the
challenge
African countries have been recipients of foreign aid since their independence. While some aid has brought positive results, continuous foreign aid fails to stimulate sustainable wealth creation.
“The focus of foreign assistance needs to shift from aid to enterprise, from poverty alleviation to wealth creation, from paternalism to partnerships, from handouts to investments, from seeing the poor as consumers or burdens to seeing them as creators and from encouraging dependency to integrating the poor into networks of productivity and exchange.” – “Why Foreign Aid Is Harmful.” Jonathan Lea Network, 6 April 2020.
Poverty alleviation efforts must shift from enabling dependency through charity and aid, to empowering local communities to lead their own community development through investing in long-term solutions.
Charity is a short-term intervention to get a community back on its feet. The underlying assumption is that once they’re out of their immediate financial circumstance, they will possess the vision and skills to continue on a positive trajectory. Development is different.
Development recognizes that some communities don’t have the infrastructure that it takes to stimulate sustainable wealth creation. Development work imparts a new outlook of building the necessary infrastructure to stimulate local people to create long-lasting change in their own communities.
Relief is a short-term intervention to get a community back on its feet. The underlying assumption is that once they’re out of their immediate financial circumstance, they will possess the vision and skills to continue on a positive trajectory. Development is different.
Development recognizes that some communities don’t have the infrastructure that it takes to stimulate sustainable wealth creation. Development work imparts a new outlook of building the necessary infrastructure to stimulate local people to create long-lasting change in their own communities.
Charity vs. Development
Charity does for others. Development takes the long view and enables others to do for themselves.
Charity treats the symptom. Development addresses the root cause.
Charity gives a fish. Development teaches one to fish.
Poverty is not just a lack of money; it is not having the capability to realize one's full potential as a human being.
It is this realization and understanding of when helping hurts that has shaped Musana into what it is today. What Ugandans need is restored hope and dignity in their own economic and social capacity that will enable them to not only survive, but to thrive.
