[Image Source] (https://www.worldnomads.com/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/participation/to-give-or-not-to-give-which-donation-is-best)
As someone who has always wanted to share the wealth and send resources to those who need it most, this documentary was eye opening. Now I know this course of action can actually do more harm than good. Living in a first world country, we are shown misleading images of third world countries being barren, desolate, and helpless. This is not true at all but because those images are so convincing, people feel the need to send commercial goods, such as rice or clothing, to “help” the economy and improve those impoverished living conditions. What people fail to understand is that there is already an established market for these products present in these areas. Flooding the market with free goods and services not only opens the door for a dependent mentality but it also annihilates local producers. Even though donors continuously send goods to these countries, there comes a day where the handouts stop. Then what? Since the large presence of donor contributions discouraged all other market competitors at the local level, there is no one to take over production and sustain these citizens. The economy is essentially stunted by the decisions of those around it.
This goes back to what we read from Dr. Bylund’s book, this is the unseen consequence of optionality. Because a certain government agency chose to get involved in the affairs of another, they inadvertently removed an up-and-coming businessperson from the equation and made it impossible to compete with them. Whether that be through taking away a cobbler’s business by handing out Toms or forcing a chicken farmer to pursue a new career by donating a plethora of eggs, there is always a lasting consequence present in the developing economy that people may or may not have considered.
Therefore, it is crucial to the positive development of these countries have the opportunity to grow from within their own borders. Aid should be given through the creation of more local jobs, strategies to help people realize their own goals, and lobbying for policy changes to be more inclusive of disadvantaged populations. As Jean Ronel Noel, co-founder of Enersa in Haiti, put it, we have to teach them how to fish, not simply hand them the fish. As an early childhood education major, this is a concept I live by. It would be way simpler and undoubtably faster if I were to just give my students the answers to everything, but what do they gain from that? Nothing. You have to intentionally teach every student the skills they will need in the future or else they will not go far in life. The current situation in developing countries is that people are just giving them the answers, they are not helping them to make and determine a clear path to navigate the world. There is no country in the world that has transformed economically and thrived only on aid, according to Herman Chinery-Hesse, founder of theSOFTtribe in Ghana. Without room for innovation, there is no way to grow.
Watching this documentary solidified my opinion that it is harder to overcome poverty in developing countries than it is here in America. Through continuous aid programs, governments essentially receive incentives to keep their people in perpetual suffering. The true travesty of this whole ordeal is the emergence of “poverty orphans.” Considering that impoverished parents cannot even feed themselves, there is a growing trend of children being given to orphanages. At the orphanage, the child is given food, water, shelter, clothes, and the opportunity to attend school, all physical needs that the parents simply cannot meet. Statistics show that nearly 80% of the children found in orphanages in Haiti are not true orphans at all. In fact, they typically have at least one living parent who regularly comes to visit them at the orphanage. By choosing to supply resources instead of jobs, donors are limiting these citizens to their current living conditions. They will not be able to improve their situation and support their own children. Consequently, there needs to be a shift to a partnership model with first world countries to ensure the needs of the individuals are met and true progress can begin.
