Haiti

I've struggled to know how to write about last week's earthquake in Haiti and quite frankly, have felt a little guilty about squeezing it in between reports of my extravagant dinner at 82 Queen and our favorite new healthy eating tip. These things aren't bad in and of themselves, tragedy just has a way of putting life in perspective.

Last summer, I spent 6 weeks in a Haitian malnutrition clinic distributing Medika Mamba, or peanut butter medicine. Mother's would travel hours with their children on foot and by "tap tap," (small pickup trucks litterally crammed with people who would tap on the truck when ready to disembark) every week to receive the mamba. For many, this was the only food they could offer their baby.

While in Haiti, I lived at the Canaan Orphanage in Montrouis, roughly 40 miles from Port-au-Prince. We traveled to Port numerous times, but the mountains of trash in the streets, never-ending sea of concrete roofs, and masses of people veiled by disel fumes was never a sight we grew used to. Port is a city built for 500,000 people, but houses between 2.5 and 3 million people. Communication is poor and resources are almost nil. The Haitians are industrius. They sell what they can, endure unbelievable heat working in rock quaries, and farm what they can in the hostile soil. Still, they are the poorest country in the Western hemisphere with 80% of the population living under the poverty line.

I am comforted by the fact that, as my grandmother pointed out, perhaps the attention on Haiti will actually improve the plight of Haitians. Perhaps a rally of governments and individulas behind this poverty-sticken country might actually afford Haiti new hope and fresh opportunity. Already, in our own nation, this tradgedy has broken partisan boundaries as former President Bush and former President Clinton join to organize American aid. I was moved by a CBS interview where the two men sat down together, affirming the American spirit of generosity and goodwill, and calling for support of our Haitian neighbors. They have set up the Clinton Bush Haiti fund to provide food, water, shelter, and medical attention to victims of the quake. You can donate by visiting http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org/.

You can also donate through the Canaan Orphanage where I worked last summer. Here, Haitians are helping Haitians as part of a "life boat" ministry. Canaan was not physically affected by the quake, but they are in close enough proximity, and have enough contacts in the city to provide required aid. Over 4000 people were left homeless in the network of churches Sister Gladys' (Canaan's director) leads, alone. This number is only the tip of the iceburg. There have already been 70,000 deaths reported since last Tuesday. If you are interested in supporting relief efforts through Canaan, visit http://www.canaanorphanage.org/ and direct donations to Chris Hlavacek.

I encourage you to act. It is easy to watch our T.V.s and pity these people, wonder about life's fairness, and then return to daily life. I'm guilty of it. I have pictures of Haitian children on my bedroom walls, their eyes a constant reminder of the blessings the Lord has undeservedly lavished on me and the injustice of poverty and hardship dealt to others. Still, I am guilty of seeing, yet returning to my daily life. With so many rising up and offering money, prayers, and helping hands, let's not sit back and wait for someone else to finish the task at hand. Let's join their efforts.