while this column usually focuses on local issues, human loss and triumph on the scale of the Jan. 12 Haitian earthquake cannot be minimized or shunted aside. Haiti, the western hemisphere’s poorest country, was a quasi-failed state before this disaster. The fact that it has not descended into pure chaos is a testament first and foremost to the resiliency and spirit of its people whose history is rife with natural and man-made (read: colonial occupation) misfortune, and secondly, the relative swiftness of the international aid response.

In conversations with neighbours and friends I am heartened by the collection drives that have occurred in likely all of our local schools. Along with various service clubs, churches and other houses of worship taking up their own collections, the response has been impressive and inspiring.

The fundamental and unforgettable lesson that our children have learned through this period is something that no textbook, teacher or loving parent could ever fully impart with such clarity. Our kids have learned, first hand, that the world is indeed a very small and interconnected place and that their responsibility to their fellow human beings knows no boundary, distance, religion or skin colour.

In my son’s Grade 6 class alone there are at least four children of Haitian descent whose familial ties back to Haiti have resulted in the gamut of stories from sadness and loss to joyous tales of relief to heart-wrenching frustration of simply not knowing what has happened to loved ones and friends.

But here is the hard part and harsh reality of the Haiti earthquake. The Olympic Games are around the corner and the worlds of business, politics, and the arts will soon distract us from our collective focus on Haiti. However the needs of the Haitian people will not disappear and their suffering will be long-term with reconstruction to take place over a decade if not a generation or two.

So please remember to give and donate (if you can) next month and next year. And by all means, I implore you to find space in your wishes and prayers for the people of Haiti.