“Even after the quake hit Haiti on Jan. 12, devastation continues from massive aftershocks. Wednesday morning one such aftershock hit. It registered as a magnitude 6.1 which is less than one point away from a major earthquake. In fact, the quake itself measured a 7.”
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Even after the quake hit Haiti on Jan. 12, devastation continues from massive aftershocks.

Wednesday morning one such aftershock hit. It registered as a magnitude 6.1 which is less than one point away from a major earthquake.

In fact, the quake itself measured a 7. Haitian government officials are saying the death toll is between 100-200,000, and many are still buried under rubble.

More than $210 million in donations have been raised for Haiti’s earthquake relief since last Monday, and charities from around the world continue to assist in the recovery effort.

As of Wednesday, at least 11,000 U.S. military service members alone are in or nearby Haiti and they plan to send an additional 4,000 sailors and Marines.

Many countries are putting a great deal of effort towards helping and it seems pretty obvious why: The hungry need fed, the sick need medical attention and the poor need to be funded.

Unfortunately, the earthquake is not solely responsible for Haiti’s condition.

For quite some time, Haiti has been the underdog of the world, lacking sufficient resources needed for education, health and prosperity.

Haitipartners.org gives a list of the most current statistics about the country and includes a reference list of where the information can be found.

Many of these references, such as the World Bank web site, the CIA World Factbook and the UNICEF web site include additional startling facts.

You probably didn’t need anyone to tell you that Haiti isn’t exactly a wealthy country, but to say that Haitians are poor is an understatement.

78 percent of Haitians are indeed poor, but more than half of the population (54 percent) lives in extreme poverty and over two-thirds of their labor force lack formal jobs.

In 2006, only 58 percent of the population was reported using improved drinking-water sources and the estimated number of people living with HIV in 2007 totaled 120 thousand.

Education is another problem. 50 percent of children at the primary school are not enrolled and approximately 75 percent of all teachers lack adequate training. The list goes on and on.

The facts are there. They always have been. Still this is the first time anyone has acknowledged them.

It took an earthquake for people to finally say, Let us help you.

Clearly, help has always been needed and finally countries are sending aid to improve their health, wealth and nourishment. Why now?

Let’s be blunt: the circumstances are different. This is because of the earthquake.

When you put it like that, it kind of sounds a bit knit-picky.

Here’s another way of putting it: In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Napoleon (a very smart pig) says that all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.

Maybe that doesn’t blow your mind, but let’s apply to with Haiti’s current situation.

If we’re not measuring how we choose to handle problems like it was some kind of scale, then Haiti should’ve gotten help a long time ago, regardless of a natural disaster.

Perhaps it’s for good publicity. No one’s ever scoffed at a donation!

Barack and Michelle Obama donated $15,000 out of their own pockets!

Maybe it’s good for the economy. You can’t re-build anything without builders and contractors and those people don’t work for free.

Maybe it’s none of the above, except if you take away any of those possibilities all that is left is neglect. That’s not good for anyone.

Don’t take this the wrong way. A magnitude 7 earthquake is certainly not a small problem and to downplay the situation would be anything less than humane.

It’s probably safe to say that Haiti is thankful for any and all help they receive.

It’s obvious they need it badly and they will continue to need it for a long time, but take this into consideration: When it comes to dealing with problems like malnourishment, poverty and health, nothing is too big or small.

A problem is a problem and until it is tended to, it only grows.

You can’t measure them on a scale.

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