Haiti, We Have Faith
AP Photo/Jorge Cruz
The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that rocked Haiti on January 12, 2010 has left the country in dire need of international aid. The massive quake has taken an estimated 111,000 lives, and has left approximately 1.5 million Haitians homeless. 85% of the city of Leogane, the epicenter of the earthquake, has been destroyed.
Fortunately, to say that the plight of the Haitian people has attracted international attention and compassion is an understatement to say the least. At present, there are more than 500 international agencies in Haiti providing necessary aid, includingmedical care, heading rescue efforts, distributing donated survival goods, and managing orphaned children.
But beyond the initial donations of money, goods, and services, many worry about Haiti’s sustainability. Current efforts are dealing with the most immediate issues: searching for, and rescuing, survivors, treating patients, and keeping the survivors alive; but what happens when the so-called "compassion window" closes and Haiti must stand on its own two feet?
Randy Strash, Strategy Director for Emergency Response at World Vision, says that "In a disaster of this magnitude, charities typically have three to six weeks before the media and the public’s attention shifts… that’s how fast this ‘Window of Compassion’ closes."
If this is true, then the Haitian government, not to mention relief efforts in the country, should begin to focus their attention not only on the "here and now" but also for Haiti’s future–giving more thoughtto the country’s infrastructure and economy.
On the bright side, Haiti now has the opportunity to re-build in a more eco-friendly manner, making use of renewable energy technology that will not only help the country’s development, but the environment as well. Several corporations have already spearheaded efforts to provide long-term aid to Haiti, including Solar Electric Light Fund, Architecture for Humanity, and Trees for the Future.
Architecture for Humanity co-founder Cameron Sinclair says, "When a disaster strikes the second disaster that looms is the efficiency and impact of the three R’s–Response, Recovery, and Reconstruction."
Sinclair also noted the importance of careful and thoughtful post-disaster planning, the absence of which could cause yet another collapse of Haitian society. With this in mind, Sinclair says that the best move now is to work with local NGOs and the community to find the best way to reconstruct this developing country.
With aid from such forward-thinking companies, Haiti will no doubt be put on the right path towards re-development, and in the face of a natural disaster of such magnitude, this is effective CSR at work. Re-constructing Haiti will not be easy, but learning from past mistakes–such as FEMA’s failureafter Hurrican Katrina–will allow relief workers to start on the right path.
For more information on what you can do to help Haiti’s sustainability, please visit:
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/haiti-earthquake-relief-efforts.html
Sources:
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/rebuilding-haiti-cameron-sinclair.html
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/stronger-haiti-recovery-efforts.html
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/24/haiti.leogane/index.html#cnnSTCText
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/24/haiti.earthquake/index.html
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