June 11, 2009 at 7:47 pm

Thanks Chris for this info & thanks to Pres. Kagame’s office for his clarification about development assistance.

Hopefully this clarification will be helpful to all of us.

ALWAYS FOREVER, ONE – debbie
http://www.myspace.com/mulago

June 12, 2009 at 6:07 am

You should have quoted this part to “much of the aid to Africa over the past 50 years, amounting to several trillion dollars – has been bad aid. “

June 12, 2009 at 6:46 am

The link to the article is fully present for people to click on and read. If a person truly cares about reading the article, then they will take the time to click on the link and read every part of this article. It is a clear & transparent process.

The fact that Mr.Himbara is wanting to clarify Pres. Kagame’s position so that “outside sources” apart from his Office don’t appear to speak for the President is a step forward in this discussion.

Anyone who would want Mr. Himbara to not speak Pres.Kagame’s truth is part of the problem & not the solution.

Living Positively, debbie

June 12, 2009 at 8:54 am

Hopefully someone will allow us Africans to speak for themselves at some point. And maybe people would hear how we would like to be treated as equals and not as children in need.

June 12, 2009 at 9:20 am

Is not the Presidents of Liberia and Rwanda “Africans”? Is Mo Ibrahim not an “African? Is not Ms. Moyo an “African” (please inform me if she’s not)? Are you not from Malawi?

Are you all not speaking your opinions? Which Africans are you speaking of and who is holding them back?

PLEASE BE SPECIFIC WITH YOUR ANSWERS because diatribe is really getting farsical and not at all conducive to the sort of discussion which you claim that you want..

June 12, 2009 at 10:37 am

Specifically, when an African speaks, and it is against the ideas of some, in this case, Dr. Moyo or Mr. Mwenda, they are vilified, not by their own, but by external forces. So, specifically, the ONE organization paying to advertise how wrong Dr. Moyo’s book is, that is not conducive. And I think your sentence should have started with ‘Are’.

June 12, 2009 at 10:46 am

You didn’t answer my question (again). You attempted to turn this conversation down a side path that I won’t go down.

Your statement: “Hopefully someone will allow us Africans to speak for themselves at some point. ”

My question to you: ” Which Africans are you speaking of and who is holding them back?”

Please ANSWER THE QUESTION.

I’m placing a metaphorical bet that you won’t.

June 12, 2009 at 12:43 pm

I’m speaking of all Africans. Represented by their governments. All Africans want development and to use their numerous talents to prosper just like the rest of the world does. But the choke hold of Aid programs and the constant belief that somehow Africans are doomed to fail without the ‘great help of the west’ is limiting. That is how Africans are silenced.

So, if Ghana tells the IMF they want to test out the bond market, and they are discouraged to because, they are told, its easier just get another inhibiting loan form the west, that is the holding back I speak of. Furthermore, if Dr. Moyo decides to prevent a different view to help Africa get out of its state of poverty, and a western organization like ONE vehemently attacks her, that too is silencing. Fortunately, she, like many Africans are fighters, and she continues to fight, as we all should when we see wrong. And the wrong is this case is an Aid system manifested in the belief that Africa is essentially doomed without foreing Aid.

You just lost your bet.

June 12, 2009 at 1:01 pm

*prevent = present

June 12, 2009 at 2:04 pm

Sir, until you look up a dictionary definition of the word “prevent”, there’s no use in trying to discuss with you.

Disagreeing with someone’s expressed point of view is NOT preventing them from expressing that point of view.

And it is ridiculous for you, or anybody else that would try to come into this thread to agree with you, to suggest that a disagreement with a viewpoint equals PREVENTION OF THE EXPRESSION OF THAT VIEWPOINT.

June 12, 2009 at 2:27 pm

If you took a chance to consider others views, you will notice that the correction that followed my posting was “*prevent=present”. Meaning, I accidentally typed ‘V’, instead of ‘S’. Is that clear enough?

Now, feel free to respond to the corrected version.

June 13, 2009 at 11:53 pm

I am curious how missing your typo correction consists of a complete dismissal of your viewpoint.

Further, I am curious as to how African countries plan to end the restrictive trade policies or purchase the medicines they have thusfar been unable to buy, how they plan to pay back the billions and billions of dollars in loans they have thusfar been unable to pay back, and still invest in the infrastructure and internal framework that they will need if an approach such as the one you suggest is to work.

I don’t think anyone at ONE would argue that Africa should be kept on aid forever and ever. That’s why it’s development aid. It’s aimed at helping a country while it develops. Because even inf, say, DR congo, wants to start making use of tis resources, there has to be a market, and currently there is none, which is where aid organizations like ONE come in. And until Africa can stand on its own feet entirely, someone must ensure that a majority of its children and teachers and farmers don’t die…as even the poorest of economists can tell you that without food, medicine, education, or children, a country can’t survive too long.

You can teach a man to fish, or allow a man to fish to feed himself, and this is noble, but if you care about the man’s outcome, you must feed him while he learns or finds his equipment, because otherwise, he’ll be just as dead.

June 14, 2009 at 10:32 am

Well, Eric, if you lookat my post, you can see where Debbie K saw the word prevent and reacted to that, and the correction is present, so that changes the entire scope of conversation. As far as your developmental aid goes, what exactly id the objective? to serve as a band-aid? maybe aid should produce tangible economic results, like jobs; that would certainly be better, no?

June 24, 2009 at 12:57 am

Ridiyen Kibaya ~ You are an inspiration, “But the choke hold of Aid programs and the constant belief that somehow Africans are doomed to fail without the ‘great help of the west’ is limiting. That is how Africans are silenced. ”

I’ve never thought of it that way. . Probably because it doesn’t represent the majority of people that are in need of the aid, but you make a good point. My only question is, why post it on a blog for the “One”? We’re you trying to start a fight?

“Bad” aid didn’t originate from this organization, and at least here they’re raising money privately, it’s not taxpayer funded. Maybe you should find the U.N.’s blog and yell at them, they started it! I really do agree with what you said, I just think that there are much more effective ways to get that point across. Like starting an organization, and getting other people to share your ideas through events and funding! I’ll join!

Sound familiar? See, One is not that bad, probably started out the same way your cause will. Follow through with it, make a difference. Don’t be angry with those that have, leave Debbie K. alone.

All Good Wishes

June 24, 2009 at 10:59 am

Katie, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, and will not get emotional and explode about what I have done. You have to understand, for some of us, saving the African continent is not ‘a cause’, its our reality. My family has suffered under the weight of excessive Aid. These aren’t people I met on an excursion, these are people I grew up with, and my moderate success has to be translated to them. Where I blog is far from my primary concern. I have people who I have to uplift, not just provide for.
My goal is to provide for my people, the same thing that I have seen with other people the world over. Access to education, jobs and prosperity.
If you think this is a matter of “leaving Debbie alone’ or asking you to join an organization, I’m afraid you’re mistaken. The rest of the world has succeeded on certain economic principals, and none of them have involved an indefinite Aid period. Take the emotions out of it, look at the realities, and find applicable solutions. Trust me, I have eaten the donated yellow maize, and I have waited for the Under 5 clinics. This is not the solution.

June 27, 2009 at 9:12 am

Hi-

Another African here! I am from Burundi-central Africa and English is my 4th language:). So any grammatical error should be forgiven based on my linguistic challenge.

I think people at One have very laudable intentions and we appreciate it. However, someone said that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” and One should heed that saying too. If aid was “SMART” we wouldn’t be having this debate. Just because 2 million people are surviving due to donated pharmaceutical products made by western pharmaceuticals companies owned by western investors doesn’t make it so smart. Countries in Africa have requested to produce generic drugs and at a cheaper price, and you can guess the answer to that audacious request.

When One applauds Malawi for food security, it is not because but despite SMART aid. Here are the facts. When Malawi was facing a famine, the president decided to subsidize fertilizers to Malawian farmers. The whole western world threatened and actually applied sanctions-cutting off aid, because he has dared to challenge the AID system which says that African will receive surplus from western countries but can not subsidize their farmers which will constitute unfair trade against the poor western farmers. The real problem was fertilizer’s subsidies cut into profit margins of fertilizer industries. That is such an injustice that most western countries could not stand. Regardless, Malawi went ahead and the results are known: there is no hunger in Malawi and the success is neither sheer luck-gain rain- or AID assistance. It is because one African country stood up and answered to the interest of its own people despite opposition from the Western interests. So imagine if more countries would implement programs geared toward answering their own constituencies.

So, there is very much room for debate on whether AID works or not. And people and organizations with good intentions should come to grip with the idea that someday Africans will not welcome those big gas guzzlers SUV(we see them in a every remote village of Burundi) going around preaching about need for more aid money. Like a parent who’s child is maturing and ready to leave home, instead of hanging on, western donors should make way to new African leaders and allow them to experiment with other ways of socio-economic development. That is why people like Kibaya and Dambisa Moyo are refreshing to hear.

Nothing last forever, even SMART aid. it’s time for change!

June 30, 2009 at 11:55 pm

I was just in Rwanda doing relief work and I can only say that my overall impression is that there are plenty of needs there and plenty of Rwandans stepping up to meethem. What is needed is partnership. To come alongside the already very effective efforts of native Rwandans and engage them in conversations about how we (the west) or whoever can assist them. I realize this is an over simplification, as every country and scenario is unique, but we must start with the belief that Africans have plenty of motivation and ability to help themselves, and good aid (money, materials, resources, labor) should compliment that.

July 5, 2009 at 4:29 am

Eric I don`t think you understand whats been happening with AID over the last 20 years, read the books “dead aid” and “a game as old as empire” by John Perkins, and “confessions of an economic hitman”, the world over the worldbank and IMF and foreign bankers and corporations have been stuffing poorer nations over with more aid debt and repatriating fund back to their own western companies.

July 5, 2009 at 4:33 am

I`m not saying we shouldnt give AID, but the way it is distributed and accounted for, and what projects all needs to be very well managed and accounted for. Water, farming development, homes, EDUCATION, with strong accounts management. Developing world debt affects every tax payer, not just those in developing countries.