Tears are not enough
"When I was in Haiti, a 19-year-old American in military fatigues showed up with boxes of latex gloves. His heart was in the right place, but he didn’t really know what he was doing and had a nervous breakdown after picking up an amputated leg when he was asked to clean a hospital’s waste-strewn yard. He went home the next day
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I agree that just throwing money at problems is not a solution. On the other hand, we had to move in promptly and act quickly because the situation was very desperate - and it still is. I assure you that our media are sparing us a large part of the horrible reality which is now present in Haiti, because they care for our inner peace I suppose. Or maybe because we are afraid to acknowledge that we are not doing enough and may be failing the Haitians. I have thought a lot about it and it is complicated really.
But you were right in saying that we need better organization of the aid. Re-assessment is key. I agree about that. But the notion that money should never have been spent the way it was, is outright wrong and counter-productive to dealing with the problem. Of course we made lots of mistakes in our haste, but that is understandable. But we shouldn't let hesitation to trump the urge for stepping up the support. Haiti is now entering a very critical period for its future and unless the international community foresees and really understands the looming problem and acts fast, I can predict some horrible disasters happening, but this time not earthquakes, instead disasters of a social and humanitarian nature.
Haiti is still in a dire need of help. I have seen this with my eyes and I can assure you they cannot manage on its own. Not at this point. And I'm not talking about cash. People there are growing desperate as food, water and shelter are their barest necessities. These are needs that cannot be postponed. Medical care is another need right now. After all this is taken care of, rebuilding of the nation will begin. Then we can talk more calmly about making our assistance more precise and effective. First things first, taking care of the people with what they need right now. Again I will repeat, that is food, water, shelter, medical care, and some emotional care as well. Not in that order, but simultaneously. Now. Without excessive deliberations. While various folk are talking around the forums and chat rooms, people there are having very hard times, to put it mildly. Every minute costs lives. Literally.
This may have sounded too teary and overly emotional, but it is reality. You know, the one which exists outside the forums and the newspaper columns.
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Haiti has been desperate for a long long while. Fortunately it never gets to be -40 and make finding shelter with heat a priority. It's bad enough finding water when the river is frozen. The desperation is quite different from the homeless issues I'm used to here.
It's a given that Haiti needs medicine first and foremost, water treatment as well. There have been efforts to provide both. I would think security is further down the list, but seems to me that has been prioritized by those seeking greater control.
Earthquakes destroy structure and infrastructure. It would seem awful silly to try to use the cash on hand for something else.
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