Province of the World (in Saskatchewan)

I have been very bothered this past week, over the images and stories related to the disaster that is Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It breaks my heart. It’s a mess. I feel so helpless. Watching people on the news, step over dead bodies on the street like you might a squirrel or racoon. The fatalities; the human devastation, is unfathomable.

There are so many agencies supporting this cause,  and benefits being organized. ‘Give money. Attend this concert, and the proceeds will go to the Haiti relief effort’. I know every little bit helps, but I have this feeling deep within that I need to do more.

I don’t have a lot of money that I can give, and even if I did have money to spare, I still wouldn’t feel that it was enough.

I think to myself, ‘what if this was to ever happen where I live?’ I would be naïve to think that it won’t, and if it did, would I feel right accepting assistance if I did nothing at all to help those rendered helpless in desperate times like this?

So how can I help? Really help?

All I have are my thoughts. My infidel prayers.

All I have are words, so I throw this out there as ‘A’ solution. This coming from someone who really has no concept of money as it relates to something of this significance, but it is an idea none the less.

These words have been consuming my thoughts. ‘How can we truly help these people who are still feeling the aftershocks, and could continue to feel them for many years to come?

This article on Caribbean360.com, discusses more about what not only the Port-au-Prince region’s, but the Caribbean’s in general, need to take heed of, and what may (likely), be in store for them in the months and years to come.

As I read this story this morning, I realized that my idea, although perhaps far fetched, is the kind of mindset we need to lean more towards, rather than focusing merely on an internal relief effort.

So what is my solution? Get them all out of there. Now! Every single person, and then once everyone is safe, take time to put a more thought-out rebuilding program in place. Start by cleaning the mess up, and then slowly start to rebuild what is needed, to gradually bring residents back home and to be able to do so, with the peace of mind that they are coming back to a much safer and more sound, Port-au-Prince. A place built with the mindset that these sorts of natural disasters are going to occur again.

So where do we put all these people? Canada.

How much open, empty space is there in this country? Sure, I know it’s cold and we would need a big area to provide shelter for this many people, but could it be done?

How much money that is being donated to the cause, goes to transportation and many other costs, that could perhaps be averted should the relief be organized in a safer, more accessible place?

How safe it is down there; both with the threat of aftershocks, and disease itself. Get them out. Find open lands in the prairies, and build these people shelters. If a church can be built in a weekend, could we not build shelter enough to house millions of people in a few weeks time? I would feel much safer going to a place like Saskatchewan to help build shelters for these desperate people, than going down to Haiti to risk my life to help them rebuild something that could be demolished by another quake tomorrow.

I would not think twice, about using up a few weeks of my holiday time, and flying to somewhere like a Saskatchewan to help build shelters. I even half enough Airmiles to do it now.

Each of us could make a genuine difference in the lives of millions of people, and not only give them food and shelter, but the peace of mind that they and their families are safe.

If locals to the area chosen to be a temporary refuge for Haitians, started by building a camp for the volunteers, then the volunteers started shipping in to help build shelters, then we can slowly start to transport the people of Haiti to safety.

This way, we are closer to food outlets and building supply stores, and everyone, including relief workers and volunteers, would be out of harms way.

Perhaps we call this area ‘Province of the World (in Saskatchewan)’. A place where ‘The World’ joins hands and as a collective. ‘We’ pay for shelter, and when it is finally safe for the people of Haiti to return home, we now have a place in Canada (the world), that is set up to provide shelter during world disaster crisis’.

This way, we as a word community, could also rebuild Haiti into a prosperous, thriving community. A TRUEly rebuilt Haiti. Both structurally, and socially.

Politically, financially, and logistically, I wouldn’t begin to know how we would go about this. There are so many details that I have not thought of, such as ‘do we create borders within the chosen province’, and that sort of thing.

But what if?

Saskatchewan, Yukon, Northwest Territories, or wherever. How much open space is there in this country, doing nothing?

How would you feel about your little community suddenly becoming the capital of a World Province of millions? A place where every single job in your town, is playing a part in changing the lives of people from around the world. Imagine waking up in the morning, whether you are a doctor or a grocery store clerk, knowing that you are making a difference.

What if?

I know I want to live in this World Province already.

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This is why we must do more. This Yahoo Photo Slide Show