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Haitian Earthquake

For Citizenship key stages 3&4

First find out how much your pupils already know about the Haitian earthquake. What have been their responses to it? You could include a quick discussion about other global disasters they may know about like the Asian Tsunami or Hurricane Katrina.

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Quick Starter

Watch this 3.30 minute Youtube clip as an introduction. It explains simply some of the disastrous impact the earthquake has had. For example that Haitians were already the poorest people in the western hemisphere; that there is no electricity or water and no telephone lines to speak of. That orphanages, schools, the presidential palace and the UN building have collapsed.

Background

FACT: In its 200-year history, Haiti has had 32 coups which have drastically impacted its social and economic development and stability.

Now the earthquake in Haiti has destroyed 90% buildings and early estimates show that two million people have been killed, severely injured and/or left homeless.

People are getting desperate for food and medicine. Aid agencies are worried that they may take desperate measures to secure food for themselves – like looting aid supplies or injuring other people to get the food for themselves. Can your class understand why this might happen? How can people work together to overcome extreme adversity? What is the role of government?

Quick activity - 10 minutes

In small groups ask the class to write down how they felt when they heard about the Haitian earthquake. Ask them to read these out to the rest of the class.

FACT: The population of Haiti before the earthquake was approx. 9 million.

FACT Haiti is the only nation in the world whose independence was the result of a successful slave rebellion!

Where is Haiti?

View Larger Map

Think of what may have happened to buildings like:

• Schools
• Homes
• Prisons
• Government headquarters
• Hospitals
• Shops
• Petrol stations

Question

If you were in charge of rebuilding Haiti where would you start and why? Who would you need to help you (teachers, doctors, police officers, telephone engineers, managers, children, cooks, builders, people to pay for supplies)?

What are the short term priorities? What are the long term priorities and considerations?

FACT: approximately 50% Haiti’s population is under 18

Image from a Haitian School

The concrete building collapsed during classes on Friday. Rescuers used floodlights overnight to search for victims and survivors. (Ramon Espinosa/Associated Press)

Talking Point

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 52.9%

male: 54.8%

female: 51.2% (2003 est.)

Source CIA World Factbook

How might the level of literacy impact aid and reconstruction work?

Talking Point

Illegal drugs trade in Haiti

Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and Europe; substantial bulk cash smuggling activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favour Haiti for illicit financial transactions; pervasive corruption; significant consumer of cannabis. Source CIA World Factbook

How will this have impacted Haitian society before the earthquake? What is the significance of this for rebuilding Haiti?

Talking Point

Immigration

What would you do if you lost your whole family, your home, your school, your friends? Why might people want to flee the disaster area? Which countries can Haitian people flee to? Would they be welcome there? What can we do? Can we let Haitians come to Britain? Would they want to? Why might people not want to “leave home”?

Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the USA, recorded a message in Creole over the weekend, warning his countrymen:

Don't rush on boats to leave the country." [...] "Because, I'll be honest with you: If you think you will reach the U.S. and all the doors will be wide open to you, that's not at all the case," Joseph said, according to a transcript on America.gov, a State Department site. "And they will intercept you right on the water and send you back home where you came from."

Read this short article in the Los Angeles Times to get some viewpoints from America.

FACT Christopher Colombus went to Haiti in 1492 – the same year he “discovered” America!

Extension activity

Look at issues of global migration, refugees and asylum seekers. You can start with this lesson plan from the Red Cross.

Talking Point

Natural Disasters and the Global Community

When there’s a natural disaster somewhere in the world governments usually pledge support to other governments. This is a type of aid that is usually given in kind. Instead of just giving money to the people, they give soldiers, food parcels, emergency housing, planes for delivering aid etc.

What do you think the UK government should do to help Haiti?

FACT: In 2008 Haiti was devastated by a series of four hurricanes which devastated crops and infrastructure and left bodies floating in flooded towns. 1,000s were left homeless or orphaned.

Extension activity

There are some brilliant lesson plans on the Citizenship Foundation's Paying For It site. They've let us give you these two without registering as we especially recommend them as an extension exercise:

INTERNATIONAL lesson plan with the stated learning objectives:

1. To understand how economic changes overseas may directly affect people’s lives in Britain.

2. To understand and assess some of the steps required for economic development.

GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SPENDING lesson plan with the intended objectives:

1. To know the main UK taxes and their significance in funding government expenditure.

2. To know about how money raised by taxes is spent on public services.

You have to register with Citizenship Foundation (for free) to access the rest of the resources, but it's worth doing. They also offer free CPD training if you don't feel too confident teaching about fiscal policy and the role of government!

20 minute activity

Write to your MP. Find out what your MP is doing in your name!

As a class (or for homework) write a letter to your MP and ask what they are doing to help Haiti. Tell them what you know and what your concerns are. Tell them what you would like them to do. If you post this letter you will get a reply AND your MP will know what you care about.

Who is my MP?

(If you have similar concerns in class then it might be best to write one whole class letter so your MP only has to write one reply instead of 30!)

Extension activity

Teachers can use this as an introduction to talking about MPs and parliament. Why not use this as an opportunity to invite your MP into school?! The Hansard Society have produced a wonderful teachers' resource called MPs in Schools This explains how to invite an MP and how to prepare for their visit and make the most out of it for your pupils.

Teacher's Resource

Several years before the earthquake ACT's national subject lead, Pete Pattisson was in Haiti as part of a project to document the lives of children who live in slavery. A local film-maker made a short film about his experience, which you can watch below.

Haitian Child Slaves from Stefan Christou on Vimeo.

Recommended Resources

With media coverage of the earthquake in Haiti fading, the Red Cross have created a video-based lesson on the Haitian earthquake. It looks at how a radio station is helping those affected by the quake.

Jon Snow's dilemma: A real-life story exploring whether or not to intervene in an incident, as witnessed by Jon Snow.

Oxfam Education's Dealing with Disasters Six lesson plans from Oxfam

For free teaching resources about the Haitian Earthquake sign up for the Red Cross's Newsthink! newsletter

Oxfam Education's resources about refugees

Oxfam Education's resources about aid

Emergency Facebook from the Red Cross

This page has been written by Millicent Scott

Contact the author