Yesterday, I had a brief conversation with my mother about my upcoming fall semester in Botswana. She said she wanted to buy a lot of markers and pencils at Target before I left, so I could distribute them to the needy children and needy schools I would encounter on my travels. She was well-meaning, of course, but I quickly refused her offer and tried to explain why her suggestion was a bad one.
I give the One Campaign a lot of crap, and I will continue to do so with this post. I think things like One have made people like my mother think getting needy children supplies is as easy as buying them cheap at Target and getting someone to distribute them. One's "twelve cent medicines" make it seem like all it takes is a check and connections to solve all the world's problems.
My mother's suggestion for me to bring markers to Botswana would be like bringing Pop-Tarts to a starving community. These potential Batswana children may need school supplies, but we can't just assume help is as easy as giving away what we personally think someone might need. If I show up with a suitcase full of markers, and what they really need is paper, then I'm stuck with markers that could more efficiently be used elsewhere.
Another, more complex reason that I would not like to import markers into Botswana is because it takes away from local economies. In my opinion, Botswana needs my and my mother's money more than a U.S. Target does. By waiting to see what the Batswana people need until after I arrive, I am not only able to effectively deliver what they need, but also purchase those things in the community and stimulate the local economy.
Today the New York Times reported on CARE refusing to accept 45 million dollars of food aid from the U.S., "CARE Turns Down Federal Funds for Food Aid". CARE is one of the world's largest charities and usually sells donated food from the U.S. to finance anti-poverty programs. It is also the first NGO, that I know of, to have refused a donation that large.
CARE claims that these cheaply-produced and -sold crop donations stagnate growth by deflating local primary product prices. I agree with them, but many would disagree. Some see this price deflation as a necessary evil; without these crop donations, groups like CARE would not be able to function and help the thousands of poor farmers in the same way as they do now.
My mother was distressed when I explained to her the problems with importing markers to Botswana, and by extension, importing primary products as aid. She asked me what she could give me instead of markers. I asked her what she had.
"Well, how about Beanie Babies?" she said.
"Yeah," I responded, "Those would be great."
"Why? Why are Beanie Babies any different? How do you know they need Beanie Babies in Botswana and not markers?"
"Mom," I said, "no one ever needs Beanie Babies. Beanie Babies are always superfluous."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Jeff,
As it seems we usually do, I see eye-to-eye with you on this one. Well thought out post. The one catch (that professor Montgomery seems to miss occasionally) is that we cannot blindly invest in local businesses either. It seems like, just as often as not, those businesses are controlled either by the state or local leaders who misuse the money, making a purchase just as worthless as one in the US. It's so frustrating that money has different amounts of value depending on how you use it, and it often feels like we have to lose to value to make any difference at all.
Mark,
Good point. It is true that investment in local areas doesn't eliminate corruption and inefficiencies. However, I, as always, see this as a cost-benefit analysis. I think there are problems to all levels of investment and aid, but if it is kept on a small scale with agency-giving programs (microfinance!), things will come out better in the end.
Hey Jeffrey,
This post hits home having been to Africa with a suitcase full of abandoned beanie babies that were incredibly well received. The logical and the emotional are at play and neither should be discounted. I applaud CARE and you for recognizing that we need to invest in the local economy and your mama for seeing the importance of sending the message that we care and are all connected. I hope you will write more on this subject from Africa. Keep on writing, I'm really enjoying!
Post a Comment