Twenty five years ago I listened for the first time to Bono singing the words “Well, tonight, thank God it’s them instead of you” . Those words captured the mood of the time and before long the Band Aid single “Do they know it’s Christmas?” was number one in the charts and raising cash in a unique way. The following summer I joined the millions who stayed up all night to watch some of the biggest bands in the World perform back to back. I really felt like I was watching something – if only from a distance – that was special. It was a bit like an armchair Glastonbury. I donated less than a fiver I think (I was a teenager after all) by calling the free phone number – no online or text donations then – and sat back feeling good about myself and fully deserving of some free Madonna and Sting.Now I work as a Campaigner for Oxfam, and this week I’ve seen the BBC story about how some of that money allegedly found its way into the hands of rebel forces in Ethiopia. Of course the story jumps on Live Aid to grab our attention, although the money was from different sources.
Getting money to the people who need it and for whom it was intended, must always be the priority for organisations involved in overseas development. Not just ‘more’ but also ‘better’ aid has become the mantra for groups delivering that service. However, reaching people in poor countries where civil conflict exists is even harder. Money like this is most often intended for things like schools and hospitals – essential services – and these are usually the first to go during unrest. People in need in conflict zones are the ones who need aid money the most. Can we turn our backs on them?
As I see it, and I’m not an aid worker, when you have decided which country to work in, you have to be realistic about routes for delivering aid. You have to reduce the risk by working with established groups, ones that the locals know and trust. Then you need to be able to see results. It’s not easy but its necessary.
Today, millions in Ethiopia and across East Africa are facing severe food and water shortages after years of poor rains. It is estimated that drought costs Ethiopia $1.1bn a year – almost eclipsing the total annual overseas assistance to the country. You could be tempted to say that aid doesn’t work. But this is simply not true.The aid provided over the past 25 years has saved countless people from starvation and chronic hunger. In the recent Global Hunger Index of all developing countries, Ethiopia was shown to be in the top five performers in alleviating hunger since 1990 in absolute terms. The proportion of children completing primary school has more than doubled since 2000. Of course this can be further improved. A lot has been learned in the last 25 years; there are great programmes going on in Ethiopia right now that help communities prepare for years when the rains fail.
For example in Adiha in Tigray region, Oxfam has been working with a community of farmers used to face food shortages year after year. By providing food in exchange for work on an irrigation project, people have developed and diversified their farming. Now can sell on their surplus to pay for schooling and health care.
Change can happen and does happen. What we need to do is learn from what really works and see donors and agencies like the World Food Programme shifting the weight of their support to back these kinds of initiatives. What we can’t forget is that in developing countries loopholes in the arms trade, unfair trade rules, climate change and lack of government investment in healthcare and education services are huge real issues that stampede on communties fighting to get back on their own feet in developing countries . For me stories like the Live Aid money one prove once again that long lasting change requires hard campaigning work on all these issues.