There isn't a news source anywhere around the world that has not reported on the recent earthquake in Haiti with a 7.0 magnitude: a catastrophe.

Twenty-one years ago an earthquake of a very similar magnitude struck San Francisco; the major difference between the two was the death toll: 62 deaths (San Francisco) to Haiti's unreal number of 200,000. Why did this earthquake have such a tragic outcome? Why doesn't Haiti have enough hospitals and resources to accommodate its needs?

Why did the buildings give way to the earthquake's force so willingly? One of the answers to these questions may be world trade. So many people in Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs) depend on world trade; if they always had a fair price for what they exported, then they could have built more earthquake-safe buildings, had the medical care they need and most importantly, could have saved so many more lives.

More Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs), such as the US and Bermuda, hardly depend on their exports and yet world trade prices are vicious towards LEDCs when their economies depend almost entirely on it — Haiti included.

Due to this, Haiti did not have the money for the things that it needed in the case of an earthquake. We need to start helping, and not only Haiti but all of the countries that suffer because of these numbers. A programme that ensures that growers in LEDCs are paid a minimum wage for their crops (e.g. coffee) is called Fair Trade: Fair Trade is the answer. It is not asking you to donate half of your monthly paycheck to people in need, you should not have to.

With Fair Trade you only have to look for the label on the same foods you normally buy and maybe pay $0.30 more — a number that may seem insignificant to you will mean the world to them. It is very difficult to find Fair Trade products in Bermuda; one of the few places you can find them is at Conscious Vibes, Water Street in St. George's. This situation can change.

The next time you walk into a coffee shop ask if they sell Fair Trade coffee before you order what you normally would.

Eventually the pressure will force shops to buy Fair Trade coffee because of such a high demand.

In this way Haiti's economy can change so that next time an earthquake occurs, Haitians can be prepared. Someday, possibly years from now, another high magnitude earthquake could strike Haiti.

When the damage recorded matches San Francisco's twenty years ago you can say that you helped. Any product with the Fair Trade logo on it ensures the producer received a fair price for his product. This image, a human raising their hand in justice and a bird, indicates to the consumer that it is not the supermarket trying to make more money saying that the product is helping others but truly it's only making them more money.