Sunday, March 20, 2011

Continued Support for People of Natural Disasters

With the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the outpouring of compassion for a nation ravished by the disaster is heartwarming. It is terrifying and saddening to see the loss of human life and the destruction of people’s homes and livelihood. Yet, within a matter of a few weeks, we will likely hear nothing of the heartache in Japan on the news. This reminds me of the January, 2010 earthquake in Haiti that also destroyed so many lives. Once we no longer hear about the situation in the news, we often forget about those that are suffering. My goal is to help my students understand that just because we no longer hear about the disaster, the problems associated with it are not over.

The devastation in Haiti continues today. The following link is an article written in January of 2011, one year after the disaster in Haiti. There is still much to be done in the country, yet will hear little of the continued struggles.

A picture of a cathedral in Port-au-Prince after the earthquake.


One year after the earthquake, little has been done to rebuild.


There has however, been improvements to the country of Haiti, yet more work and help is needed. The pictures below shows that life in many areas have returned to normal.

After the Earthquake - January 2010


One Year Later - January, 2011


I would be interested in using a website such as DonorsChoose.org to raise money for a project involving a classroom in Haiti or Japan. Through the study of either country, I would allow my students to select a project to help a fellow classroom in a natural disaster ravished area. Through this project, students would become more compassionate and understanding of human needs.
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3 comments:

  1. Andrew F.March 27, 2011 at 3:36 PM

    I like your idea of using a website like http://www.donorschoose.org/ to raise money for a project involving a classroom in a nation that suffered a catastrophe. It is necessary for our students to understand the importance of human needs in a real-world context. This is especially true for students who have not suffered from a natural disaster or other catastrophe themselves.

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  2. kelly.diazMarch 27, 2011 at 6:26 PM

    Your idea of the use of a website to raise money for a natural disaster is great. Having students understand the importance of helping others is very important these days.

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  3. AmyMarch 27, 2011 at 7:50 PM

    Hi Amanda,

    I also like your idea of having your class raise money; I think that when students see what a difference a small sacrifice can make when everyone combines their efforts.

    There was a project that you might be interested in if you want to take a slightly different approach. Check out:

    http://studentsrebuild.org/japan/

    Amy :)

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