Re: Haiti's rebirth will take years of hard work, Jan. 25.

Once the necessities of life are assured, what Haitians need is jobs and the skills to do those jobs.

I would hope that, as part of our aid effort, Canada will ship loads of building materials, with necessary tools, and encourage tradespeople to go to Haiti to teach useful skills. This would not only provide necessary employment, but could help any who might choose to migrate to offer skilled labour to the new country.

And might it not be possible for institutions which offer trades training, to offer scholarships to Haitians who would be given temporary visas, specifically for this purpose? It would be necessary -- but not impossible -- to ensure that these trained workers return to Haiti. A brain drain of skilled tradespeople would amount to a betrayal of the Haitian people.

Let us learn from Cuba, which routinely offers medical training to its neighbours, who then return home to the benefit of their own country.

Reconstruction is just the beginning: Our responsibility is to help Haitians to do it themselves.

Alma Norman,

Ottawa