It’s been one full year since disaster struck in Haiti and close to 300,000 men, women and children lost their lives to the category seven earthquake. Equally as tragic as the number of deaths were the number of survivors, left to maintain a life without mothers or fathers, without sons or daughters, sisters or brothers; placed in rows and rows of tents, wounded physically and scarred psychologically, as aid workers hustled to dig survivors out from under the rubble, and tend to those who were injured from possibly the worst natural disaster of the millennium.
The world turned its attention to Haiti's catastrophe, as people donated their time, hearts, and their money to a country shaken by unimaginable devastation. Songs were sung to inspire nations to action, as presidents and ex presidents, musicians and actors, activists and everyday people made it a priority to be present in Haiti and give their hand to help rebuild a torn country.
Situation Still Critical
A year later, however, and one scope of the land would tell you that not a lot has gotten better for those left in Haiti. Many have complained, including former Canadian governor general Michaelle Jean, that only a minuscule amount of the aid money has come through to the country. Though Jean and others criticize donators for not following through on their promises, donators cite corruption amongst Haitian officials, as well as public rioting that has made it difficult to transport aid to their planned destinations, as the primary reason for this delay in monetary support.
But as politicians and government agencies (along with over 10,000 NGO's that have assisted Haiti) debate over distribution issues, the people of Haiti continue to suffer. The most recent battle has been with cholera, which was first sited in early December. This disease has added over 3,000 people to the death toll, and is a reflection of the number of Haitians still living in unsanitary conditions, which is quite an understatement considering over 1 million still live in sectioned tents or on the streets, some still with no family to turn to, no concrete place to call their homes. And with over $3 billion donated to the Haiti relief effort, it's hard to fathom why the country is not well into its rebuilding stage. It's actually been quite the opposite, as loads of rubble still remain uncleared.
Lives Remain in the Balance
Regardless of the excuses given, the fact is that the people of Haiti are still in a desperate situation. Beyond the living conditions and lack of funds, Haitian women have had to deal with being raped in the tents they are assigned. Armed men marauding through the night have ingrained fear into these women, who have no choice but to remain in their assigned tents, living every moment in fear of another attack.
And with a previously unstable government, proliferated by the end of the year election that has been marred by accusations of fraud and corruption, and has been the latest cause of the riots, there is no telling when or how this country will be able to bring some type of order to the lives of the people of their land, who have suffered in so many ways since the earthquake. One can only hope that everyone involved will realize that there are actual lives at stake. Nothing beyond that matters.
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