Editorial: Organizations are helping Haiti, but must also help after support wanes
Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: Opinion
The Jan. 12 earthquake in southern Haiti, and the devastation it caused, inspired a level of awareness, aid, and charitable response seldom seen in response to a foreign disaster. A tremendous number of governments and nongovernmental organizations alike have provided supplies and manpower, and donations from citizens began to pour in without much delay. But at the level of an individual college, where students can easily push such concerns out of mind, and where not all students who want to help can actually give money, what can be done?
A good number of students at Case Western Reserve University have already responded in several ways (see "Case students take active role in helping Haiti" in this issue). Particularly, Global Medical Initiative, the Center for Civic Engagement and Learning, Residence Life staff, and the Undergraduate Indian Student Association have taken it upon themselves to make it easy for students to give amounts they can afford, to donate supplies, and most importantly, to feel involved in relief efforts.
While requests for support have been continuously fulfilled, the real challenge will be to maintain this support in the months to come. For any chance to provide the sort of relief Haiti will need once short-term recovery efforts come to a close, people need to feel a level of personal connection with those affected by the disaster. The wonderful thing about campus relief efforts at their best is that they can establish that kind of attitude. Can organizations continue to stress the ongoing need for assistance in Haiti in their charitable efforts? It's nice to be able to text a word and provide immediate assistance in the aftermath of a disaster, but it's different to revisit the problem several months later, and ask what can still be done to help, even if it's a small amount.
We want to thank student organizations for what they have done so far to enlist the help of Case students in providing relief for the Haiti earthquake. The speed with which they were able to organize fundraising events and relief efforts has truly been impressive. The remaining challenge is to explain to students why they should remember relief efforts going forward, and invest themselves in continuing to help Haiti rebuild.
A good number of students at Case Western Reserve University have already responded in several ways (see "Case students take active role in helping Haiti" in this issue). Particularly, Global Medical Initiative, the Center for Civic Engagement and Learning, Residence Life staff, and the Undergraduate Indian Student Association have taken it upon themselves to make it easy for students to give amounts they can afford, to donate supplies, and most importantly, to feel involved in relief efforts.
While requests for support have been continuously fulfilled, the real challenge will be to maintain this support in the months to come. For any chance to provide the sort of relief Haiti will need once short-term recovery efforts come to a close, people need to feel a level of personal connection with those affected by the disaster. The wonderful thing about campus relief efforts at their best is that they can establish that kind of attitude. Can organizations continue to stress the ongoing need for assistance in Haiti in their charitable efforts? It's nice to be able to text a word and provide immediate assistance in the aftermath of a disaster, but it's different to revisit the problem several months later, and ask what can still be done to help, even if it's a small amount.
We want to thank student organizations for what they have done so far to enlist the help of Case students in providing relief for the Haiti earthquake. The speed with which they were able to organize fundraising events and relief efforts has truly been impressive. The remaining challenge is to explain to students why they should remember relief efforts going forward, and invest themselves in continuing to help Haiti rebuild.
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