OT: Haiti

[nightflier]

Ahem, a lot of these countries "pledge" b/m/zillions, but having worked with a couple of relief organizations, I can tell you that what is pledged is seldom received. It makes great news buzz, but when the bill needs to be paid, you can hear crickets chirping. Additionally, much of the government aid that is typically pledged is backed by corporate sponsorship and this has it's own set of strings attached.

I'm a bit cynical because these things happened when the 2004 Tsunami hit. I don't know if this is what will happen in Haiti, so this is just a cautionary post. From what I'm seeing in the news, it looks like there is still considerable attention on Haiti, so I hope the focus remains. By the way, both Venezuella and Cuba where the first on the scene with assistance and people "on the ground" in Haiti. Interestingly, both these countries also offered assistance in the aftermath of Katrina and were promptly turned away. And as before... I just read a report that the Dominicans have closed their border.

More to the point, the real misery happens well after the actual catastrophe hits, when hunger, disease and unrest set in, the media looses focus chasing the next big story and forgets about the suffering. Haiti is one of the poorest nations on earth with appalling inequality so my guess is that not all the aid will go to the right places. Let's hope we've learned a bit from our recent history.

[ForeverAutumn]

More to the point, the real misery happens well after the actual catastrophe hits, when hunger, disease and unrest set in, the media looses focus chasing the next big story and forgets about the suffering. Haiti is one of the poorest nations on earth with appalling inequality so my guess is that not all the aid will go to the right places. Let's hope we've learned a bit from our recent history.

Let's not confuse the media losing interest with the relief efforts ending. The Red Cross (and other charitible groups, I'm sure) is still working in the tsunami damaged areas.

My niece is travelling to New Orleans in the spring with her school choir to perform at the Jazz Fest. One of the things that she will be doing there is working with Habitat for Humanity.

Many of the agencies helping out in Haiti will be there for many years now.

Yes, it's possible that not all the aid will go to the right places. But I hope that most of it will.