What’s Right Is Right. Right?

I used to think foreign aid was pretty much unequivocal. A country needs help, you send them money and that’s that. I now realize how naive I have been. It is disappointing how the world really works.

When a western country says it is sending thirty million dollars of aid to Ethiopia, for instance, the aid rarely gets there in the form of money. We send food and equipment rather than money because by sending home grown goods we stimulate our economy and everyone wins, right? Besides, if we sent actual money we couldn’t guarantee that the money would be used in a manner in which we approve. Unfortunately our culture’s imperious meddling in foreign affairs can actually exasperate the very situation we are trying to resolve.

Case in point - Malawi. The landscape of Malawi is littered with non functioning water wells that were acquired through foreign aid. There’s water underground, there’s pumps installed to bring the water up, but unfortunately there is no money or expertise to repair the pumps when they breakdown. The idealist in me says our intentions were pure and with a few adjustments we’ll get it right the next time. The cynic in me says things are going exactly as planned. The primary motivation is not to help a foreign country in need but rather subsidize the economy at home. Busted pumps? No problem, we’ll have a bunch more off to you in a jiffy as soon as they roll off the assembly line.

At Silent River Kung Fu’s annual Chinese New Year banquet, we will be presenting thousands of dollars to the Second Chance Animal Rescue Society, Malawi Girls on the Move, the Simon Poultney Foundation, the Children’s Ability Fund, and the homeless in Katmandu. We are fortunate that in every single case we have personal contact with these organizations and we understand that only they have the expertise to ensure the greatest benefit is realized by their group from our fundraising efforts.

It would be great if it were that simple at the Federal level.

“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” - Chinese Proverb