By Sarah Kolinovsky

Nearly 200,000 people in Haiti have died as a result of the devastating earthquake there January 12. Roughly 300,000 buildings are damaged or destroyed. In your opinion, what is the best way to help the victims?

“We should help them start over with a competent government.” — Peter Crosta, student, from Davis, California

“They need everything – medical supplies, food, water. If people have nothing and are injured and deprived, it’s very important to secure life necessities. Also we should support them in keeping hygiene in temporary camps to avoid disease. In the long term it will be a demanding task to develop a prosperous and democratic society. The Haitian history shows a lack of those factors. We will need to foster stable government and education. I think the island has the capacity to develop a higher quality of living.” — Dr. Milada Polišenská, professor, from Prague, Czech Republic

“As many doctors as possible should go there, and the government should also stop the gangs from robbing and looting, so maybe we should send more international armed forces. People should send money to the Red Cross and other organizations, and international help should be provided to help clear debris.” – Alena Kocháňová, student and Slezska RA, from Frydek-Mistek, Czech Republic

“We should continue to be conscious of the situation and work up to our fullest potential in sending relief workers and volunteers.” – Maya Glasser, student, from Westchester, New York

“The best thing right now is reconstruction. That’s really all we can do. We should work with the government to make sure people have food and shelter and then start with reconstructing buildings.” – Paolo Lopez, student, from Menlo Park, California