My nearsightedness exposed

The people of Haiti were not even on my radar until the earthquake hit that country. Does it take something like a earthquake or tsunami to make me take notice of stricken countries? The people of Haiti were suffering long before I even thought about them. According to World Vision's website, 46% of the people of Haiti do not have access to safe water. This was before the earthquake. 47% of the people can't read or write. Haitian people have struggled since gaining their independence from France over two hundred years ago. Natural disasters can have a devastating effect on people, especially people that were already struggling to get by with the basics. I have nothing to complain about but still do- the temperature is too hot or cold (inside my heated home),  or the water doesn't taste right (out of the plastic bottle that I'm drinking from). My question is how many other countries are there around the world that have suffering comparable to Haiti? I probably would rather not know.

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