Good Aid - Bad News

A BBC investigation has today revealed that millions of dollars intended for victims of the Ethiopian famine of 1984-1985 were instead used by rebel forces to acquire weapons. The investigation claims that €93 million ended up in rebel hands with some given directly to Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who was one of the leaders of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) at the time. If Overseas Aid does not reach its intended recipients, it makes no real difference where it eventually ends up. If a corrupt official, a criminal gang or a freedom fighter comes into possession of such money, then delivery of the aid has categorically failed.

Unfortunately, this investigation comes at a time when the OECD (Organisation for Economic Development and Co-Operation) has just revealed that development aid is falling €21 billion short of promises made in 2005. This colossal amount could pay for every child in the world today to go to school - to make just one calculation.

France, Germany, Austria, Portugal and Greece are failing to reach the commitment made by rich countries in 2005 to give a minimum of 0.51% of their national income in 2010 to developing nations. Investigations such as the one carried out by the BBC and the seasonal criticism of Overseas AID - most recently by Dambisa Moyo - makes it all the more difficult to focus public pressure on such countries and ensure that aid promises are kept. However, the problem is not that there is persistent in-depth analyses of the effectiveness of Overseas Aid by those who wish to discredit the system, but rather that there is often a lack of push back by NGOs and other relevant players.

Overseas Aid is vital and it works. Improvements can always be made but the current effectiveness needs to be underlined, bolded and highlighted. There should be no chip on anyone's shoulder about justifying the use of every cent of Overseas Aid and more importantly, the public need to be shown how it helps to make a massive difference in the lives of millions of the most vulnerable people around the world. Quite simply, we need some good aid stories.