The devastation caused by the January 12, 2010, earth quake opens up the eyes of the world to the devastating poverty faced by millions of Hatians. Attribuiting this poverty to natural causes denies the fact that Haiti has already been the poorest country of the hemisphere for many centuries, a fact that most of the world has chosen to ignore. I personally attribute the roots of Haiti's poverty not to the earth quake, but to centuries old socio-political, economic and religious causes. However, this unfortunate set of circumstances that Haiti nows face, affords the world the unique opportunity and the responsability to permanently rebuild this crumbling nation. In my opinion, the first thing that needs to be done is for foreing countries to forgive the external debt of the island. Secondly, the infrastructure needs to be rebuilt with better roads, schools, and hospitals; and this in return, will create a lot of jobs that will permanently improve the country's economy. It is important to note, that the international aid being received needs to be overseed by foreign agencies to ensure that these funds will truly reach the people. Religious changes need to include the preaching of the gospel of love, peace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ so that many souls can be saved. Another thing that will empower Haitians to compete with the rest of the hemisphere, will be to implement education that will emphatize the teaching of English and Spanish. Being the only country in the hemisphere that speaks French hasn't helped Haiti, and has placed them in disadvantage to compete with other countries of Latin America. May God help the people of Haiti!
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