The recent outpouring of donations and humanitarian aid to the devastated country of Haiti are a potent example of the resources at the disposal of the international community in response to crisis. The Red Cross has raised over $32 million (and counting) through text message donations alone, from individuals like you and me. Millions of dollars is pouring in from governments, businesses, pro Sports Teams, churches, and humanitarian organizations. This outpouring of goodwill and generosity is something to be celebrated but it also brings me back to a question that has bothered me every time there is a major donor response after a crisis: Does it take a Crisis for us to Care?

What does the magnitude of a catastrophe need to be for us to act? How many lives in an impoverished country are enough to capture the headlines? How many of us actually cared or even knew about Haiti before the earth quake? How many will still care once the headlines go away, the debris is cleared, the dead are buried, and the emergency chasers have moved on to another hard hit country?

I am not questioning the need to respond when crisis hits. We must. I am questioning what we do before the crisis and after it. Time after time I see the international community respond at the point of no return, by sending peace keepers to a country descending into chaos or pouring massive amounts of money into food aid and medical support for the most vulnerable. This is the time when the mismanagement of funds is also the most likely.

How can we work more proactively to avert crisis before it happens? For me, widely accessible quality education based on strong values is critical. I recently watched a fascinating interview with Greg Mortensen (Founder of Central Asian Institute and subject of the book Three Cups of Tea). His organization has built 131 schools in the most volatile areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan and his perspective is that education is the most effective long term way to fight terrorism. People with little hope and little education are much more vulnerable to extremist ideology.

Rwanda is a case in point. The largely undereducated masses were strongly manipulated by a few well educated leaders, to commit atrocities beyond imagination. Now that the country has returned some stability it is the right time to make a huge investment directly into its future generation, 40% of whom are under the age of 15. If we are not willing to do so we must be willing to accept the potential risk that all of Rwanda’s gains will be lost in another crisis.

Haiti has been a largely failed state for a long time. This catastrophe magnifies that reality. I find it sad that this huge outpouring of support will likely dry up once Haiti fades from the newspaper headlines and the next crisis hits. This is wrong. It should not take a crisis for us to care.

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Yes! Mark Petersen 2010-01-22 12:41:49 Thanks Richard. This is bang on. Reply | Quote

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