Many of us have seen and are saddened by the images of Haiti that flood our TV screens. We see devastation, destruction, and death. We hear about the disasters that destroy the homes and hope of Haitian citizens, and the debilitating poverty that affects thousands. Some of us may have even donated money towards relief efforts. But how many of us are aware of where these funds are going and how they are being used? 

I'm embarrassed to say how uninformed I was before I began my research, but I know I am not alone. We are misinformed by the media with images meant to bring in more profits to organizations. We are led to believe that we are providing billions of dollars worth of relief. Sadly, the reality is that the number of dollars being raised does not even remotely reflect the number of dollars being received by Haitian citizens.

Although I didn't choose to research Haiti out of pure curiosity (in fact, I drew the country out of a bag), I am glad to be researching this country. We had the opportunity in class to learn a little bit about the rich culture of Haiti. With some background knowledge and appreciation for the country already in my mind, the new information I came across was disheartening and alarming. When I began researching, it immediately became obvious that a great injustice is being done there. 

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and, to make matters worse, it seems to be a constant target for natural disasters. As debt and destruction pile up, more and more people become homeless and hopeless. But on top of these misfortunes, after the interventions of many nations there is somehow an even larger debt, a higher cost of living, and other new problems that come with the influx of foreigners. I do believe that intervention from other countries is necessary if we hope to pull Haiti out of debt and rescue its people from the effects of disaster, and I'm not saying that we currently aren't helping at all, but we are clearly doing some things wrong. Part of my research will be to find out what exactly it is we are doing wrong, and, hopefully, along the way I'll also come across some solutions.

Haiti has great potential, we just need to be a friend helping her get back on her feet, not kicking her down with our own self-interests.