by By LINDSEY FUNKE
Editor’s note: Lindsey Funke is a student at Southwestern High School. Her father passed away when she was only four years old, and in his memory she has submitted the following commentary to help educate readers about the plight of the people of Haiti and ways they can be assisted
By LINDSEY FUNKE
Special to the Commonwealth Journal
While tourists are sipping cocktails in beachfront cabanas, less than sixty miles away mass graves are being filled with the bodies of countless earthquake victims, many of them children. Those who survived the devastating quake are vying for what little supplies are being distributed and savoring each crumb of food and drop of water, yet just a boat ride away sits lavish buffets with gourmet concoctions and a never ending dessert bar. Cruisers relax on sun loungers and wade in pools as thousands search for water in the crumbled remains of Port-au-Prince. The stench of rotting flesh taunts survivors as they frantically search for loved ones. The juxtaposition of such grandiose splendor amid disaster is reflective of the apathy seen in this generation.
Prior to the earthquake that shook the impoverish nation, the CIA reported more than eighty percent of Haiti’s population was living on less than one dollar per day. In a country of over nine million people, only thirteen percent hold formal jobs causing wide spread poverty and economic stagnation which leaves little opportunity for progress. UNICEF, advocates for child’s rights and survival, produced startling data that revealed the lifetime maternal mortality rate in Haiti is one in every forty-four women leaving ,thousands of children orphaned.
In 2007, an estimated 380,000 orphans lived in Haiti 200,000 of which lived in institutions. The remaining 180,000 roamed the streets or stayed either in foster care or with family. No one can begin to estimate the number of newly orphaned children due to the destructive 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated the country of Haiti or how long it will take the nation to heal from this disaster. These statistics are more than just mere numbers; they represent the thousands struggling in the fight to overcome poverty. Sadly, these statistics do not account for the numerous lives lost and thousands, if not millions, now homeless due to the recent earthquake.
In 2008, Haiti was ravaged with multiple tropical storms and hurricanes leaving a path of destruction for the Haitian people to clean up. The earthquake hit before prior damages were fully repaired causing even more disparity to set in for the already haggard citizens of Haiti. The destruction left behind from the natural disasters has compounded and is overwhelming the impoverished nation, yet some outsiders have yet to realize the dire state these people are in. Without food, homes, and in some cases family, the citizens of Haiti are in desperate need of help, but apathy shields the eyes of many. However, for others it is not a matter of it they should help, but how can they help?
Many groups and organizations are gathering necessities like bottle water, clothing, and canned food to send to the Haitian earthquake survivors, but with USPS international shipping rates to Haiti starting at about $10 per pound, relief efforts are being hampered. By utilizing the supplies already in Haiti and ensuring the donation and shipment of the most impactful yet lightweight supplies and materials, the survivors will be able to reap the maximum benefits of the global relief efforts.
In times of crisis, some products are more logical than others. For example, the LifeStraw, named by Time as “The Best Invention of 2005,” can filter up to seven hundred liters of water and costs a mere $6.50. Instead of eating out or going to a movie, one can provide a life saving tool that eliminates 99.9% of waterborne bacteria and 98 percent of waterborne viruses to an earthquake survivor.
The LifeStraw is ideal for situations like this because it is light, compact, and easily distributed allowing more to be shipped and to reach the Haitians. On the other hand, if one wanted to ship the same amount of water the LifeStraw filters, it would cost $10.31 cents a pound for shipping alone. Each LifeStraw filters about 700 liters of water, and each liter weighs one kilogram or 2.2 pounds. Thus, to send 700 liters of water would cost $15,877.40. Logistically and logically it is more beneficial to the Haitian people to send small inexpensive filtration devices like the LifeStraw because it utilizes the resources already present in the city and allows aid to reach a larger number of victims.
Instead of approaching this tragedy with an apathetic attitude, one must be proactive. There are opportunities surrounding the American people to assist the victims of this tragedy; these opportunities must be seized in order to promote health among survivors and to counteract the apathy seen as this tragedy unfolded. By using alternative products that provide larger amounts of goods for a lower price, more Haitians can receive aid in this time of tragedy.
