Foreign Aid: Are we really helping others or just ourselves? | Maliha Chishti | TEDxUTSC

Summary

The speaker challenges the effectiveness of foreign aid, arguing that despite billions spent, it has not significantly improved the lives of the world's poorest. They critique the aid industry's repeated mistakes and the self-serving narrative that rich countries benefit more. Drawing from experience in Afghanistan, they highlight the paternalistic approach of Western aid, suggesting a need for a more respectful, pluralistic aid paradigm that values local strengths and capacities.

Takeaways

• 😇 The speaker admires the concept of foreign aid for its potential to embody compassion and generosity, especially in times of conflict.
• 🏗️ Aid workers contribute significantly by building schools, providing clean water, healthcare, and emergency food to those in need.
• 💔 Despite good intentions, foreign aid has largely failed to improve the lives of the world's poorest and most vulnerable, with a widening gap between rich and poor countries.
• 🌐 There is a vast international aid apparatus involving thousands of organizations distributing billions of dollars, yet it has not achieved desired outcomes in many war-torn countries.
• 🔄 The international aid community repeats mistakes and often benefits the richer countries more than the intended recipients through debt repayment, profits, and trade.
• 📉 There is a net transfer of wealth from the poorest to the richest countries, estimated at $200 billion a year, suggesting a subsidy from poor to rich nations.
• 🚫 To address the problems with aid, reliance on existing structures and paradigms is insufficient; an ethical and conscientious reevaluation is needed.
• 🌟 The speaker's experience in Afghanistan highlights the ineffectiveness of aid, with billions not reaching the majority of Afghans despite international intentions to help.
• 🤔 The priority of aid projects is often determined by the aid establishment rather than the needs of the local population, as seen with the focus on human rights training over healthcare.
• 🌍 Post-2001 Afghanistan saw an influx of foreign nationals taking over various sectors without understanding the local context, leading to misguided interventions.
• 🛑 The speaker calls for a reimagining of aid relationships, based on mutual respect and understanding, rather than a one-sided imposition of Western values and systems.

Q & A

What is the speaker's initial view on foreign aid?

The speaker initially views foreign aid as an opportunity to practice compassion and generosity, especially in times of war and conflict, and acknowledges the good work done by aid workers in building schools, providing access to clean water, health care, and emergency food aid.

What is the main argument against the effectiveness of foreign aid on a larger scale?

The main argument is that despite the good intentions and the international aid apparatus, foreign aid has not improved the lives and living conditions of the world's poorest and most vulnerable people, and the gap between the richest and poorest countries continues to widen.

What examples does the speaker provide of countries where aid has not achieved desirable results?

The speaker cites Angola, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq as examples where aid has not achieved the expected outcomes.

What is the speaker's concern about the international aid community?

The speaker is concerned that the international aid community keeps making the same mistakes repeatedly and does not seem to be held accountable for the lack of improvement in the conditions of the world's poorest.

What is the claim about the economic impact of aid on rich and poor countries?

The claim is that for every dollar of aid rich countries give to poor countries, they receive between seven to ten dollars back through debt repayment, profits, and trade, resulting in a net transfer of wealth from the poorest to the richest countries.

What does the speaker suggest is the underlying issue with the current aid infrastructure?

The speaker suggests that the aid infrastructure is set up in a way that benefits the richest part of the world, rather than genuinely helping the poorest communities, and that this system is self-perpetuating.

What was the speaker's experience with a Canadian NGO and Afghan women's groups?

The speaker worked with an Afghan women's organization in Toronto and conducted a needs assessment survey for Afghan women. They found that the women wanted access to basic healthcare, but when they proposed a project for a mobile health clinic, the Canadian government encouraged them to double the budget and include a human rights training program instead.

What did the speaker observe about the influx of foreign nationals in Afghanistan post-2001?

The speaker observed that Afghanistan, once known as The Hermit Kingdom, was flooded with foreign nationals, especially from Europe and North America, who took over various sectors of the country without understanding the local context, languages, or history.

What is the speaker's critique of the international community's approach to Afghanistan?

The speaker criticizes the international community for treating Afghanistan as a blank slate, imposing their own goals, visions, and approaches without considering the local context, and for evaluating and restructuring the country without domestic consent.

What is the story of Sur and what does it illustrate about the assumptions in the aid system?

Sur is a medical doctor, educator, activist, and leader of a health module training program in Afghanistan. The speaker initially doubted her competence due to their own biases, but Sur proved to be highly capable. This story illustrates the underlying assumptions in the aid system that view Westerners as modern and progressive, while viewing locals as needing help and lacking capacity.

What is the speaker's proposed solution for improving the aid relationship?

The speaker proposes a fresh start for aid, suggesting that it should be based on understanding third world societies by how they define themselves, focusing on their strengths and capacities, and embracing the politics of pluralism, diversity, and multivocality.

What is the key takeaway message from the speaker's experience and perspective?

The key takeaway is that to do good work in the world, one must first be good, implying that the effectiveness of aid is a reflection of the attitudes, values, and actions of the individuals and societies providing it.