The Mercy Corps organization has been actively involved in Haiti for the past year. They’ve helped more than 830,000 people primarily focusing on two aspects: immediate aid and youth development.
I have attached the following link which goes into further detail on true extent Mercy Corps has helped Haiti.
I want to particularly focus on the second aspect of involvement in Haiti – youth education. I applaud Mercy Corps’ emphasis on posterity. The “Comfort for Kids” program has brought 3,000 teachers who have helped over 61,000 students. They’ve not only helped academically but reach out to the children emotionally, giving them the support and care that is needed after such a traumatic event. Focusing on the youth, Haiti has a brighter future. By fostering these leaders, taking care of them, Mercy Corps has gone further than just immediate help; they are planning for the future.
http://www.mercycorps.org/haitioneyear?source=E551&Custom16=text2
Monday, January 17, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
2010 Comes to an END
With the end of 2010, we reflected back to find a year of unprecedented natural disasters. 2010 was the second worst year in history after a dreadful 1980. 950 disasters were recorded in the last week, compared to the 785 average in the past 10 years. Major points include earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, floods in Pakistan and China, forest fires in Russia, and the extremely bipolar weather here in Southern California with the highest temperature as well as an extremely rainy winter.
Many people speculate this to be a consequence of man-made influences - green house gases, pollution in factories, deforestation, etc. Whether these directly lead to the augmented frequency of earthquakes or floods, we do not know.
We can speculate though. Scientists claim that with global warming, more water evaporates causing a heavier condensation and therefore more rain. Others simply say that Earth is a lot bigger than human beings. The atmosphere is extremely volatile. One example is clearly the butterfly effect. When a slight fluctuation in the chemistry and biology of our atmosphere dominoes into a drastic change. On a more local level, whether predictions are often wrong - as we suffer wearing dresses and shorts in windy weather. These thoughts often mock scientists who attempt to justify disasters to human causation with a determination that is sometimes almost as fervent as the ancient days where God punished through typhoons and tsunamis.
Who is right, I suppose we'll never know. But what we are aware of is that Natural Disasters are occurring. They impact society significantly and destroy thousands on lives. As we close 2010, we leave a year where (according to CBC News) 260,000 people died via natural disasters, in comparison to the 15,000 in 2009.
Many people speculate this to be a consequence of man-made influences - green house gases, pollution in factories, deforestation, etc. Whether these directly lead to the augmented frequency of earthquakes or floods, we do not know.
We can speculate though. Scientists claim that with global warming, more water evaporates causing a heavier condensation and therefore more rain. Others simply say that Earth is a lot bigger than human beings. The atmosphere is extremely volatile. One example is clearly the butterfly effect. When a slight fluctuation in the chemistry and biology of our atmosphere dominoes into a drastic change. On a more local level, whether predictions are often wrong - as we suffer wearing dresses and shorts in windy weather. These thoughts often mock scientists who attempt to justify disasters to human causation with a determination that is sometimes almost as fervent as the ancient days where God punished through typhoons and tsunamis.
Who is right, I suppose we'll never know. But what we are aware of is that Natural Disasters are occurring. They impact society significantly and destroy thousands on lives. As we close 2010, we leave a year where (according to CBC News) 260,000 people died via natural disasters, in comparison to the 15,000 in 2009.
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