[tamalejoe]

Things which might help Africa would include:

• DDT to kill mosquitos and other disease vectors.
• Simple firearms such as the AK47 for the common people, to kill dangerous animals and prevent genocides.
• Assistence in taking down feral regimes such as that of Robert Mugabe.
• Instruction in normal, decent sex techniques (as opposed to "dry sex") which do not spread diseases and create new diseases.
• Assistance in developing an industry in ordinary pigs and chickens, and the elimination of the trade in "bush meat" which allows crossover of diseases like AIDS from the jungle to humans.
• Aid in developing institutions like the "peoples bank" which you read about in Bangladesh.
• Christian missionaries.

[fatnotlazy]

"Assistance in taking down feral regimes such as that of Robert Mugabe. "

***

Actually, it seems that most, if not all of Africa needs an infusion of new leadership, not just bringing down the most notorious regimes, but also, getting rid of the ones with the old mindset that Africa should continue to be a welfare state supported by the so-called "richer nations."

***

"Instruction in normal, decent sex techniques (as opposed to "dry sex") which do not spread diseases and create new diseases."

***

In other words, stay with the one you're married to -- no more "marrying" new wives or doing the hump-de-hump with strangers.
***
I have a friend of a friend who did some missionary work in various parts of Africa. This missionary and her team tried their best to instruct the people on abstinence and monogamy and practicing safe sex. But in the end their words were largely ignored. The reason: This is the way it always has been. Father had several wives and mistresses, grandfather had several wives and mistresses, and so on through the generations. It's tradition, and they don't want to change.

Same with farming. This missionary team had brought in experts to teach the residents new farming methods, particularly those that would preserve the crops in drought. All that instruction went down the drain. Again -- tradition. They refuse to try any alternative.