7892: Cooke responds to Morse (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: "Kevin M. Cooke" <kcooke@fiam.net>


> Dear Merrie Archer
> I missed your reference to Haiti being in the Northern Hemisphere. My
> curiosity being tickled I went to a map and saw Somalia and Ethiopia in
> the
> Northern Hemisphere, along with Chad. Do you happen to know which
> countries
> are actually poorer than Haiti and where they are?
> Richard Morse

Richard,

    I have my copy of the World Bank's "World Development Report 2000/2001"
in front of me,  and if the World Bank figures can be trusted, Haiti's GNP
per capita rests between that of India and Pakistan (both in the Northern
Hemisphere).  Out of 206 countries, Ethiopia ranks 206, Chad is 196, the
Kyrgyz Republic is 180, Moldova is 167 (tied with Bangladesh), Benin is 165,
Ghana is 164, Nicaragua is 163, India is 162 (below Haiti!), Haiti is 161,
Pakistan is 160, and Armenia is 158.
    All of this, of course, means absolutely NOTHING.  The vitality of a
nation cannot be measured solely by its economic production.  Poverty and
economic imbalance cannot be reduced to equations.  The distribution of
wealth and the economic enslavement of the people cannot be shown by
numbers.
    What this may show is the enormous potential for success in all of our
struggles.  There are countries poorer than Haiti, and countries richer.
With a little help from those who are interested in actually helping, rather
than converting, looting, stealing and demeaning, Haiti can grow strong.
    What have you done today to help?

Kevin M. Cooke
Pure Water Haiti, Inc.
145B Brittany Manor Drive
Amherst, MA  01002
(413) 253-5496
kcooke@fiam.net