Media stories and the complexity of aid
Posted on July 1, 2010 at 6:01 pm
I’m happy to report that over the last two weeks there have been some interesting in-depth media stories discussing the complexities of aid. Some of the themes covered in these stories include:
- Few problems have simple solutions and many solutions come with unintended consequences.
- Aid recipients are real people with lives just as complicated and intertwined as our own.
- The culture and lifestyle of the aid recipients must be considered in project development.
- Aid organizations need to regularly evaluate their work and learn from their mistakes.
- Donor expectations impact the amount and type of aid provided and the long-term success of the projects.
Troubled Water by Frontline Looks at their own coverage of PlayPumps three years ago and how their story increased funding for the pumps. It then examines the very real problems that have occurred with the pumps since that original coverage.
Island Time by This American Life looks at all the complications involved in simply getting Haitian mango farmers to use plastic crates to transport their fruit to market. It examines all the work that went into the project and why the project was stopped before it got off the ground.
The Problem with Giving Free Food to Hungry People by Planet Money examines the unintended consequences of giving away free food. It explains how the food distribution system works and how free food disrupts the system and endangers livelihoods.
I hope this trend lasts. I urge more news outlets to discuss the complexities of aid rather than falling back on common themes and stereotypes.
Related Posts:
Does you aid organization’s website inform or misinform donors?
It’s time to stop telling pretty stories and start really evaluating the impact of aid
Bad Donor Advice Perpetuates Bad Aid Practices
« The Problem with Giving Free Food to Hungry People • "The Burn Rate" – Media's Impact on Aid »
To add one more to your list: Two weeks ago I stumbled upon a great article in Uganda’s Daily Monitor (the opposition newspaper here). The article was a reprint from the East African where it ran under the headline “Charitable ignorance: The reality of aid.” It gives several examples of political manipulations and bad assumptions that have undermined the impact of donors and other well-intentioned outsiders.
Full article here:
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/Charitable%20ignorance%20The%20reality%20of%20aid/-/1066/941582/-/16oqvpz/-/index.html
Correction: it’s Planet Money, not Marketplace Money. Regardless, it’s a great story.
Alex,
Thanks for catching my mistake.
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