It is no longer news - the 7.0 earthquake that has devastated Puerto Prince on January 12th, and flattened the capital has thrown the nation into a desperate nightmare. Haiti has long been the poorest country of the western hemisphere - it is now virtually annihilated. Perhaps as many as 100 000 people or even more have died, and many more are left injured and homeless, while basic services are destroyed. A faint glimmer of hope is dangling from an incredibly thin thread - the lifeline of international aid. While aid organizations have been struggling to get to the scene the people of Haiti were largely left to help themselves, digging out the dead with their bare hands, hoping that aftershocks will not create more havoc and conditions worse than they are already, hoping that aid will arrive soon, food, water, medicine…the most basic supplies that will offer a chance of survival to those who did not die from the immediate impact.
For the rest of us this terrible catastrophe is a chance to pull together as a human family and just help out in whichever small way we can. This crisis is one of epic proportions. It will not be over in a couple of weeks or so, though other news will take front page. Haiti will need more than just a few hand outs to fill hungry mouths. It will take a sustained effort to help this nation to recover and to rebuild its life.
Here are some aid organizations and networks that are collecting funds and support for the short, medium and long term:
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