Big international aid charities causing more harm than good?
Discussion
Reason for the thread title is that with all the doom and gloom about regards to the world possibly running out of food going forward, Africa's population reaching one billion and expected to double with the next fifty years, are these aid charities worsening the problem by artifically supporting a large populas?
From my very simplistic view as far as I can see a big part of the reason places like Africa have large famines is that the land cannot support the high population levels and these famines are a natural (although admitadly not very nice) way of naturally finding a limit for the population. When the aid charities feed these people all they seem to be doing is compounding the problem.
I appreciate a lot of people will find the above shocking and say that these charities do a wonderful job etc. I am not saying there should be no aid charities, I am merely asking the question, are they doing the world any good in the long run?
From my very simplistic view as far as I can see a big part of the reason places like Africa have large famines is that the land cannot support the high population levels and these famines are a natural (although admitadly not very nice) way of naturally finding a limit for the population. When the aid charities feed these people all they seem to be doing is compounding the problem.
I appreciate a lot of people will find the above shocking and say that these charities do a wonderful job etc. I am not saying there should be no aid charities, I am merely asking the question, are they doing the world any good in the long run?
Most of the large "charities" use up about 90% of the donated monies to pay their directors and their staff horrendously high salaries and perks. The remaining %age may arrive in Africa, where 90% of that goes to bribing the local warlords, and an occasional bag of flour might get to the starving.
One of the largest problems for Africa is that there are generations of people who rely on handouts from us, because they've beeen brought up to expect it (similar to generations of doleites here!).
We should NOT supply anything except e.g. shovels (made here, to ensure the jobs stay at home) and then given them with some seed as well(Tin-pot Dictators will not be able to divert shovels stamped "a gift from the people of GB" easily). They should then be expected to dig themselves out of their hole... a simplistic answer but one that any Africa-knowledgeable person (excluding deliberately any bleeding-heart socialist hand-wringing lefty politico swine) will agree with and support.
There are of course some very excellent charities doing huge good e.g. Médécins sans frontieres etc....
One of the largest problems for Africa is that there are generations of people who rely on handouts from us, because they've beeen brought up to expect it (similar to generations of doleites here!).
We should NOT supply anything except e.g. shovels (made here, to ensure the jobs stay at home) and then given them with some seed as well(Tin-pot Dictators will not be able to divert shovels stamped "a gift from the people of GB" easily). They should then be expected to dig themselves out of their hole... a simplistic answer but one that any Africa-knowledgeable person (excluding deliberately any bleeding-heart socialist hand-wringing lefty politico swine) will agree with and support.
There are of course some very excellent charities doing huge good e.g. Médécins sans frontieres etc....
Edited by JMGS4 on Wednesday 21st October 13:03
A friend of my Dad's went out to Africa some years ago with three tractors and other farm equipment, he spent time showing a village how to dig wells, and keep the crops he helped plant irrigated, showed them how to harvest with the new equipment he brought to save them manual labour and generally left the village very happy with lots of food and fields planted ready for the next crop.
He went back three years later, the tractors and farm equipment were rusting in the fields and they were complaing about being hungry, he vowed never to help them ever again and refuses to give any money to charity.
They just want hand outs or for aid workers to do stuff for them, in his opinion.
He went back three years later, the tractors and farm equipment were rusting in the fields and they were complaing about being hungry, he vowed never to help them ever again and refuses to give any money to charity.
They just want hand outs or for aid workers to do stuff for them, in his opinion.
Edited by Dakkon on Wednesday 21st October 13:09
markh1 said:
Good point about the majority of the food not getting to the people who need it! Is this not also compounding the problem further? - Food going to warlords so they can feed themselves or sell it to buy more weapons to cause more chaos!
That's why all government aid is nonsense as the Big Man locally will just fill his boots. Nothing gets down to the starving guy on the street. Zimbabwe is one of the best examples. Was a country which fed and supported itself, actually made money from excellent exports, now has inflation running at millions of percent and a starving population.We should
a) Stop all monetary aid of any sort
b) remove all goats permanently (as the damage the land worse than any other animal, ripping roots up)
c) remove tribalism
d) remove all idiotioc religionists who exacerbate strife, no matter what religion
e) ensure that any aid is given clearly once only... muck it up then you starve..
Dakkon said:
A friend of my Dad's went out to Africa some years ago with three tractors and other farm equipment, he spent time showing a village how to dig wells, and keep the crops he helped plant irrigated, showed them how to harvest with the new equipment he brought to save them manual labour and generally left the village very happy with lots of food and fields planted ready for the next crop.
He went back three years later, the tractors and farm equipment were rusting in the fields and they were complaing about being hungry, he vowed never to help them ever again and refuses to give any money to charity.
They just want hand outs or for aid workers to do stuff for them, in his opinion.
Did they also get shown how to maintain the equipment? Were they able to generate the income for pay for repairs to that equipment? How far away was this village from a regular supply of fuel and spares?He went back three years later, the tractors and farm equipment were rusting in the fields and they were complaing about being hungry, he vowed never to help them ever again and refuses to give any money to charity.
They just want hand outs or for aid workers to do stuff for them, in his opinion.
Edited by Dakkon on Wednesday 21st October 13:09
You can't just dump equipment on a village and then leave them to it. If they don't have the means or ability to look after it, what the hell do you expect?
vteclimey said:
Dakkon said:
A friend of my Dad's went out to Africa some years ago with three tractors and other farm equipment, he spent time showing a village how to dig wells, and keep the crops he helped plant irrigated, showed them how to harvest with the new equipment he brought to save them manual labour and generally left the village very happy with lots of food and fields planted ready for the next crop.
He went back three years later, the tractors and farm equipment were rusting in the fields and they were complaing about being hungry, he vowed never to help them ever again and refuses to give any money to charity.
They just want hand outs or for aid workers to do stuff for them, in his opinion.
Did they also get shown how to maintain the equipment? Were they able to generate the income for pay for repairs to that equipment? How far away was this village from a regular supply of fuel and spares?He went back three years later, the tractors and farm equipment were rusting in the fields and they were complaing about being hungry, he vowed never to help them ever again and refuses to give any money to charity.
They just want hand outs or for aid workers to do stuff for them, in his opinion.
Edited by Dakkon on Wednesday 21st October 13:09
You can't just dump equipment on a village and then leave them to it. If they don't have the means or ability to look after it, what the hell do you expect?
He is adamant that they a lazy good-for-nothings.
Most of the equipment will need replacing in a few years, as it gets stolen or trashed or sold off.
Most of the money is used to pay off people, or for the directors of the charity.
The big aid cheques usually go funding finance ministers retirements.
But it makes the general public think like they are being kind and helping humanity, that's the only purpose of it.
Most of the money is used to pay off people, or for the directors of the charity.
The big aid cheques usually go funding finance ministers retirements.
But it makes the general public think like they are being kind and helping humanity, that's the only purpose of it.
Dakkon said:
A friend of my Dad's went out to Africa some years ago with three tractors and other farm equipment, he spent time showing a village how to dig wells, and keep the crops he helped plant irrigated, showed them how to harvest with the new equipment he brought to save them manual labour and generally left the village very happy with lots of food and fields planted ready for the next crop.
He went back three years later, the tractors and farm equipment were rusting in the fields and they were complaing about being hungry, he vowed never to help them ever again and refuses to give any money to charity.
They just want hand outs or for aid workers to do stuff for them, in his opinion.
IMHO they are lazy and just want hand outs.He went back three years later, the tractors and farm equipment were rusting in the fields and they were complaing about being hungry, he vowed never to help them ever again and refuses to give any money to charity.
They just want hand outs or for aid workers to do stuff for them, in his opinion.
Edited by Dakkon on Wednesday 21st October 13:09
4nonymous said:
Dakkon said:
A friend of my Dad's went out to Africa some years ago with three tractors and other farm equipment, he spent time showing a village how to dig wells, and keep the crops he helped plant irrigated, showed them how to harvest with the new equipment he brought to save them manual labour and generally left the village very happy with lots of food and fields planted ready for the next crop.
He went back three years later, the tractors and farm equipment were rusting in the fields and they were complaing about being hungry, he vowed never to help them ever again and refuses to give any money to charity.
They just want hand outs or for aid workers to do stuff for them, in his opinion.
IMHO they are lazy and just want hand outs.He went back three years later, the tractors and farm equipment were rusting in the fields and they were complaing about being hungry, he vowed never to help them ever again and refuses to give any money to charity.
They just want hand outs or for aid workers to do stuff for them, in his opinion.
Edited by Dakkon on Wednesday 21st October 13:09
Greetings I am the deposed Prince of Africaland we have diamonds and gold and uranium and oil and copper and diamonds and rubies and iron and graphite and more diamonds and chromium and diamonds we are poor please give us free money and buy our diamonds and oil while we artificially raise the prices of them
The aid scuppers local farming and I am sure all the pictures you see on the telly of the whole continent as a barren wasteland is marketing bulls
t as it's all fertile land really.
The aid scuppers local farming and I am sure all the pictures you see on the telly of the whole continent as a barren wasteland is marketing bulls
t as it's all fertile land really.Edited by SunderJimmy on Wednesday 21st October 14:11
Didn't Save the Children kill loads of kids in Bangladesh some years ago by drilling wells that tapped water that was full of arsenic?
Edited to say it looks as though it was UNICEF instead!
http://www.nvo.com/ghosh_research/arseniccontamina...
Edited to say it looks as though it was UNICEF instead!
http://www.nvo.com/ghosh_research/arseniccontamina...
Edited by SiH on Wednesday 21st October 14:15
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