Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, has just suffered a catastrophic earthquake. Its capital, Port-au-Prince, was left in ruins and only one hospital remains to care for the wounded. The infrastructure isn’t in place to respond quickly, and people are lying injured in the streets waiting for help to come. The death toll is in the thousands, and is expected to rise.
What the long-suffering people of Haiti are going through is unimaginable to me, sitting here in Canada with a roof over my head and food in my belly. Our country’s Governor General, Michaëlle Jean, was born in Haiti and gave an emotional address to Canadians today, thanking them for their swift response and calling for solidarity with those suffering. Click here to view the video, and here to learn more about Haiti.
The Red Cross and the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) are accepting donations to assist the relief effort. Click here to go to MCC and here for the Canadian Red Cross.