Haiti & the “curse” of poverty

This week, a massive earthquake destroyed thousands of buildings on the Caribbean island of Haiti. The country’s government fears that as many as 100,000 people may have died. And in the midst of this tragedy, there are those who are saying that Haiti’s enduring poverty and despair are payment for its sins. But perhaps there are other thoughts to be had here . . . .

In the midst of the earthquake cataclysm, Haiti’s island-neighbor -- the Dominican Republic -- is embracing the less-than-friendly legacy between the two nations and opening its doors to help Haiti’s victims in any way it can. “We're going to send teams from the Dominican Republic to help with the rescue. We're going to send food, water and mobile clinics,” a DR spokesperson said. Such cooperation was not historically the case. Haiti, a former French colony, and the Dominican Republic, with roots as a Spanish colony, have tensions that go back hundreds of year.

Within a day of the tragedy, the DR government had started sending food, medicine and rescue crews to Haiti. Top Dominican leaders gathered at the border as a staging ground to begin transporting aid into the country . . .

. . . and in the midst of such tragedy, healing begins.