Winter 2010 Editorial

The Obama Presidency Quarterly, Winter 2010 Issue:

Earlier this month, we ushered in a new year as well as a brand-new decade. This decade holds a great deal of promise, but it also presents us with a whole new set of challenges. Likewise, President Barack Obama now faces ever-increasing obstacles, ranging from combating terrorism to ending the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen to tackling the economy and health-care reform here at home. However, according to many analysts, another "hotspot" will more than likely prove to be the president's greatest test of all: Haiti.

On Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010, an earthquake that measured a 7.0 on the Richter scale rocked the island nation of Haiti-- the most monetarily poor country in the Western Hemisphere. Now, the survivors of this natural disaster need our help. What's more is that the way in which our president deals with this situation could make or break our image on the world stage and set the tone for the remainder of his term in office. We had better get on the stick, for we've got some stiff competition in regards to sending aid to Haiti, as Great Britain, China, and Iceland have already begun to do so. Therefore, we need to help our president help Haiti.

That having been said, how do we do that? Answer: any way we can. Since a president is only effective and powerful in solving world crises as voters allow him (or possibly someday her!) to be, we conscientious beings need to work together in order to make America a shining example of a nation that reaches out to others during tough times. While celebrities, including music superstar Wyclef Jean and Hollywood A-lister George Clooney, have started charity funds, there are tons of things regular folks can do. And it all begins with thinking globally and acting locally.

Okay, now for some specific answers to the general question I posed above... Well, for starters, individuals can contact their churches and local chapters of the Red Cross and the Salvation Army to find out how those organizations are participating in earthquake relief missions. Secondly, schools can get in on this purposeful act of humanitarianism. For example, English and reading teachers can contribute to the effort by implementing programs such as freerice.com in their classrooms. (Freerice.com is a vocabulary-building computer game in which students create "rice bowls" when they correctly define a given word. For each virtual rice bowl created, the UN World Food Program matches and donates an actual amount of rice to those in need. Simultaneous learning and charity-- a win-win situation!) Finally, search engines (gotta love the Internet!), especially Google and Yahoo!, are chock-full of information and resources that can provide users with a myriad of ways to help Haiti, including sites that allow people to make cyber-donations to various charities. (You can make donations directly through your Google and Yahoo! accounts.)

While many of these solutions may seem small in the face of such a big problem, every little bit goes a long way toward making a world of difference in disaster survivors' lives. Please become part of the solution today.