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Hunger, Disease & Poverty

Is foreign aid the solution to global poverty?

Results so far:

No
73% 453 votes Total: 621 votes
Yes
27% 168 votes

After seeing first hand the effects of foreign aid in third world countries, the answer to this question would ultimately be, no. Foreign aid, as good of intentions it has, does not help global poverty rather instead, it perpetuates it. What this does is it keeps the cycle of poverty revolving because it strips away the ownership of the poor and keeps it in the hands and pockets of its donors. It is true that humans do not want to see each other suffer and so out of the goodness of our hearts, money is given to the neediest. However, foreign aid does not teach the receptors of this aid accountability or the harsh realities of the obligations this holds.

First and foremost, foreign aid makes the receptors dependent on their money and good graces. This is why there is a constant presence of NGO activity, especially food relief organizations, in places like Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. Instead of these food relief agencies donating and teaching sustainability, they keep dropping food and other items off in such a manner that the villagers begin to depend on the aid. The thinking, "If the UN World Bank is going to come every month with my bag of mealie meal, then why should I learn how to rehabilitate my soil to grow my own corn?" is created. NGO's and food relief organizations depend on this mentality, because if the villagers took ownership of their fate, then they would be out of the job. It goes back to the "War on Drugs"; there are those who believe if any attempt to win the war would put hundreds in the FBI, CIA, and other special operatives out of work. It is a game of control that is being played. Many times food relief organizations will go into a village where sustainable development is being implemented and completely counteract those efforts in order to keep themselves established. Foreign aid like this and financially makes the donors "indirect colonists" in these poverty driven countries. The unfortunate aspect is that the intentions in the beginning were all for the best.

Secondly, there are numerous reasons why certain villages, regions, and countries are poor. For Zambia, the Western Province is one of the poorest because of the infrastructure. The Southern Province has the same problem along with, desertification, poor rain fall, and an influx of Zimbabwean refugees. The local economy is simply incapable of supporting such burdens. Many villages are deep in the bush where it takes up to two hours to reach that village


Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:

Is foreign aid the solution to global poverty?

No
  • 1 of 56

    by Blake Butler

    While foreign aid is a temporary solution-a band-aid if you will-it does not cure the social and economic disease we ...read more

  • 2 of 56

    by Poppy Fields

    Foreign aid can temporarily alleviate some of the problems associated with global poverty, but it is not a long term ...read more

Yes
  • 1 of 23

    by Peter Eleazar

    A famous story was told of a wash up of thousands of starfish. A young boy was throwing as many as he could back into...read more

  • 2 of 23

    by Alexander Mutua

    Establishing ways that successively eradicate poverty is a solution. The centralize of the foreign aid on fundamental...read more

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