El Terremoto

So there was an earthquake this week. You might have heard about it. I think it was on TV. I actually did not even feel the quake out here in the east, which is the opposite side of the island, but it could be felt on most of Hispaniola and the destruction in Haiti is obviously catastrophic. As if the residents of the poorest country on this hemisphere didn’t suffer enough in their daily lives.

I would have gone the better part of a day without even knowing there was a natural disaster just hundreds of miles away were it not for my Doña calling everyone she knows to warn them about the impending tsunami. After quickly confirming I was in the DR and not Southeast Asia, I deduced something had occurred in Haiti. There was no tsunami and life here on 2/3 of Hispaniola goes on in relative normalcy while life on 1/3 of the island falls into complete and utter disarray.

Unfortunately while being so close to the damage there is little one can do from here. Volunteers are not allowed in Haiti and I’m not sure what could be accomplished in the wreckage even if we could go. There are potential opportunities in our communities to collect supplies and non-perishable food items to send across the border but asking the poor to donate to the poorer doesn’t seem to benefit anyone too greatly at the end of the day.

It is obviously a horrible situation. Most all situations in Haiti can be labeled as such. My only hope is that this disaster leads to sustained relief provided by the international community, especially the U.S. It would be very easy for us to drop a billion dollars and three tons of energy bars in Port-au-Prince, pat ourselves on the back and wash our hands clean of the situation. But the problems in Haiti stretch far beyond this natural disaster and we should offer sustained aid and support to a neighboring country. That a place like Haiti can even exist less the 800 miles from the richest, most powerful country on earth boggles the mind.

Whatever anyone back home can do for the Haitian people, do it. My experiences with Haitians since arriving to the island of Hispaniola 5 months ago have been overwhelmingly positive. They are a people that work very hard for very little. Send money; you don’t need your nails done this week. Send old clothes; you know you’ll never wear that ugly shirt again anyway. Educate yourself on Haiti and the difficulties these people face. Read Mountains Beyond Mountains and learn about the efforts of Dr. Paul Farmer. Do something besides gawking at the horrific images on the television only to change the channel. Act.