Editor:
On Jan. 20, the Leader News reported on a group planning to go to Haiti to make some concrete foundations to prevent shacks from being swept away in hurricanes during the rainy season. This may help a few families, but much more is needed to improve the situation in Haiti.
A few days ago I listed to a native Haitian, who had designed the Montana Hotel, which is now badly damaged. What he would like to see done is the building of a series of small dams, using mostly local labour, on the many water runs in the mountain range separating Haiti from the Dominican Republic.
On the morning of Jan. 25 the CBC aired a good explanation of the difference between the two countries, and why the very great difference exists, other than language. The very noticeable contrast is the colour. While the east part of the Republic side is green, the west part of Haiti is generally brown. Why the great contrast? The east slopes have kept a tree cover, which slows the soil erosion and there are probably dams and reservoirs to make power and irrigation possible in the dry season.
While the Dominican Republic has a thriving tourist business and tropical fruits and vegetables to export, with no talk of a hungry or starving population, only a few kilometers to the west, the situation, even before the quake was a sharp contrast. Why such a difference?
My 1962 Reference Book puts Haiti's population at about one-third of a million. Now there are about four million, and approximately one-third under the age 15, and most hungry.
About 60 years ago I remember reading a short article in The Catholic Digest. What I remember was the comment that 'hunger is a sex stimulant'. Could this be part of Haiti's problem?
On another report I heard that not all the babies put up for adoption are orphans. The parents have more children than they can feed or nourish properly.
Lester Jorgenson - Abbey
