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@GA2G
I'm going to be extremely unpopular with my next comments, but it sadly must be said.
What do you people know about Haiti, or Haitians?
In the Caribbean, true that it is "Third World", but the levels of deprevation in Haiti cannot be compared to anywhere else in the region? Why? Is it just bad luck? No, it isn't.
Barbados is a flat, featureless country, that has been devastated by hurricanes, yet the country is quite an example for many others aound it. Excellent standards of education, honest governments and governance, and viable economy based on tourism.
Grenada lost 90-95% of bulidings in the last Category 5 hurricane, though most of the press was given to Jamaica's plight druing the same hurricane, by which time it had actually reduced in intensity to a Category 3 hurricane.
Yes, the loss is great in Haiti, and is unfortunate in a country that also regulary suffers hurricane damage. My point though is this, please make sure that any of your donations, go to charities that help in the right ways. Haiti is the Somalia and Sierra Leone of the Caribbean. In most respects, Haiti is lawless, and the challenge is not in helping them get over one disaster after another, but to encourage Haitians to build societies and a system of government that will serve their countrymen well. At the moment, its the rich that propser, and the poor get poorer.
Handouts will ensure this status quo, just as has been witnessed in areas of famine in Africa. Millions, if not billions of pounds can be raised for disasters, but if the infrastructures are not changed, then the cycle of donations following disasters will endure. Look at Ethiopia and also Somalia, for examples of what I am referring to.
I can't tell anyone what is right or wrong in such cases, as kids and innocent people are dying. My concern is how some countries only require some assistance to rebuild and regenerate, but other countries, no matter how much money is given, never improve.
Not all charities that are raising monies for the Haitian disaster are equal. Help if you want to, but please choose wisely. No bias, but medical charities are best in dealing with specific disaster events. Its a choice between short-term aid, and long-term aid.
Call me Clare Short.