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Foreign Aid. “The Challenge of Delivering Culturally Appropriate Development Programs in Low-Resource Countries”. Definition of Foreign Aid. The act of those who have resources help those who have extreme need…..seems simple?
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Foreign Aid “The Challenge of Delivering Culturally Appropriate Development Programs in Low-Resource Countries”
Definition of Foreign Aid • The act of those who have resources help those who have extreme need…..seems simple? • Many critics have questioned the fact that development aid actually brings the expected reduction in poverty
Questions to Ask • Who do we give aid to? • For how long do we provide aid? • Is the aid influenced by political, strategic, or commercial interests of the donor? • Does the recipient country have the capacity to use the aid wisely? • Will aid encourage corruption within the elites? • Will the aid actually reach those in extreme need and make a difference? • Is the aid culturally appropriate and will cause no harm?
Foreign Aid is a large and complex Enterprise Three types of world aid organizations: • Official Development Aid (aid provided by government and inter-governmental agencies) USAID • Non- Governmental Organizations (NGO) • Humanitarian or Emergency Aid (aid typically provided in response to a crisis)
Three Types of Development Workers • Colonialist: The individual who comes with a specific idea of what needs to be transformed and pushes the community leaders in the country aside to do their own thing • Builder: The individual with the “need to help syndrome” who goes home, does some fundraising, and comes back to the country of need and builds something • Catalyst: The individual who comes along side the community and helps to guide projects through expertise and resources
The Road to Hell: The Ravaging Effects of Foreign Aid and International Charity By Michael Maren • “Charity creates a multitude of Sins– Oscar Wilde • Michael Maren tells of how humanitarian intervention can get hijacked by powerful charities and can often feed raw materials and funds to corrupt politicians looking after their own political agendas • He calls this kind of charitable giving “The last refuge of Western Colonialism” • Good intentions can often have disastrous outcomes
The Road to Fondwa • Fondwa is a story that challenges the status quo of international development • Centered on the vision of international cooperation and respect • International aid focuses on bringing expertise and resources to the community • Development programs created through the grass roots organization The Association of Peasants of Fondwa (APF)
Family Health Ministries • Mission Statement: Supporting international communities in their efforts to build and sustain healthy families • FHM is built first on relationships • It is not the buildings we support, but the communities we serve • Community driven and Haitian staffed