Teach Fishing

Frank Talk about Aid

In the developed world we say it is better to teach a person to fish than to give fish. But our actions betray us. It’s actually not what we usually do.
However, aid is not working. Although emergency aid may be needed from time to time, studies show that on average, aid is more destructive to economies than helpful. There are a large number of books that demonstrate this including from notables like African, Dambiso Moyo and former World Bank economist William Easterly. After a trillion US dollars, you would think that there would be a large number of books and studies that laud this effort. Instead, the reverse is true and the challenge is to find any that say that is works. It persists for largely three reasons:

  1. It’s easier than the alternative: building real economies from the ground up.
  2. It is our human nature. We feel better when we give than when we partner. And as Easterly’s book title suggests, White Man’s Burden, it helps to reduce our guilt about our relative difference in incomes.
  3. There is an entire industry built around aid and 500,000 workers. This is a lot of momentum – and lobbying power. To make matters worse, studies show that 60% of US aid never leaves the Washington DC area.

Cheetah’s mission is not to bring down aid. It will always be needed in emergencies. Indeed, it will take support to transition from aid to economic development. Our point is that it is time to refocus efforts. More aid, as advocated by some well meaning celebrities is not the answer. Aid as it’s currently practiced is part of the problem. We raise these issues because people we meet are often skeptical of our approach since they think aid is working.

 

Building Small Businesses and Changing Lives

It is widely agreed that economic development is what is most needed. There has only been one model in the history of the earth that has successfully delivered that: building small business.
As William Easterly and others have pointed out, economic development outperforms aid. This is secular-speak for “it is more blessed to invest than to give.” Let’s try to quantify the impact of our choices: 1.5% more African economic growth in the ‘80s would have saved 500,000 children by1990.

Let’s start addressing underlying causes without ignoring suffering. Nothing else will be sustainable in the long-term. Right now, economic development is the most desperately needed help. Of course a person’s economic situation is directly related to their life condition. So why do we hand out medicine but leave people in desperate situations that incubate disease? Why do we sponsor education but provide no jobs? Consider the following proven facts:

  • 10% increase in income
  • = 6% decrease in infant mortality (this is the basic index of all human health; therefore, this even speaks to the incidence of malaria in adults, HIV, and a range of human health issues)
  • = lower birthrates
  • = higher education rates
  • = less child oppression
  • = less domestic violence & more stable families
  • = more rights for women

In Africa, a person with a job often supports ten to fifteen families. Cheetah is focused on founding ethical businesses that are sustainable, serve the poor, and create good jobs—even with benefits. When people have a job, they are no longer just waiting for help, they are helping themselves and join in helping others, too.It takes money to make money.
It takes people to help people. It’s time to stop talking about teaching fishing and get get about the work of doing it. We all, everyone one of us, really can make a difference. We just have to get started.

Be the change!

 

Learn more? Go to Integrated Development

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