Photo by Timothy Fadek/Polaris For Time 

 

According to Deborah Sontag of the New York Times, almost 400,000 Haitians are still living in tent camps 3 years after a earthquake devastated the country. Although over $7 billion dollars in aid has been disbursed, “rebuilding has barley begun“.

Immediately after the shocking images of the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti were shown to the world, people sprung into action. Celebrities, activists and entertainers, put on events and held fundraisers, to raise awareness and money for those most effected by this terrible diaster. The worlds top musicians and rappers even remade “We Are the World“!

A year later and outside of the 24 hour news cycle, Haiti was almost forgotten, one of the reasons I decided make the above video, “4Haiti”. In the song I wrote:

And now a year later and the fears greater
they need so much more than just to hear prayers
Haiti needs sincere care 
not showing up with a camera to show that we’re there 
cause they raised billions but didn’t raise building
and the soldiers they aint stop the killings
they was guarding banks inside armored tanks 
while mothers and fathers sank it makes my heat just break

Now, 3 years later and it seems the whole world has moved on, despite the majority of Haitians being in almost  the same condition as right after the earthquake. Not only should this cause us to examine the charities we give to, but also the manner in which we engage our communities. If we think we can just give a couple dollars and walk away, and we’ve done our part, we are sadly mistaken.

No matter what the cause, real change takes hard work in the trenches and a dedication to be envolved through the duration, not just when the cameras are present. What can we do to help Haiti in 2013 and beyond?