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vendredi 23 août 2013

Support Of The Build School In Africa Projects Remains Vital

By Tara Daniels


The issue of international aid has received quite a lot of press coverage recently and not all of it was good. Economic uncertainty and austerity measures have caused many people to ask should charity rather not start at home. Here are some views explaining why The build school in Africa campaign, is worthy of support.

Amongst the criticisms are that money often does not reach the people it is intended to help. The reasons this may happen differ widely between the type and nature of the charity, the country where it operates and external factors.

Corrupt officials are one of the problems. Reports that financial aid and materials may be redirected towards illegal dealings, make many people reluctant to donate. Incidents of goods such as grains and oils going missing and finding their way onto underground markets are common. Of course where there is cash involved there is always the potential for corrupt and fraudulent practices to occur. The contrast between people struggling to survive and their leaders living a life of luxury is of very deep concern.

Providing aid in territories where warfare and internal conflict is taking place presents its own set of difficulties. It is not uncommon for material aid to simply disappear, only to reappear later in the hands of one party who might well use it as a bargaining mechanism against another. A disaster such as an earthquake, flood or a hurricane may also negatively affect how well help can be provided.

The question that frequently also gets asked is why, after countless years of providing aid, do things never seem to get better. One solution can be found in the old proverb that says if you give a man a fish, then you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. If there is not a serious educational thrust at the center of our aid programs, then the cycle of dependency will never be broken.

Naturally following the educational path will not be an immediate quick fix. As the process develops there will still be an ongoing need for relief workers to assist with essential aid during dire periods of need. In the same way immunization and vital medical welfare initiatives are still going to be active for lengthy periods.

The only initiative with any chance of turning the tide in the long term, is education, which is generally given scant regard. Frequently more money is spent on the military and arms than on education and this is often to prop up ineffective and insecure governments, their leaders, or worse dictators. The Generals of armies have neither the capacity or the will to produce doctors, engineers, farmers, computer programmers, managers and most importantly, more effective teachers. These job categories are but a few of the many needed to nurture a nation from recipients of aid to taking charge of their own destiny.

There is no quick or easy fix to these problems and the solution is certainly far off in the distant future, but the solution lies undoubtedly in the many tiers of education. This is the only means by which enlightenment, vision and inspiration will occur and why The build school in Africa initiative is so vital.




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