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jueves, abril 22, 2010

Please Remember Haiti

My son just got back from a week in Haiti. Haiti was impoverished beyond belief before the earthquake. And now it is difficult to describe the pervasive suffering. His descriptions bring me to tears.

And then there's this:

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (AP) -- After the Haitian national soccer team couldn't eat another bite of chef-prepared pork or ice cream, and before going back to its cabins at a Texas resort, coach Jairo Rios asked for a favor.

Tents. As many as they could haul back to Haiti.

''I eat well here. I sleep well,'' forward Charles Herold Jr. said in French, speaking through a translator. ''But I cannot help but think of my friends and family who don't have that. I can't get that off my mind.''


I can't get that off my mind either. I hope you won't be able to get it off your mind. The futbol players can't get it off their minds, either:

Players are already wrestling with the guilt of their relatively better fortunes. Forward Eliphene Cadet, 29, escaped from his house in Port-au-Prince after the roof caved on him and two children.

Leaving Haiti meant leaving his family in a tent in a field, near where his house once stood. Other players left their families in similar conditions.

''All the guys talk about it,'' Cadet said. ''I know that they're here. There are still tremors now. That's our biggest worry.''

So as the rains come, shelter is extremely important. And of course medical aid continues to be important. And, of course, drinking water and sanitation are critical.

There are so many of us, and we have so much. Can we use this essay to develop a list of organizations that will accept our small donations to continue aid in Haiti? Can we work together on this? Can we make some donations?

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