NEW YORK (YBH.ME) – In 2007, news broke that the Haitian people were so poor that they were eating dried yellow dirt “cookies” to sustain themselves. Yes, you read that right. Three years ago the Haitian people were so poor, they were actually eating dirt. The recent earthquake has merely added to the horror of daily life in Haiti, where the poor number in the millions, basically a majority of the 6 million-plus population.
The poor in Haiti will continue to suffer. Above a man collects dried mud cookies to sell in Cite Soleil in Port-au-Prince.
The promised land for Haitians looking for escape is not the nearby Dominican Republic or Cuba, but 700 miles away, in the United States. Illegally or legally, they mostly come to Florida, Miami in particular. On Lincoln Boulevard in South Beach Miami, a can of Coke can cost you north of $10.00. As you sip the Coke, please consider that a fellow human being 700 miles may be eating dirt to survive. I know I do.
Not to knock the tremendous Haiti relief efforts, but did an earthquake that killed 200,000-plus people have to happen to get us to really address their chronic situation? Perhaps so. God works in mysterious ways.
Many people have a lot of criticism of the Catholic church. But the simple fact remains, no organization in the entire world does more for the poor with regard to education, providing nourishment, building shelter, giving hospital care, etc than the Catholics. It is, by far, the largest non-profit organization in the world. If you do not believe me, google it.
For years, the church has been helping the poor in Haiti on a quiet, steady basis while Western governments trumpet yearly announcements of funds heading to Haiti, funds which have been grabbed by many sticky fingers before ever reaching those in need.
Last year I was fortunate enough to see Catholic outreach in Port au Prince. Mother Teresa’s nuns, the Missionaries of Charity, have around ten houses that provide aid to the poor in Haiti. In one of these homes, the good sisters take in malnourished children and care for them until they are strong enough to live with their families again. This work is performed without fanfare and has been going on for years, as it will for years to come.
I read one week after the Haiti earthquake took place, a cruise ship docked 60 miles away from Port au Prince and the people were jet skiing and having a grand old time. News like this that should sicken us. Okay, you say. Some countries “have” and some simply “do not have”. Maybe that’s fine with you. Maybe you have “charity fatigue” and can give no more.
Mother Teresa has an answer for that: “If you can not feed one hundred people, feed one”.
Well? Am I my brother’s keeper? I pose the question. If a category 7 earthquake killed 200,000 Americans along the Carolina coast, how would it feel if vacationers on a cruise ship anchored offshore jet skied for the day before they cruised on? Are you on that jet ski as the world’s poor eat dirt?
To learn more about giving, visit Immaculate Heart Missions – NYC . By the way, Mother Teresa is set to be honored with a postage stamp this year, and a group opposing it on church vs. state grounds has of course sprung up. To that I say what St. Francis said:
Start by doing what’s necessary, then what’s possible, and suddenly you’re doing the impossible.
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Joe Reciniello is a Wall Street executive that spends his free time helping the poor in New York City and beyond. Learn more about his work and travels at immaculateheartmission.org.Joe Reciniello article archive.
