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Saturday 24 August 2013

The Importance Of The Build School In Africa Project

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.

The issue worrying many people is concerns that the financial support does not get to the people really in need. The reasons for this are various depending on what sector the organization works in and the location.

For many the concerns revolve around corruption. Donors become reluctant to support a charity when there is a risk that resources may be misappropriated. Reports of foodstuffs intended for needy victims being sold on black markets for the personal gain of corrupt officials have been substantiated. Dealings with cash are prone to go wrong due to greedy acts of fraud and theft by corrupt officials. The sufferings of an impoverished nation stand in severe contrast to the opulent lifestyles enjoyed by many of their so called leaders.

Military conflict is sometimes occurs within and between poorer countries. In such periods international aid materials have been known to be hijacked by one party and literally used as a means to blackmail others in the conflict. Natural phenomena such as earthquakes, floods or hurricanes also severely impact against getting aid to where it is needed.

People who have been giving to charity for long periods might wonder why after so much being provided do circumstances not seem to improve. The old adage about simply giving people some fish as opposed to showing them how to fish might point the way to solving this problem. Unless education becomes the central theme of our aid initiatives, it is unlikely that a permanent solution will ever be found.

Admittedly, education is not going to replace traditional aid packages overnight. There will still be a need for nutritional support during times of drought and famine. The great work done through inoculation campaigns and emergency health care teams, still have some way to go and may never be completely withdrawn.

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.

Admittedly these are massively complicated issues which are going to take generations of time to rectify. Yet if progress is ever going to come about it will have to be through creating an effective layered educational system. A system that will empower people to see a vision of and create a happier and more prosperous future. It is the promise of such outcomes that make The build school in Africa project so critically important.




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