Haiti Earthquake: Will America Care Next Week?

Haiti has been struggling for hundreds of years to overcome colonial domination, dictatorial leadership, poverty and the impact of hunger.

Things just got worse this week with the massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake. The lack of infrastructure, disaster preparedness and acute poverty makes a bad situation even worse. Homes, schools, churches have been destroyed. Villagers all over America wait, pray and hope for the safety of the people of Haiti. That nation's long struggle against poverty is now exacerbated, its needs now magnified, and the vulnerability of the Haitian people more greatly exposed.

Haiti is the poorest, least developed country in the Western Hemisphere, and the majority of Haitians live in poverty. The sheer scale of poverty in the country means that the government has limited capacity to meet even the simplest needs of its people, let alone address a disaster of this magnitude. In addition to creating a very real and immediate humanitarian tragedy, this earthquake and the struggle to navigate its aftermath will be an enormous setback to the hard-won gains that Haiti has achieved in recent years in securing a more stable environment and fighting poverty.

I suspect that America and the other nations of the world will respond well in the coming days and weeks. It is relatively simple to send in bottled water and to rush to find people ... living and dead ... in the tumbled buildings.

I don't have personal contact with many people of Haitian descent in person or otherwise. However, Haitian history tells us the Haitian people are resilient and determined to better their lives. I am confident that with the help of strong partners around the world, Haiti will rise from its rubble and Haitians will live their motto: L’union fait la force (Unity is strength).




I wonder if the collective goodwill on a national and international basis continues after the initial compassion being displayed right now?

Consider this an open thread about the earthquake in Haiti. Please share your prayers, thoughts or observations.

Am I Not Human? World Hunger

An estimated 1.02 billion people in the world go hungry. [SOURCE]

Each year, 3 million under-five children die because they are undernourished. Far more children live with undernutrition than die from it. For infants and young children, the effects of chronic malnutrition in the early years of life are largely irreversible.

In the United States, 11.7 million children live in households where people have to skip meals or eat less to make ends meet. That means one in ten households in the U.S. are living with hunger or are at risk of hunger.

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

But we CAN end hunger.

We have the means. The financial costs to end hunger are relatively slight. The United Nations Development Program estimates that the basic health and nutrition needs of the world's poorest people could be met for an additional $13 billion a year. Animal lovers in the United States and Europe spend more than that on pet food each year.

What makes the difference between millions of hungry people and a world where all are fed?

Only a change in priorities. Only the WILL to end hunger. For now, I encourage all Villagers, to write a letter to your member of Congress.

Roots of Humanity feels that each of us can fight against human rights abuses in the world. We simply need to do something. Protest. Meditate. Pray. In the case of bloggers ... we want you to blog on the 27th of each month. Just share information on behalf of our human siblings in all suffering areas who are either barred from communication by their governments, or lacking in technology to ask: Am I Not Human?

Am I Not Human? * Hunger in Haiti

Our blog joins with others to share information about human rights violations in Darfur, Tibet and around the world.

Often we think that our day-to-day trials and tribulations are worthy of headlines. We want others to stop and listen to our complaints about this or that. Our problems are like a gnat on an elephant's ass when you really get down to it. There are men, woman and children all over the earth that are dealing with horrendous human rights issues. On the 27th of each month we hope to blog for those that cannot do so for themselves.

My focus today is on the island nation in our hemisphere ... Haiti.

Rising food and fuel costs have left the most vulnerable populations hungry. The recent rioting in Haiti speaks to the devastating impact of the global food crisis on the poor and hungry. Already facing food shortages and eating mud cakes, the people of Haiti have been particularly susceptible to the skyrocketing prices. While rising prices mean less food for the hungry, a new face of hunger is emerging. Even where food is available, more and more people simply cannot afford it.

Hermite Joseph, a mother working in the markets of Port au Prince, told journalist Nick Whalen that her two kids "are like toothpicks. They're not getting enough nourishment. Before, if you had a dollar twenty-five cents, you could buy vegetables, some rice, 10 cents ofcharcoal and a little cooking oil. Right now, a little can of rice alone costs 65 cents, and is not good rice at all. Oil is 25 cents. Charcoal is 25 cents. With a dollar twenty-five, you can't even make a plate of rice for one child." [SOURCE]

One of the main causes of the food shortages in Haiti is agricultural policy in the United States. The U.S. and other international financial bodies destroy Haitian rice farmers to create a major market for the heavily subsidized rice from U.S. farmers. This is not the only cause of hunger in Haiti and other poor countries, but it is a major reason that Haiti, a country that was self-sufficient in rice-production 30-years ago, now has hungry families all across the island.

Haiti has become one of the very top importers of rice from the U.S. The U.S. Department of Agriculture 2008 numbers show Haiti is the third largest importer of US rice - at over 240,000 metric tons of rice. (One metric ton is 2200 pounds). Rice is a heavily subsidized business in America. Our government provided $11 billion in rice subsidies to American businesses from 1995 to 2006 . One producer alone, Riceland Foods located in Stuttgart, Arkansas, received over $500 million dollars in rice subsidies between 1995 and 2006. [SOURCE]

The people of Haiti ask us, "Am I Not Human?"

Drumbeats from CLNMike told us about the efforts of Wyclef Jean to raise $48 million in the next six months to combat the hunger crisis in Haiti.

Villagers, I hope you will take a moment to sit and reflect on our blessings in this country. Then decide how you can make a difference to help the human condition in Darfur, Tibet or Haiti. Here are some options provided by Cry Haiti blog for Villagers that want to take action right now:

1. Anyone who wants to assert compassion can contribute to feeding programmes in Haiti.
2. Anyone who stands for justice can join the fair trade movement.
3. Anyone who wants action, not words from our politicians can call for the agricultural policies of developed countries to be reformed, to help combat world hunger.
4. Anyone who believes in dignity can support long-term, sustainable agricultural development in Haiti.

On a more global level, we encourage you to read or download the Am I Not Human? eBook for May 2008. Kudos to PurpleZoe for pulling this document together!

You can learn more about our ongoing blogging campaign from our virtual headquarters.

Is there anything that you can do where you are with what you have? What say u?