Let’s not forget too quickly

In the country of Nepal the death toll continues to rise and has now passed over 5200 souls who have perished following the earthquake on Saturday the 25th of April.  For Australian’s, the 25th of April is of course ANZAC Day and it is a day of remembrance. 

Unprecedented numbers of Australian’s turned up to pay their respects on this day of reflection, as the earthquake struck climbing the lives of thousands and sending waves of devastation across the region.  

Aid agencies mobilized and deployed those much needed resources into the devastated area.  In the frantic attempt to save lives in the days that would follow the disaster, the true scale was slowly coming to realisation and sadly the number to loose their life continues to grow.

The challenges faced right now by those on the ground are immense.  Getting those emergency resources to those that need it requires co-operation and swift action by the Government agencies, the charities, the NGO’s and corporate groups who will respond. 

While the focus and the attention of those in their living rooms remains attentive to the needs the support will continue.  But if there is something we can learn from disasters of equal magnitude it is that the needs of those who have been impacted will go on long after so many of the relief workers leave the country and the media focus shifts to the next headline.

The parents of the children who are left orphaned from this disaster won’t come back in six months or six years, of course they never will.  The needs of the children left without parents, will not pass once the rubble is cleared and the houses rebuilt.  For many of these children their needs will continue for decades to come.

In our rush to assist, to provide aid, we should consider the speed at which we then leave and declare the job is done.  If we want to truly bring about long term change for those who have been impacted so severely we need to make long term commitments. 

Seldom the success we enjoy in business is a result of an “overnight win” more often than not it is patience, it is hard work, often when no one is looking and it is the long term commitment to bring about the sustainable change and success we desire.