I am concerned abpout this movement which will tend to eliminate the food surpluses from American agriculture that have relieved famine worldwide. I doubt that American money being pumped into African agricultural economy will do anything more than enhance the power of international aid workers.
"The administration asked for authority to use a quarter of the $1.2 billion food aid budget provided to the Agency for International Development to buy corn, wheat and other commodities in the developing countries facing hunger crises, or in neighboring countries, rather than from American producers. "
Read this several times. What we have been doing hasn't worked. International aid is just a way of subsidizing local intererests. I just did a 3 week volunteer assignemnt with a non profit called ADCI/VOCA and from my perspective they are a very incompetent organization. (and I have studied incompetence) I have had to turn to faith based organizations to implement what I should have been able to do with my sponsoring organization ACDI/VOCA.
I promised them I was going to tell my story loud and long. I am a man with time on my hands and have been looking for a new hobby of story telling.
At ACDI/VOCA I saw a warehouse full of vegetable oil. ACDI/VOCA sells this locally to operate their incompetent programs. All the natives wondered why we were sending them veg oil as it was not anything they needed. Our foriegn aid is activity oriented,not RESULTS oriented.
There will be further rants.
"The administration asked for authority to use a quarter of the $1.2 billion food aid budget provided to the Agency for International Development to buy corn, wheat and other commodities in the developing countries facing hunger crises, or in neighboring countries, rather than from American producers. "
Read this several times. What we have been doing hasn't worked. International aid is just a way of subsidizing local intererests. I just did a 3 week volunteer assignemnt with a non profit called ADCI/VOCA and from my perspective they are a very incompetent organization. (and I have studied incompetence) I have had to turn to faith based organizations to implement what I should have been able to do with my sponsoring organization ACDI/VOCA.
I promised them I was going to tell my story loud and long. I am a man with time on my hands and have been looking for a new hobby of story telling.
At ACDI/VOCA I saw a warehouse full of vegetable oil. ACDI/VOCA sells this locally to operate their incompetent programs. All the natives wondered why we were sending them veg oil as it was not anything they needed. Our foriegn aid is activity oriented,not RESULTS oriented.
There will be further rants.
Why isn't this writer attacking the corrupt governments in Africa that are causing the problems to begin with? The U.S. (and other nations) has donated billions through the World Bank, the AID, and the UN to help develop the economies of these nations. It is usually all raked off by the local politicians (some sell the food aid that we donate).
Why aren't we getting applause for the aid that we are donating? Why aren't we being thanked for Pres. Bush's HIV/AIDS funding in Africa? Why are we being praised for arm-twisting American pharmicutical companies for allowing generic versions of their prescription drugs to be distributed in Africa (but not in the U.S.)?
Starving children and families are a sympathetic picture, and your heart goes out to them. This article is tatamount to accusing the U.S. of causing the problem instead of solving it. How about the aid our churches are donating that is purchased and distributed in Africa? That is millions of dollars!
I am really, really getting sick of people trying to make me feel guilty.