Prompt #3; And you think you have it bad

The Devastation in Haiti

to see more pics by this photographer go to http://www.miamiherald.com/photogalleries/gallery/672518.html?number=28

The devastation in Haiti today, due to the hurricanes is horrendous. Storm after storm after storm this little country has been hit over and over again, and only after recently recovering from another devastating hurricane a few years ago.


Did you know that Haiti was once the richest clony in the entire world, but today Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti was once called the "Jewel of the Antilles" and now is considered the Hell-Hole of the Carribbean. Have you ever wondered why this is so, why is Haiti so poor? I'm sure many of you have discussed the seeming unfairness in the political refugee policies regarding Haitians who, like Cubans, put their lives at risk in the seas to arrive to this country for a better life. Have you ever investigated why the policies are as they are? Or do you just sit there and disagree with the policy and say it's not fair? Do you argue an issue or a topic that you potentially know nothing about? (if you are interested in learning a little more about why Haiti is so poor there is a great essay at http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/misctopic/leftover/whypoor.htm)

People around Miami are already pulling together resources to send aid to Haiti and Cuba, but it also raises a lot of questions surrounding the U.S. embargo on Cuba and foreign policies regarding Haitian immigrants in the U.S. In an article written by JACQUELINE CHARLES, TRENTON DANIEL AND EVAN S. BENN titled "After Hurricane Ike, Haiti Needs `Flood of Helicopters’" I read the following passage:

”Despite our economic downturn in Florida, we must make a generous sacrifice,” Miami Archbishop John C. Favalora said.
Favalora assured that the money would be delivered directly to churches in Haiti, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Jamaica and other affected countries.He then waded into the contentious political debate surrounding U.S. policy toward Cuba and Haiti, calling for an immediate granting of temporary protected status for Haitians. That status would stop deportations of Haitians, which Favalora said would be unspeakably cruel given the current conditions on the island.
Favalora also said the United States should lift the embargo on Cuba for humanitarian reasons. Lifting the embargo would allow the church to more easily send ”far more donations” to storm victims, he said.
South Florida congressional representatives also urged President Bush to halt the deportation of illegal Haitian immigrants until the island recovers from Ike’s devastation. And a coalition of Cuban-American groups asked the Bush administration to temporarily lift the sanctions on family aid and remittances, as did Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
”The best thing is for people to get help from friends and family,” said Mayra Sanchez of North Miami, whose mother and daughter live in Las Tunas, Cuba, where storms have damaged many homes. “But Cubans can’t do that because of the embargo.”

Do these images appeal to your emotions? Do they bring up feelings of sympathy, sadness, pity? Do they make you want to do something about this situation or do you feel there is nothing you can do? Why do you think these images appeal to your emotions? What is in these images that provoke you? How much of it has do with the photographer and how much of it has to do with what is happening?

Last year I had the opportunity to finally visit my husbands homeland of Nicaragua. It is considered the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Yet it is a beautiful country with so much to offer and you see it in every corner you turn, in the smiles of the people, the welcoming homes, the children playing in the dirt, in their bright colored arts and crafts, on their black sanded beaches......sure there may not be central air conditioning or hot water everywhere you go, but those are minor issues compared to some of the issues the people must deal with on an everyday basis.

I want to introduce you The Children of the Dumpster:

In the city of Ocotal, in the northern part of Nicaragua, there live approximately 30 children at or near the local dump. These children not only live in some of the most deplorable conditions imaginable, but they spend the entire day, from 7am to 6pm working, rummaging
through the garbage at the dump, under inhumane conditions, collecting aluminum and plastic so they may in turn sell them to recycling buyers. The little bit of money they make is enough to feed them for the day. Of these 30 children twenty are boys and ten are girls. They range in ages from 4 years old to 16 years old. Of the thirty, only 5 attend school. Most no longer can read or write because it has been so long since the last time they went to school. Most are homeless and orphaned, and some even live at the dumpster itself with only a plastic tarp as cover. There are no adults with these children except for one mother who
is accompanied by her young daughter every day. Although Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America, it is also one of the poorest. While it is rich in beauty and culture, it is an impoverished country, and ranks as the 2nd poorest country of the western hemisphere after Haiti.

What can be done about any of these two countries? Should we feel compelled to do anything? Have you ever travelled somewhere and had an experience that remained with you forever? Do you care? Does it matter? Do you believe you have the power to change things or is it pointless to even try because it will never change, or because they need to fix their own problems?

Note: Remember that you can go anywhere with these prompts. If you want to argue a position, you can argue, if you want to inform, you can inform, if you want toentertain, you can entertain, if you want to pursuade, you can pursuade. And if you are adventurous and want to do all 4, be my guest, just don't feel locked into doing onw thing.