50% under 18

As we move into a week of commemorations for MLK and BHO, our thoughts and prayers are aimed southward on Haiti and the search, rescue and recovery efforts that have been so courageously undertaken by so many. Our emotions play tricks on us as we search for ways to explain why and how: from deep sadness to utter helplessness to undirected anger and back. While the immediate recovery efforts are for the trained professionals in that domain, the long-term transformation of a whole society will be dependent on the skill and knowledge of many organizations. Education becomes all the more critical in response to this unimaginable catastrophe since a stunning 50% of the Haitian population is under 18 years old. Our collective cause has taken on new meaning and sense of urgency over the past week.