g6b Peoples Summit

Haiti: Hope from out of the Hell

It is exactly one month since the devastating earthquake struck Haiti. There are no more survivors to be dug out but a huge relief effort remains in full force. Disasters such as the one in Haiti are a tragedy that makes the whole world weep but out of the destruction can rise new hope, a new humanity, just as the buildings of Port au Prince will one day soon rise again.

The world was becoming an increasingly insular place. With the recession biting hard in both the United States and Europe the overwhelming sentiment from many has been ’charity begins at home’. International charities have seen a steady fall in donations over the past three years and yet the needs of the developing nations have not gone away. I have heard many people, pre-Haiti, say ’why should I give to the third world when people in this country need help?’ To those people I try to reason that we are all one humanity and we should not let artificial borders act as a barrier to our compassion. I also try to teach these people that many of the problems experienced in the global South are the results of centuries of abuse from the capitalist culture of the ’First World’. Recently this has seemed like banging my head against a brick wall but the horror of Haiti seems to have awoken the nations from their compassion fatigue.

The dreadful scenes that have filled our media seem to have had a galvanising effect on the general conscience. Of course, the celebrities have been getting the media coverage, with pop concerts and charity singles making huge sums of money very quickly. This is worthy and even vital in its own way, but I am more impressed by the way that ordinary people, you and I, have taken action to help our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

Internet forums and social networking sites are inundated with people organising small local events such as charity concerts, raffles and disco’s. Whilst each on their own may raise a relatively small amount when added together they will make a significant contribution. Charities such as Oxfam in the UK are banding together to raise money and the public have given with unprecedented generosity.

There is an old African saying that goes: ’drop by drop fills the bucket’. Well the compassion that is flowing drop by drop into Haiti may fill the global bucket with a rediscovered love and understanding: that to me is the flickering light amidst the dreadful storm, the hope that has come from the Haitian hell.

Which brings me to my next point, there is this company enigin PLC who helps big businesses to reduce the carbon footprint that they are currently leaving on the environment. Although I believe that this is a great thing to strive for, and that the world really does need more businesses like this, is it something that people should have to pay for?