Disasters

All eyes are on Haiti. The catastrophic earthquake in the nation’s capitol has captured our attention for the past two weeks. The outpouring of goodwill and support has been amazing. Donations for Haiti relief exceed $380 million (according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy). Calls to help Haiti are heard on commercial radio and television, in churches, in civic organizations and through countless facebook status lines. It is truly heartening to see people bond together in compassion and concern for our Haitian neighbors. And yet…

And yet, I cannot help but wonder how different things might have been if the world had given Haiti even a fraction of this attention and care before the earthquake. In that country where 75% of the population lives on less than $2 a day, with an estimated unemployment rate of 70-80%*, the resources simply did not exist to build homes or schools that could withstand an earthquake. The main port was unable to be fortified to survive a natural disaster and so has been unavailable just when needed most.

This disaster began long before the tectonic plates began to shift.

Guilt about what we did not do will not help our brothers or sisters in Haiti. I remind myself of this as my own well earned guilt-reflex kicks into high gear. But this is a learning moment. Even as we focus our attention on Haiti, we might consider widening our range of vision. Right here in our own hemisphere there are many other nations that live with the same depth of poverty that devastated Haiti before the earthquake. Indeed, we can still see the tragic situation of the forgotten poor simply by traveling to neighborhoods in New Orleans that look as if Hurricane Katrina was a recent event. Even as we pour out our care and assistance for the Haitian earthquake victims, I hope we will give the same care and attention to the unnatural disaster of global and systemic poverty.

This need not be as daunting as it first seems. In fact, it could be as simple as choosing a country or city to learn more about. Get to know its culture and history; enter into its joys and its challenges. It might mean traveling to see the place and meet the people. It will likely mean choosing a project to support with your time and your resources. But it begins by opening our eyes and daring to care. And when we do, perhaps the next disaster can be avoided.