Haiti

I was running late for work today and flung myself on to the nearest seat I could find on the Northbound train. Vacant for only a few seconds, the seat beside me had today's Metro newspaper crumpled up on it. I don't usually grab it because I use my precious time on the subway to close my eyes and fall semi-asleep, but the front page caught my attention. The crisis in Haiti heightened with the terror and horror of a devastating after shock. My stomach dropped and as I slowly read the articles that exposed the dirty underbelly of the political instability, severe lack of medical attention, food and water my throat dried up. I suddenly found myself hit with symptoms reminiscent of claustrophobia. I closed my eyes and felt my head spin and chest tighten. A few deep breaths and the kind smile of the woman sitting across from me eased what could have escalated into a messy situation. I practically ran off the subway to get some fresh air and sat down on the nearest bench. Haiti. The image of the young boy pouring water from a broken pipe line into his mouth was burned into my memory. What was I doing to help? What could I do to help? I donated money to the Red Cross earlier this week, but that doesn't seem like enough at all. So I urge you all to help in whatever way you can, whether it's your money or your time, if everyone comes together we can do our part to give the people of Haiti a fighting chance to survive.

I was forwarded the message below this morning. It only takes two minutes of your time to sign the petition...

"The work ahead to recover from this tragedy is immense. So here's our goal: $1 billion for Haiti. That's how much Haiti owes to the International Monetary Fund, the Inter-American Development Bank, and a handful of others.

Sign the petition below to ask Haiti's creditors to act quickly and cancel Haiti's debts:

http://one.org/international/actnow/haiti/index.html?rc=haiticonfemail

As Haiti begins to rebuild we can help by lifting this debt."

My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in Haiti right now.