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stead, the problem gets worse, as
a hungry population mortgages
the future to grow what they need
for survival now. Centuries of
exploitation will not be healed
overnight. But God has so de–
signed it that nature can heal
itself- given time and
~
fair
chance.
Haiti's land is going to need
intensive care for a while if it is to
be brought back to full productiv–
ity. The trees must be given time
to cover the bilis again, so that
the rebui lt soil can gain a pur–
chase on the rocks. Sorne small–
scale experiments have shown
that it can be done, but a hungry
peasant is more concerned with
his little plot of land today. He
has neither the knowledge nor the
means to plan the future.
If
Hai–
ti's land is to be healed, sorne
other provision will have to be
made while it does, or the people
will starve.
Breaking Poverty's Cycle
Haití is just one of the many
nations today that have become
trapped in a vicious circle of
poverty. How do you break the
circle?
It
would take a central
world government that knows
what it is doing and that has the
authority to act. There will have
to be a new spirit among all
nations, a spirit of giving and
sharing. The richer, prosperous
nations would have to make it a
national policy to live by the
golden rule-to do unto others
as they would be done b y.
That- to put it mildly- is not
the way of the world today.
A people that have lived for so
long on the borderline of survival
will also need help in the basic
knowledge of health, hygiene and
nutrition.
lt
does not take long for the
visitar to Haití to see that it is a
young country-there are chil–
dren everywhere. But too many of
those children are sick. And thou–
sands die every year, through
malnutrition and related dis–
eases- a much greater although
less spectacular killer than out–
right starvation. The chi ldren in
the rural areas are especially vul–
nerable.
26
A child will probably be born
on the floor of a mud hut. The
umbilical will be cut with a
knife, old scissors or a stone, and
the stump bound with unsteril–
ized wire, g rass or rags. The
baby has an excellent chance of
contracting tetanus and becom–
ing another of the 15 out of
every 100 newborn babies that
die befare the age of one.
If
he
survives, he will have to fight off
the gamut of communicable dis–
ease, such as typhoid, dysentery
and yellow fever . His diet wilJ
be monotonous and deficient in
body-building proteins.
When he learns to walk, he will
almost certainly become infected
by parasites that find their way
into his body through his bare
feet. He will sleep in a hut in
constant contact with bacteria,
coughed out by an adult member
of the family, one of whom will
almost certainly have tuberculo–
sis.
As other brothers and sisters
come along, he may even be
farmed out to relatives for care.
Should he survive childhood, his
life expectancy will be only about
52 years. All this is unneccessary.
Most of it could be prevented
now.
God knows that a people who
have lived in slavery need help in
the most basic areas of health and
hygiene. When He brought the
people of Israel out from Egypt
3,500 years ago, He gave Mases
laws that govern the physical
environment.
Those laws, if obeyed, ensure a
proper diet, pure water, clean
bodies and hygienic dwellings.
These laws, covering such basic
subjects as what to eat and the
proper disposa1 of human waste,
are still in the Bible.
Many in the comfortable de–
veloped world scoff at them.
They a r e casually dismissed
along with the other Old Testa–
ment laws- those governing fi–
nancia! responsibility and the
use of holy time. "Done away
with," you wi ll hear. "Christ
nailed them to His cross." Yet it
was the One who later was born
as Jesus who led Israel out of
slavery
(1
Cori nthians 10:1-4),
and who gave them the health
laws. That same Chr ist (you
might want to think about Mal–
achi 3:6) will soon lead all
nations out of far worse bon–
dage. He will rule them kindly
but firmly for 1,000 years (Rev–
elation 20: 1-5). Most nations
~re
going to once again. need sorne
very basic teaching.
Don't take lightly what you
know of so-called Old Testament
law. You may need it to help
Christ heal a nation.
Needed: Genuine Education
One need that Haití shares with
many developing countries is ade–
quate education. There a re
schoo ls, of course, but not
enough. And there is a shortage
of qualified teachers, especially in
the upper levels.
Young Haitians know that edu–
cation is a key to breaking out of
the poverty cycle. They are des–
perate for access to knowledge.
This was brought borne to me by
a teenager who accosted me as
1
left my hotel in downtown Port
au Prince.
"You want a guide for sight–
seeing, si r ."
"No thank you. I'm just going
for a walk," 1 replied.
"Piease, can I come with
you."
He was very persistent. I d idn't
want a guide, but I could see that
it was not going to be easy to turn
him aside. I gave up. " How
much?"
He looked embarrassed.
"How much do you charge for
being a guide," 1 repeated.
He was genuinely hurt. "No
charge,
1
just want to walk with
you. To talk in English to you.
1
am trying to learn English. You
can tell me how
1
am doing."
We walked through the streets
of Port au Prince for perhaps two
hours. He told me that he was the
only one in bis family going to
school. It was a technical school
and was very expensive. Severa)
family members were working to
support him, so that he could get
an education and eventually a
good job. He was using every
opportunity to make the most of
bis chance.
The
PLAIN TRUTH