James Bovard wrote a article on the CATO Institute website expounding how the United States may be a very generous giver when it comes to humanitarian aid yet the results are discouraging over the years.
I was frustrated after reading this article because it suggested that the U.S. foreign aid doesn’t help and will never help. James Bovard needs to change his perspective a little. The reality is that U.S. foreign aid helps millions but is not historically very effective in solving long-term problems. Part of the ineffectiveness happens because we are not providing struggling countries with the correct types of aid.
Well-intentioned programs such as the U.S. Foreign Aid - “Food for Peace” attempts to help the hungry but at the same time only provides a crutch to those in need. As the saying goes “Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day - Teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime.” While the momentary relief provided by most humanitarian aid programs is beneficial, we must find a way to permanently fix the problems and enable people to become more self-sufficient
Unfortunately the problems will not be solved just by government foreign aid. Individuals must also feel the need to contribute time and money to help others. Some people rationalize that they do not want to contribute to humanitarian projects because they read articles like James Bovard’s focusing on their ineffectiveness. We all need to do what we can to help others but individually we should be wise in contributing to programs that are working toward long-term solutions to the problems.
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