If there is a nation on Earth that can relate to the biblical figure Job – a faithful and patient man who endured countless unendurable torments – that nation is Haiti.
The western hemisphere’s most impoverished country, it has suffered the wrath of hurricanes and struggled under corrupt governments.
Laying on the misery, the Caribbean island nation was hit with an enormously destructive earthquake last week that killed between 50,000 and 100,000 people (some officials say the death toll will climb even higher).
Judging by the immediate outpouring of support from around the globe, however, it is clear the survivors of Haiti do not stand alone.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper set the tone for Canada early on, declaring our embassy in Port-au-Prince a base camp for the 6,000 Canadians in Haiti; evacuating hundreds of citizens on military aircraft; mobilizing warships and the Disaster Assistance Response Team; pledging to match donations by Canadians, up to $50 million; and instructing the immigration department to allow more Haitians into Canada quickly.
And while the initial crisis grabbed the headlines, the danger of illness and disease among the survivors lurks not far behind.
That’s where Canadians come in, as they have so many times in the past, by supporting various relief groups – with, as always, the advice to ensure those with their hands out are legitimate, since scammers proliferate and feed off generous people amid tragedy.
As happened after the tsunami that levelled parts of Southeast Asia in 2004, countless organizations have stepped forward to ease the pain of an unimaginably destructive natural disaster.
The Canadian Red Cross, the Salvation Army, World Vision Canada, Save the Children Canada, CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, the United Church of Canada, Wal-Mart, the LCBO and many others have mobilized for the cause.
We’ve seen the images from Haiti. Rubble everywhere. Corpses in the streets. Anguished survivors. Collapsed buildings. Collapsed lives.
The Haitian people need help, and we should be glad to deliver.
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