Catholic Relief Services (CRS) presented a webinar on February 24 on the response of the Catholic Church to the earthquake in Haiti. Caroline Brennan, a staff person for CRS working in Haiti, reported that an immediate concern is inadequate shelter for the survivors of the earthquake in anticipation of the hurricane season. The hurricane season is expected to start within the next few weeks. CRS is working with other agencies to transport people out of the city of Port-au-Prince prior to the start of rain, in order to prevent an outbreak of waterborne disease and illness.
Most of the survivors of the earthquake still eat and sleep outside due to continuous tremors. Caroline pointed out that there is no privacy, people bathe outside and often go into the rubble of buildings just to find a private place to use as a restroom. The CRS staff, most who are Haitian people, has provided food, water, and medicine to about 60 thousand people since the earthquake. CRS noted “an amazing response” from the Catholic community to the victims of the earthquake. You may go to their website for further reports on the current conditions in Haiti and updates on how donations to CRS are being used in Haiti.
What more can we do? Representatives from CRS recommend that we first thank our public officials for the strong, immediate relief efforts after the earthquake. In the United States, we can thank the administration for the granting of Temporary Protected Status for eligible Haitians. We can also ask our public officials to support any legislation that will offer adequate protection to unaccompanied children.
The crisis in Haiti gives a face to the many issues of global poverty. The reason why the death toll from the earthquake was so high is because Haiti was a very poor country to begin with, its infrastructure was very weak, and housing was substandard.
What can the tragedy in Haiti teach us? It summons us to consider policies that our nations need to employ if they are to help Haiti and other poor countries. It should also motivate us to learn more about our trade policies. Why do these policies often benefit rich countries over poor countries? Why is debt relief so important? How can we help build a society where all people have the resources to live with dignity?