For Haiti, aid’s not over

The recent earthquake in Haiti isn’t the only major dilemma facing the ailing country, CBC News reported Jan. 18.

In an opinion piece, columnist Brian Stewart argues Haiti has long been ravaged by disorder and government corruption, and the earthquake’s aftermath is only the tip of a deep and troubling iceberg.

Stewart suggests major crises like Haiti’s earthquake, while devastating, have the potential benefit of offering the opportunity for a nation’s reinvention.

While the earthquake has presented a catastrophic tragedy for Haitians, the country’s state as a poor nation with rocky politics existed long before the disaster, and is likely to continue after the most serious wreckage is addressed.

The Canadian government’s plans to send 2,000 peacekeeping troops to Haiti are laudable, and Canada’s current status as Haiti’s second largest donor is something to be proud of.

Whether banding together to form aid movements or using new donation methods such as text messaging, Canadians are demonstrating that relief efforts for Haiti are a priority. Many Canadians’ French-language skills are also an asset to connecting with the Haitian population and helping with front-line relief efforts.

But it’s important that aid for Haiti be sustained in some way beyond the current catastrophe, and for longer than the amount of time Haiti’s struggle will be a prominent topic in the media. Haiti needs several years of continuous aid if they hope to become a fully functioning country. For the moment, the country’s troubled politics should be separated from its immediate emergency needs. Plans to take this crisis and use it as a springboard to turn Haiti into a functioning democratic state seem overly ambitious and should take the backseat to a focus on humanitarian relief.

There is a long list of things the country is desperately in need of, including everything from medical clinics and telecommunications to public housing and agricultural support. But these projects should be reserved for the long term in the interest of more immediate aid like food and medical care.

When intervening with relief efforts in Haiti, foreigners with visions of rebuilding should be mindful of encroaching on a culture that already exists.

Governments and aid workers would do well to question to what extent their mission is one of nation-building before delving too deep into the makeover of an ailing country.

All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.

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