Haiti

Be Aware: [|//Interactive map of earthquake//] //USA Today provides an inteactive map of where the earthquake hit and gives perspective on the impact on Haiti's land. This site also provides full coverage and latest of the January 12, 2010 earthquake.//

Recently, there was a devestating earthquake that hit the country of Haiti. This was a country that was already poor; this earthquake took a hit to Haiti and its' people. Internationally, people worldwide arrived in Haiti to help in any way possible. Almost two months later, this country is still recovering from one of the worst natural disasters in recent history internationally. Due to the country's history of poverty and hunger, the efforts to help Haitians and rebuild the country makes it that much harder to improve life. In 2004, an earthquake hit on the coast of Sumatra and a few months later during 2005, a powerful hurricane hit New Orleans. More recently, an earthquake it Chile. In the cases of the earthquake in Sumatra and Chile as well as the hurricane in New Orleans, although these instances had devastating affects and these regions are still recovering, the recovery efforts were somewhat easier to handle because the government was still functioning in the aftermath and just a portion of the country was affected. Unfortunately, Haiti had a larger magnitude effect to an earthquake where much of the country was affected in an area that is densely populated and the government has been severly affected as well.

As we've seen over the course of the last few weeks, the recovery has been very slow and will continue for some time to come. Over 200,000 people have died, according to government estimates. Neighborhoods and many areas have been flattened by the impact of the quake. Electricity to many areas is slowly being restored. Important buildings such as hospital, government buildings, and other structures have been heavily damaged or destroyed. People are hungry and living in extremely unsanitary conditions. Many do not have access to clean water and food; meanwhile, disease is widespread. Many have become homeless and are now living in tents or where ever shelter can be found. Many have become so desperate that waves of violence has broken out in the streets of Port-au-Prince and many other areas. Schools have been severely damaged or destroyed so many are not getting educated and those who are, are getting educated in makeshift schools. Much of the international debt Haiti had before the earthquake has been excused by many countries. Few police officers were patroling the streets but most were nowhere to be found as they themselves were trying to recover as a result of the earthquake. Even the presidential palace, which is like the White House in the United States, had been damaged. The government had falled apart from the impact.

Haiti has received help worldwide from countries and various organizations such as the Red Cross. In the days following the earthquake, many have come for all corners of the world to assist this impovershed country. One of the biggest issues in the first days in the aftermath was making the airport accessible for military flights and other planes to arrive to assist Haitians. Once this was resolved, food, doctors, portable hospitals, etc, were allowed to be brought in assist in the recovery process. Many were buried underneath the rubble of buildings and other debris. For several days and weeks, people were still being pulled from the rubble. For those who survived, many lost limbs and other body parts as a result. A couple of the issues faced in Haiti are the laxed laws placed prior to the earthquake. There were no construction codes and permit laws so when buildings were built, then it was built without proper oversight. There also seems be a lack of preparedness amongst Haitians. This was one of the causes for the massive devastation of physical property. Recently, we see Chile the earthquake had an even larger magnitude but less destructive because of this country is richer, more educated country, has stricter building codes and better preparedness amongst Chileans. Unfortunately, this stems to a lack of education and poverty for Haitians.

The following links show the aftermath of the earthquake that happened on January 12, 2010. These links show how much harder recovering can be in country that is already impovershed. Althougth recovering isn't impossible, Haiti will be affected for years to come.

[|//Earthquake reported by Washington Post//] //Full coverage report of the earthquake reported by the Washington Post. The report shows pictures, maps, articles, etc. on the earthquake and its' effect on Haitians. // [|//Earthquake reported by NY Times//] //Another full coverage report by the New York Times on the earthquake in Haiti. Like the Washington Post's coverage, the New York Times also has pictures, articles, maps, etc. on the quake in Haiti. // [|//Earthquake facts//] //A website that tells about what earthquakes are.// [|//Haiti's aftermath//] //​// //Coverage on Haiti after the earthquake.// [|//Earthquake report by CBN//] //A news coverage on Haiti and the earthquake. This site also shares information about life before the earthquake and its' impact in the aftermath. // [|//Call for help via text messaging//] //This news article in the New York Times shares how desperite Haitians are for help and how challenging the process has been since January 12th. // [|//The Lost Children of Haiti by the New York Times//] //A video about life for Haitian children after the quake.// [|//The Arts//] Even though the arts were destroyed in tells about the life through music. This link has a short video and photos about the arts and life after the quake. [|//Haiti's schools//] <span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">A look at the public school system before and after the earthquake. <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 150%;"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 50%;">[|//World Health Organization//] = = <span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Statistics from the WHO on Haiti's earthquake. Also provide information about Haiti and its' people before the quake such as life, sports, etc. <span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;"><span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Be Informed: <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 150%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 70%;"><span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 80%;">The above map shows Haiti with its' states, cities/towns/villages, and major roads. ( <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 80%;">[|www.geology.com])

Haiti is a country with a long history of poverty and hunger. In order to understand the devastating affect of the earthquake, we must understand how life was for Haitians before the earthquake. This nation was the first independance in the Americas 1804 through an African led rebellion. This country was also the first African led country in the world. Despite this great acomplishment, Haiti remains the poorest country in the Americas and one of the poorest in Western Hemisphere. The reason for this stems from the political violence that has occured the 200+ years since independance as well as other factors that will be mentioned. Below is a history of Haiti before the earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti on January 12, 2010.

Let's start with a brief history Haiti:

Pre-Columbian/Colonial era (Before 1492): Taino Indians lived on the island of Hispanola, which is where present-day Haiti and Dominican Republic sit. The Tainos had settled in other parts of the Caribbean but specifically in Hispanola, there were 5 Taino chiefs and 6 states within the island. Until Christopher Columbus arrived, this tribe was well established here and throughout their territories.

Colonial period (1492-1804): Christopher Columbus sailed here thinking he had arrived in India, only to find out that he was in Hispanola. At this point, Spain colonizes the island. Eventually, Spain is in a land dispute with France over the island. Both countries reached a settlement and divided the country into what is now present day Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Haiti's land was French territory and the Dominican Republic was Spanish territory. During this period, Africans were brought over as slaves. By the late, 1700's, they were so fed up with the French that they started a revolution. Haiti became independent on January 1, 1804 but they weren't officially recognized globally until April 17, 1825.

Post-independance (1805 - present): The United States occupied the country until 1915 as a result of the Roosevelt Collary in the Monroe Doctrine. During this period though, not much progress made is in Haiti. There was still a lack of infrastructure, education, among other issues. In 1915, Haitians elected their first president, Philippe Sudre Dartiguenave; although the United States were still stationed until 1937 in Haiti. During Dartiguenave's presidency, Haiti began to build itself and it was during this time that Haiti was moving forward to a progressive nation. With the help of the U.S., the Haitian-Domincan border was established. Tensions arose between the two countries and still exist even today. From 1957 - 1986, Haiti was under the dictatorship the Duvalier family (Francis Duvalier, 1957-1971 and Jean Claude Duvalier, 1971-1986, father and son, respectively). It was during the leadership of the Duvalier that Haiti began to move backwards. Their control ended Jean Claude was kicked out of office in 1986. Since the demise of their leadership, there continues to be human rights abuse and violence throughout the country. In 2004, a rebellion began in the northern part of Haiti. This resulted in President Aristide resigning and leaving the country while the United Nations stepped in to bring peace. They remain in Haiti even today. Since the revolt and ousting of former President Aristide, elections have been held and there is currently an elected President.

Current issues as a result of its' history: Over the course of the last 200+ years, Haiti has been a country trying to cope with progress, poverty, and hunger due to various struggles over the years of independance. In recent years, not only has political turmoil as been an issue, this country has also been hit with natural disasters, which makes it even harder to build a better country for the Haitians. Another struggle for Haitians is the control of wealth. One percent of the country owns fifty percent of the wealth of Haiti. The children of these families go to the best schools in the country then go abroad for higher education and work where they likely not to return to Haiti. Haitians who leave find a better life and way of living and give very little to Haiti, if anything. Those who are poor may end of leaving to come to the United States, go to the Domincan Republic or somewhere else in search of a better life, often times illegally because each individual situation may be so grim. Unfortunately, between the political turmoil, uneven distribution of wealth, and many leaving the country, it has left a country in extreme poverty and hunger struggling to make life better. With Mother Nature's fury over the course of the last few years between hurricanes and more recently the earthquake, this is a country has been struggling to recover and provide a better life for its' people.

Here are some fast facts about Haiti:

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">*95% of Haitians are of African descent, 5% are of mixed background
 * 2 official languages: French and Haitian Creole, 1 unofficial language: Spanish
 * 80% are Roman Catholic, 16% are Protestant. Up to 66% of the country practices voodoo
 * Influenced primarily by French, African, and Taino cultures with Spanish influence, to a lesser extent
 * Approximately 50% of Haiti is literate, the lowest in the region
 * 67% of children attend elementary school, only 20% of high school children actually attend high school
 * Haitians make less than $2/day
 * Haiti is one of the most corrupt countries in the world
 * Approximately 80% of Haitians live below the poverty line and 1% of the wealthies own almost 1/2 the countries wealth
 * Many work in agriculture*Children are forced into slavery to work as servants and other jobs, without pay
 * Before the earthquake, almost half the deaths were contributed HIV/AIDS, respiratory diseases and infections, and other illnesses.
 * Less than 1/2 the population had access to health insurance and 1/2 the children weren't vaccinated
 * Cite Soleil, located in Port-au-Prince, is the poorest and most dangerous neighborhood in the Western Hemisphere

The information mentioned above was found in Wikipedia, however, this same information can be found in the following websites:

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 90%;">[|//Google map of Haiti//] <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"> <span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">//A map of Haiti provided by google maps that shows where Haiti is located on the map in perspective to the world.// <span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">[|//National Geographic//]<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"> //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">A website that shares information about Haiti and its' people such as the economy, history, life, etc. // [|//Health//] //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">An article published in the New York Times about health issues surrounding Haitians. // [|//Haiti Facts and Statistics//] //The Haiti Micah Project shares information about Haiti, the project, how the public can helps, etc.// [|//CIA World Factbook//] //A website that shares information about every country in the world, including Haiti with facts about the country.// = = <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 150%;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 90%;">[|//New York Times article/photos//] <span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">//Shows photos of life even before the earthquake hit Haiti.// <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">[|//Poverty in Haiti//] <span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"> //A short video on You Tube that shows the poverty and way of life in Haiti.// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 60%;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 90%;">[|//Haiti Food Crisis//] //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">A You Tube video on the food issue in Haiti. <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 80%;">[|Haiti Hunger Pains] This short video shows life in Haiti even before the quake hit Haiti on January 12th. //

<span style="color: #808000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">The links above share life in Haiti and its history. This is not an issue solely in Haiti. Students should be able to connect that poverty and hunger is a problem in the United States. Although, the problem may not necessarily be as severe as it is in Haiti, there are people here in locally in Baltimore and nationally throughout the country who are hungry, homeless, jobless, etc. Haiti is an extreme case of poverty and hunger globally.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Be Engaged <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">:

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The aftermath of this earthquake resulted in very serious emotional and psychological effects on Haitians. This makes efforts to help Haiti even more important. As Americans, we need to help Haiti in any way we can. It does not have to be anything big or expensive. Just little things can make a world of difference for these people.

Ways that students can be engaged in helping Haiti are in the following ways: - As a class, create hygiene kits and send them to a reliable place such as the Red Cross or American Humane Society. - Kids can raise money. There can be a classwide or schoolwide fundraiser during a certain time period. Collected money can sent to a reputable place. - Students can also create kits with school supplies or other supplies for kids their age in Haiti. -Students may also conduct a clothing drive to send for those affected by the recent earthquake in Haiti. - If there is someone in the school, adult or child, who is from Haiti or has family in Haiti, that person may come into the classroom and discuss to the class what has happened in Haiti and how it has affected the family.

<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 90%;">[|//Clinton/Bush Haiti Fund//] //A fund created by Bill Clinton and George Bush for the public to donate for the people of Haiti.// <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 70%;"> <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 150%;">[|//Haiti Relief Bracelets//] //​ Students are invited to purchase a bracelet or key chain, with parent permission. Proceeds go to help the Haiti Relief. // [|//ICRC Relief Aid//] //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Donation may be made to help the relief efforts in Haiti. // [|//American Red Cross Relief Efforts//] //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">The American Red Cross is helping as well in the efforts to assist Haiti in any way possible. //

<span style="color: #808000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">In connecting the poverty in Haiti to poverty in the United States, students can engage in the ideas mentioned above to people here either nationally or locally. Although the focus is on the helping Haiti, students can still help a charity or organization for people who live nearby or nationally. Other ideas include sandwich making that can be sent to a local shelter or sending perishable food to an organization are ways to help locally/nationally.