Comments on: What aid workers think of the 1 Million Shirts campaign

By: Fatou Drammeh

Fatou Drammeh — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:35:50 +0000

Waw so interesting

By: Saundra

Saundra — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 21:22:10 +0000

Hadji,

Very few of the people criticizing donating goods overseas are “experts” sitting in ivory towers. The majority of us are aid workers who have dedicated our lives and livelihoods to “TAKE ACTION.” It is through our service to others that we have seen the negative impacts of well-intentioned aid. I spent four years in Thailand working on the tsunami recovery and for over two of those I ran an organization that tracked all the aid coming into the country. I speak Thai fluently and regularly spoke with the entire gamut of society – aid recipients (and no they weren’t into slapping aid critics – in fact they wanted aid to be done better and to create jobs so they had some control and dignity in their lives), local shop keepers – struggling to not go bankrupt, religious leaders – concerned about the random handout of goods and money creating aid dependency, and governors – concerned about their lack of ability to track and monitor the type and quality of aid coming into the country.

I’ve not sacrificed as much as I have to do what I do because I enjoy spending my time complaining about people just trying to help. I’ve made these sacrifices because if I don’t all the problems I saw on the ground will be endlessly repeated. And I’m not pulling my criticisms out of thin air. If you read my blog regularly you will see that I regularly link to good practices, guidelines, and industry standards. These standards were created as a result of very real problems on the ground. It is always the people we are trying to help that ultimately pay for our folly.

By: Hadji Beye

Hadji Beye — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 19:43:35 +0000

It is unfounded that shipping donated goods whether clothing or toys has any adverse result on the recipients. As an African who grew up in Africa and lived in the context, I can attest to that.
When you don’t have anything, which is the case for many folks living in rural areas or even urban areas..a donated t-shirt means a lot. It is really upsetting to see that so-called “experts” in Aid will argue with folks who are trying to help…
First of all, I am against criticizing anyone who is taking action…even if they “don’t know what they’re doing”…they’re shipping needed items to poorer populations, what do you mean “they don’t know what they’re doing!” and you as an “expert” what are YOU doing? But sitting in your office and giving opinions? Have you come up with a new solution for the poorer populations in the world.

When you don’t have anything to put on your back and so-called experts verbally assault those who are shipping t-shirts that you can wear…(those villagers would slap the so-called “experts” upside their head if they knew this debate was going on), it is pretty disheartening.

And as to the excuse, donations hinder the manufacturing of t-shirts: not true, factories that make clothes have been growing but there some folks in Africa who cannot afford even the cheapest fabric.

So those folks only have donations to wear on their back…just remember that to all the “experts” who criticize the NFL or World Vision. If you think you can do better than this system then prove it and TAKE ACTION without worrying what this company or organization is doing wrong.

By: Ole Tangen Jr.

Ole Tangen Jr. — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 13:24:17 +0000

This debate is not dead. The NFL wants to send 100,000 Steelers Super Bowl winners t-shirts (they lost) to Africa. We are organizing 100,000 tweets against it #NoNFLLoserTs4Africa. Join us and spread the word! @oletan

By: Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:58:26 +0000

You might want to read today’s post and the one regarding brainstorming from a few days ago. Thanks.

By: McKay

McKay — Fri, 14 May 2010 11:25:00 +0000

That you care enough to put this level of time in is a testament, if one was ever needed, that you and fellow aid bloggers here do not drink “haterade”. I would like to say I’m impressed. This list is giant!

By: Writingprincess

Writingprincess — Wed, 12 May 2010 18:03:48 +0000

Please add my blog post on this one:
http://blog.writingprincess.com/2010/04/30/1-million-t-shirts-lesson-on-aid/
I criticizes without vilifying. Also one thing I learned from this is that it’s clear that the average Joe has no idea what good aid is. I’d be willing to participate in a project that helps people:
1. Determine what good aid is.
2. Find charities that provide good aid.
3. Engage with good aid charities with their own social networks.
Let’s face it development aid can be like a blackhole with no one knowing if it’s actually working.

By: Anon

Anon — Mon, 03 May 2010 13:31:38 +0000

http://curiousgringo.blogspot.com/2010/04/1-million-shirts-campaign-and.html

By: Ian Turner

Ian Turner — Mon, 03 May 2010 13:02:27 +0000

I watched T-SHIRT TRAVELS this weekend. I want my hour back. I don’t think I’ve ever watched a more misguided and questionable documentary, certainly not on PBS. Bloemen’s grasp of economics is tenuous at best, and the most outrageous statements go unchecked throughout the film. She could have gotten the good points across in a 10-minute short.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Sun, 02 May 2010 02:20:31 +0000

This film has been around awhile, but is relevant:
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/tshirttravels/film.html
Briefly:
In T-SHIRT TRAVELS, Bloemen first travels to the Jersey shore, where she interviews Americans who donate their goods to various charities but have little idea that their former wardrobes end up in Africa. She talks to export agent Barney Lehrer from Brooklyn, who tells her that the Salvation Army doesn’t even unpack most of the donated clothing but sells it to companies for export to third-world countries.
Strapped and packed in bales like hay, the companies who export the goods sell them to commercial dealers in Africa, who mark up the bales of clothing a whopping three to four hundred percent. These dealers in turn sell to Africans like Luka Mafo, a 19-year-old Zambian who sells secondhand clothing to support his mother, brothers, sisters and cousins, hoping he can help them to stay in school and graduate.
But Bloemen still wondered: Was it always this way? What happened to all of the Zambian clothing manufacturers? Mark O’Donnell, spokesperson for Zambian Manufacturers, explains that in 1991, when the country’s markets were opened to free trade, container load after container load of used clothing began to arrive in Zambia, undercutting the cost of the domestic manufacturers and putting them out of business. The skills, the infrastructure and the capital of an entire industry are now virtually extinct, with not a single clothing manufacturer left in the country today.
Thanks, Saundra, for the links.