Last week we noted the generosity of students in Regional School Unit 23, who emptied their piggy banks to help victims of the earthquake in Haiti. The scope of the tragedy in that poverty-stricken nation is inescapable, and schoolchildren here and around the country have been touched by the many stories and images after the Jan. 23 disaster.

The American Red Cross reports that money has been pouring in from school and workplace collection. At Dayton Consolidated School, a fifth grader was surprised by how quickly the small donations added up. “ I thought at most we’d get $100, definitely not $700,” she said.

On a national day of mourning last Friday, Haiti President René Préval asked his countrymen to pray for the estimated 200,000 who were killed. It’s been a month since the earthquake, much of Port-au-Prince lies in ruins, and throughout Haiti more than 1 million people are homeless, with the rainy season approaching.

Around the world, large fund-raising drives have raised millions. According to the BBC, aid pledged by governments, agencies, organizations and individuals is approaching $1.79 billion. The American Red Cross reported that as of Feb.10, it had received $255 million for Haiti relief and recovery efforts.

 Doctors Without Borders reportedly has collected enough money for its work in Haiti, but many funds, charities and missions are hoping to find more resources for long-term recovery efforts there. The Clinton Foundation has so far distributed $7 million to relief organizations.

The Associated Press reports that since the quake, Scientologists, Mormons, Baptists, Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses and other missionaries have flocked to Haiti, and are working and preaching in the organized settlement areas.

The rainy season looms as a difficult time for the millions living in tents or without regular shelter. The emergency will continue for months.

Haiti was the poorest nation in the West even before the disaster, with few national resources and a growing population. If aid continues to come in, clearing the devastation and rebuilding may provide badly needed jobs, and hope for the future.

As President Préval said during Friday’s memorial, the nation and the world must look beyond the present crisis and consider Haiti’s future. He said: “Let us dry our tears and rebuild Haiti.”

His statement showed confidence in the resilience of his nation, and in the continuing generosity of the rest of the world.