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Helping Haiti | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Caricom has joined the world in trying to work out how it can help Haiti after Tuesday's massive earthquake. But how best should Caribbean people assist? And, what are you - and your organisation - doing to help? Also, what are your thoughts on the plight of Haiti and its people? Have your say and let us know Editor’s note: Please refer offers to help Haiti to established and registered charities, and the UK's Disasters Emergency Committee(DEC) appeal for Haiti Your say May God be with the Haitian people, moreover the most vulnerable ones such as the children and the elderly. I would not call them looters since these people are very hungry and they are very much in need. What is the Government of Haiti doing and also Caricom? Haiti is a member state of Caricom and I was so angry that our Caribbean Prime Ministers were prevented from landing at the airport? I do not think the Americans should have full control of the airport. Caricom should protest this. No matter what the consequences are the Haitian Government ought to come out and talk to their people encouraging them that there is still hope for them but you are not seeing this in all the televised reports. The Government and people of my country, Guyana has made numerous donations and we are hoping to send off aid to Haiti in this week. May God be with the Haitian people! Kim Chung Georgetown, Guyana Am not sure what the rest of the Caribbean is doing to help Haiti but Jamaica and Jamaicans are doing the best to help our neighbours, we here in Jamaica irrespective of the economic situation will open our homes to the Haitian refugees if and when they arrive. The generosity of the Jamaican people can be seen here in Jamaica as we mobilised to help our neighbours. Am asking the world to forget about the past and use this as an opportunity to rebuild Haiti. I was watching the BBC London TV morning programme today and the news was broadcasting the relief efforts in Port-au-Prince. The BBC presenter was speaking to ex-President Bill Clinton who was giving out food and water to the Haitian survivors. The BBC presenter was concerned about the unrest and looting that was taking place amongst some survivors. May I say, Ex-President Clinton response to the BBC presenter warmed my heart he said; they are survivors who haven’t slept for four days with no food, no water, I think they’ve behaved remarkably well! To humanitarian Bill Clinton; “Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless”… As I watched the news on TV and the look of despair on the Haitians faces hair covered in white dust is heart wrenching. Every little helps and I immediately donated to Oxfam UK Haiti disaster appeal. May God give the Haitians renewed strength and especially the orphans. Caricom's ability to assist is greatly constrained: first by its ability to provide massive amounts of tangible aid, or cash. Secondly, Caricom is itself stuck in several chronic quagmires-most of our own making (like the pathetic debacle of a Caribbean Court of Justice).What our several Governments (as distinct from "Caricom") can do, is to facilitate the loan/use of the well-spring of Christian goodness, and respect for law and order; for edcational and other insitutional strengths, that rose - not in governents- but n each of us as caring individuals. And assign such people for a couple of years on "loan" to Haiti. In my capacity as a student, I'll only plead to those who can to help the Haitians but above all, I pray to God for his divine aid on them. Haiti is the reason why black people in the west have enjoyed their freedom. Use this freedom to say thank you. Avoid joining the chorus of verbal abuse on the country, respect the people as fellow humans.When one country is in crisis the whole world is in problems. Today is Haiti, tomorrow might be another country. Caricom needs to genuinely invest in disaster preparedness as a matter of urgency. I am president of the Caribbean Students' Society (CSS) at McGill University and we are working with other student groups in Montreal to raise funds for Haitians. For those that are in Montréal and want to assist with our cause, please email the Caribbean Students' Society at mcgillcss@yahoo.com Hi am from St Maarten. Our prayers go out to the families here and home for the Haitians and those who from other countries are trapped there. Our RED CROSS is getting ready containers of food and clothing to send out! This small island of many nationalities is helping and donating stuff to ship out. Pray. Just lift our heads to God and pray. I must extend sympathy to the Haitian victims and their families. May the world step forward and give them solace by providing them a safe place to 'exist'. Hi, I would like to know where I could donate clothes for the Haiti people. I cannot seem to find any information on this. They are all talking about donating money but that is all well and good, but surely they will need some kind of clothing also. I would like to find a place specifically for the Haiti people only. Thank you for your help. I work for a US Foundation (Omidyar Network). We've supported Ushahidi - www.ushahidi.com - a crisis reporting platform which has been up and running in Haiti and has and 40,000 hits in last 3 days - providing information on missing people. The impact of the earthquake has been truly tragic. It is awful in such an earthquake prone area has such appalling building standards: one of the reasons why the loss of life and damage is so much worse in underdeveloped countries. My construction friends and I, as a project construction manager, 30 years overseas experience would dearly love to get 'hands on' assistance. Caricom needs to set up a body and ask its members (the Govt's - not NGOs) to donate what they can to the body; instead of having each country delivering on their own. (2) Submit a list with what’s required to each member state and ask them to provide the requirements; doctors, social workers, artisans u name it. I was fortunate to be an observer in 1990 for the "first" democratic election and my heart went out then for the suffering of the poorer class. I can imagine what it is now. May God ever bless them in their sufferings. Haiti has been totally devastated. At Maya Island Air Maintenance we're collecting funds from employees to donate to the local Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund. We encourage all Belizeans and Caricom nationals to contribute something. Haiti needs us more than ever now. I speak Creole, French and Spanish and know the country relatively well. Feel free to use my expertise in whatever way possible. Time is of the utmost urgency now. I work at a school and we are having a fundraiser and food drive in the next few days. Apart from that I am fluent in Creole and English and work well with people of all ages. If there's ANYTHING I can do, translate, comfort, serve etc. Please, please contact me, I can take time off work to serve my fellow human beings in their time of despair. |
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How can Africa help Haiti?