The Campus Observer: A Man in Full?
Many moons ago, Campus Observer posted a comment at the end of this post regarding aid to Africa. I told him I would respond, and now I finally will (better late than never, right?).
I think the best way to help Africa is with a mix of short and long term strategies, which does include giving money with accountability measures tied to it. I don’t see it as taking away their dignity, or acting in a condescending manner toward Africa, or any part of the Third World if they truly do need assistance. My only problem with it all is if the short term assistance we provide (like for a famine) replaces our long term strategies of addressing the underlying causes that led to the famine. You need to be flexible and have a mix of the short- and long-term solutions, but I think it’s good to make sure that you don’t end up gravitating only toward the short-term solution, because it’s more flashy or appears to solve the problem.
Sustainability is really the key, though. For example, I really want to clean up the trash on the beach below where I sometimes sit, overlooking the ocean. It is totally within my power to get a big bag, and then walk around down there, cleaning up with area. But what is the point if I’m the only one doing it, and no one (especially Host Country Nationals) join in? If I do it every six months, what happens when I leave the country? Same with some of the work I’ve been doing at the Câmara. I can just go in and do little fixes to their computers, which will make them go faster, but if I don’t explain to them why I am doing what I’m doing, and how to do it themselves, there’s no point because that means in two years, they won’t know what to do to fix the problem. So, yeah, things like microfinance are cool because it’s not just helping, it’s teaching and helping together.
So I would hope that the aid that does go to Africa isn’t just handouts, but is tied to something that will help empower people in the long term.
Cape Verde has at least one program that provides a decent example of sustainable development. If I remember my facts correctly, USAID provides big bags of rice free to Cape Verde. The government, instead of redistributing the rice for free, still sells it to people. The profit made from those sales is then put toward development projects.
But even with this program, which seems straightforward, there can be differences of opinion. Once in Sao Dao, we visited this business which reprocessed rice or corn or something, into feed for farm animals. The rice and corn were all USAID products. When we got back to class, one of our trainers went into how she didn’t totally like the way the system was set up, since that rice/corn was supposed to go to people, and by letting the businessman buy the rice/corn, that meant some family was going without. I saw her point, but on the other hand, the feed was then being resold to farmers to be used with their animals, who would soon be killed for food, eaten by people. So the rice/corn would still be getting to people, just in a more roundabout manner.
I read that Wall Street Journal article you sent about how farmers and charities are both against the U.S. buying food overseas to feed starving people. It’s a bit annoying (but not necessarily surprising) to see that the farmers seem more concerned about protecting their profit margins than they are to actually help people in Africa. The greatest line in the article was the empty suit from some export company said that the change in rules, "would deprive the U.S. agricultural community of their sense of pride and compassion." Yeah, whatever. I’m not exactly clear how the noble U.S. farmer loses his sense of pride and compassion when the subsidy that lined his pockets is no longer there. You’d think they could continue to ship food over to Africa, since they’re doing it for more than just the money…oh wait. But of course, since I really doubt that many U.S. farmers actually care about poor, starving Africans, their attitude is to be expected. Remember (we argued about this long ago) a business has but one goal, and that is to make money. Everything else is secondary, and anything that prevents the highest profit margin possible should be avoided. So of course U.S. farmers are going to be against getting more food to Africa at a cheaper price, since it would mean they’re losing out.
Book Review: A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe. Second book that I’ve read by Wolfe, the first being Bonfire of the Vanities. Pretty good. Basically tells the story of a Good Ole’ Southern Boy who was a football star and now is a real estate developer. After a bad business decision, he is being chased by a bank to pay back his loans. A rich white girl claims that the black football star at George Tech raped her. The real estate developer now has the chance to get the bank off his back if he get involved in the other controversy. Many other subplots, but it all ties together in the end. Very enjoyable read. I want to get more of his other books now.
One difference between Wolfe and Tom Clancy is that when Wolfe has his characters spouting off on crazy talk, you know that Wolfe doesn’t actually believe what he is having them say. But I am not so sure with Clancy.
I think the best way to help Africa is with a mix of short and long term strategies, which does include giving money with accountability measures tied to it. I don’t see it as taking away their dignity, or acting in a condescending manner toward Africa, or any part of the Third World if they truly do need assistance. My only problem with it all is if the short term assistance we provide (like for a famine) replaces our long term strategies of addressing the underlying causes that led to the famine. You need to be flexible and have a mix of the short- and long-term solutions, but I think it’s good to make sure that you don’t end up gravitating only toward the short-term solution, because it’s more flashy or appears to solve the problem.
Sustainability is really the key, though. For example, I really want to clean up the trash on the beach below where I sometimes sit, overlooking the ocean. It is totally within my power to get a big bag, and then walk around down there, cleaning up with area. But what is the point if I’m the only one doing it, and no one (especially Host Country Nationals) join in? If I do it every six months, what happens when I leave the country? Same with some of the work I’ve been doing at the Câmara. I can just go in and do little fixes to their computers, which will make them go faster, but if I don’t explain to them why I am doing what I’m doing, and how to do it themselves, there’s no point because that means in two years, they won’t know what to do to fix the problem. So, yeah, things like microfinance are cool because it’s not just helping, it’s teaching and helping together.
So I would hope that the aid that does go to Africa isn’t just handouts, but is tied to something that will help empower people in the long term.
Cape Verde has at least one program that provides a decent example of sustainable development. If I remember my facts correctly, USAID provides big bags of rice free to Cape Verde. The government, instead of redistributing the rice for free, still sells it to people. The profit made from those sales is then put toward development projects.
But even with this program, which seems straightforward, there can be differences of opinion. Once in Sao Dao, we visited this business which reprocessed rice or corn or something, into feed for farm animals. The rice and corn were all USAID products. When we got back to class, one of our trainers went into how she didn’t totally like the way the system was set up, since that rice/corn was supposed to go to people, and by letting the businessman buy the rice/corn, that meant some family was going without. I saw her point, but on the other hand, the feed was then being resold to farmers to be used with their animals, who would soon be killed for food, eaten by people. So the rice/corn would still be getting to people, just in a more roundabout manner.
I read that Wall Street Journal article you sent about how farmers and charities are both against the U.S. buying food overseas to feed starving people. It’s a bit annoying (but not necessarily surprising) to see that the farmers seem more concerned about protecting their profit margins than they are to actually help people in Africa. The greatest line in the article was the empty suit from some export company said that the change in rules, "would deprive the U.S. agricultural community of their sense of pride and compassion." Yeah, whatever. I’m not exactly clear how the noble U.S. farmer loses his sense of pride and compassion when the subsidy that lined his pockets is no longer there. You’d think they could continue to ship food over to Africa, since they’re doing it for more than just the money…oh wait. But of course, since I really doubt that many U.S. farmers actually care about poor, starving Africans, their attitude is to be expected. Remember (we argued about this long ago) a business has but one goal, and that is to make money. Everything else is secondary, and anything that prevents the highest profit margin possible should be avoided. So of course U.S. farmers are going to be against getting more food to Africa at a cheaper price, since it would mean they’re losing out.
Book Review: A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe. Second book that I’ve read by Wolfe, the first being Bonfire of the Vanities. Pretty good. Basically tells the story of a Good Ole’ Southern Boy who was a football star and now is a real estate developer. After a bad business decision, he is being chased by a bank to pay back his loans. A rich white girl claims that the black football star at George Tech raped her. The real estate developer now has the chance to get the bank off his back if he get involved in the other controversy. Many other subplots, but it all ties together in the end. Very enjoyable read. I want to get more of his other books now.
One difference between Wolfe and Tom Clancy is that when Wolfe has his characters spouting off on crazy talk, you know that Wolfe doesn’t actually believe what he is having them say. But I am not so sure with Clancy.
posted by jende turtle at 10:18 AM
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