Live Aid's concerts 20 years ago saved 5 million Ethiopians from starvation and focused the world's attention on Africa's poorest people.
However, Band Aid was just that: a temporary fix for a condition that is chronic and for which the West is again being asked to help find the cure.
In Ethiopia's tumbledown towns of today, few smallholders who eke out a living growing coffee, teachers who struggle with classes of 80 or nurses who face empty drug cabinets have heard of Bob Geldof or Live Aid.
Most, however, know extreme hunger, few drink clean water, their children are malnourished, and HIV and AIDS infections are the third highest in the world.
Four million people rely on daily food handouts. Two years ago, 14 million - one in five Ethiopians - faced starvation when rains failed for three years running. This is despite the country receiving more emergency aid per person than any other nation.
Yet, such noble efforts to collect money to help pay for food, medicine, supplies etc, go to the government and the military first:
"Of course, if someone gave me some money I could make things better, but the money goes to the government, not to us," said Abdallah Abagisa, 36, a farmer with half a hectare of coffee trees near Jimma, 354 kilometres south-west of the capital, Addis Ababa. With 80 Ethiopian birr ($12) he could buy a scythe to clear weeds so that his trees produced more beans, but his family need that 80 birr just to survive.
The Live 8 is hoping to raise a few hundred million dollars to help Africa and will no doubt smugly pat themselves on their backs for their success while they scream at countries, notably the United States, for not doing enough.
In Capitalism magazine by Larry Elders:
Last year, American government provided 35 percent of worldwide relief aid. In private contributions, American individuals, estates, foundations and corporations gave over $240 billion to charitable causes in 2003, according to Giving USA Foundation. Privately, Americans give at least $34 billion overseas.
Josette Shiner, former Empower America president, points out that more than 80 percent of Americans belong to a "voluntary association," and 75 percent of households report charitable contributions. Shiner wrote in 1999, "Americans look even better compared to other leading nations."
According to recent surveys, 73 percent of Americans made a charitable contribution in the previous 12 months, as compared to 44 percent of Germans, and 43 percent of French citizens. The average sum of donations over 12 months was $851 for Americans, $120 for Germans, and $96 for the French. In addition, 49 percent of Americans volunteered over the previous 12 months, as compared to 13 percent of Germans and 19 percent of the French."
Of the 184 subscriber nations of the World Bank -- which provides financial assistance and debt relief to developing countries for particular sectors or projects with low-interest loans, interest-free credit and grants -- contributions paid in by America make up over 17 percent. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) focuses on providing financing for general support of a country's balance of payments and international reserves.
Again, of the IMF's 184 nations, the U.S. does the heavy lifting, providing 17.5 percent of contributions.
What about debt forgiveness? The United States forgave about $14 billion in foreign debt from the late '80s through 1995. Since 1994, the U.S. has worked with the Paris Club -- an informal forum of creditor countries -- to review, negotiate and adopt debt relief programs for poor countries, recently badgering France and Germany into agreeing to forgive 80 percent of the $39 billion owed by Iraq.
America twice assisted Europe in World Wars I and II. America took the lead in defeating the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and continues to provide troops and military assistance to European nations and Southeast Asia.
United Nations' Egeland brags about his native Norway, which, in giving, he says, "is No. 1 in the world." Norway gives 0.92 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) to foreign aid development, versus 0.14 percent in this country. " . . . We have . . . no country up to the 1 percent . . . line of foreign assistance in general," says Egeland, "and we have, I think, three . . . Scandinavians that have exceeded -- and Holland -- the 0.7 percent line of gross national income for assistance."
Yes, Holland gave $12.2 billion in foreign aid in 2003, but that was following two years in which it received more aid than it gave. Besides, these numbers overlook Americans' private contributions, which equal 2.2 percent of our GDP. Add the value of volunteer time contributed, and -- even when calculated at minimum wage -- that gives you another $100 billion.
Add in the amount of money spent to protect other (often wealthy) countries -- military spending is 3.3 percent of our GDP, versus Sweden's 1.7 percent, Denmark's 1.6 percent, Norway's 1.9 percent, and Holland's 1.6 percent -- and, as Ronald Reagan might have put it, not bad.
Not bad at all.
As to the tragedy in southern Asia, consider other actions taken by the United States so far: providing aircraft carriers, transport planes, helicopters, military support, logistical support, ships carrying food supplies, reconnaissance planes and warships, sending disaster assistance teams, shuttling supplies and advance teams to Sumatra's northwest coast and sending cargo planes carrying Marines and water purification equipment to Sri Lanka.
Former President Clinton, never missing an opportunity to take a swipe at a sitting president, said a few days after the tsunami, "It is really important that somebody take the lead in this." Well, Mr. Clinton, someone has -- America. Like always.
We need to be tough with the monies released to African countries run by dictators and despots.
William Easterly writes in the NY Times editorial:
It's great that so many are finally noticing the tragedy of Africa. But sadly, historical evidence says that the solutions offered by big plans are not so easy. From 1960 to 2003, we (United States) spent $568 billion (in today's dollars) to end poverty in Africa. Yet these efforts still did not lift Africa from misery and stagnation.
The above $568 billion spent does not include private donations. So, you think the answer is to throw more money into the pot?
Looks more like Dead 8 than a Live 8. Africa need to turn this around on their own using democracy as a tool and get rid of those dictators!
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