It's time to show our caring side

Brian Donaldson • Published 21 Jan 2010 09:00 0 Comments

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We in Northern Ireland have little to complain about in terms of our climate which included the recent prolonged spell of severe frost and before that the heavy rains, when we witness the scenes in Haiti over this past week.

This densely populated island nation in the Caribbean, has not had much luck when it comes to natural disasters of which there have been many over the centuries. But last week's earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter Scale has resulted in one of the worst natural disasters to befall any nation.

Haiti's poor infrastructure and extreme poverty make matters worst. With no buildings able to withstand the shocking tremors of this recent earthquake, the result can only be a tragedy on a human scale rarely witnessed around the world.

The shocking images on our TV screens and in our newspapers of the dead and dying will inevitably jolt us from our comfort zone but equally so was the heart-rending photograph of a little boy who managed a smile for his anxious mother as he was hauled out by rescuers from a collapsed building. These examples of the coverage of this disaster hopefully will inspire us to do our bit for the embattled people of Haiti. And that response has already begun. Individually, some local business people have set a yardstick for others to follow, and organisations such as Enniskillen Rotary Club have also announced fundraising ventures.

The main emergency aid charities who already had a presence in Haiti, also have enthusiastic and active representatives in this county and are appealing for support either through them locally or through the Disasters Emergency Committee, the umbrella group for 13 humanitarian aid agencies which launches and co-ordinates responses to major disasters overseas.

The appeal has harnessed schools, churches, businesses and individuals in a way we have rarely seen on a scale before. This disaster is on a scale similar to the horrors of the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami which also evoked a worldwide response.

When you witness people who have literally nothing more than what they stand in, who have lost countless close family members and friends and are surrounded by their towns and villages which have been virtually levelled, it is a must on us to act as best we can.

But then again generosity is second nature to the people of this county, who have shown in the past how they can contribute to appeals to make life just a little better for those much worse off than ourselves. The people of Haiti will be grateful in their hearts for everything they receive no matter how little. The dignity and resilience they have shown in the face of losing virtually everything, surely can be reciprocated by our support.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 21 Jan 10

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