AFRO-NETS> How much Development Aid gets to Affected Communities?

[Janet Feldman <kaippg@earthlink.net>]

How much Development Aid gets to Affected Communities?
------------------------------------------------------

Dear Peter and Friends,

Hello and many thanks for this excellent suggestion, Peter! I also 
saw your other posting (on AFRO-NETS) which is related, in that medi-
cal supplies and equipment are being re-used time and again in the 
African (and probably developing-world in general) context, which 
also has to do with finances or lack of same, and is certainly re-
lated to debt service, restructuring, and money flows. I think it 
would be very helpful if you could elaborate on how we might take the 
next steps, which you have started to outline, and perhaps a number 
of those of us who are NGOs (especially small) in Africa can start to 
provide info about those flows (so we can figure out where the money 
goes...not necessarily poetry in motion, I suppose!).

Also, I thought I would say--in reference to the medical supplies--
that I have run across an organization called REMEDY which collects 
unused (new) but surplus supplies and ships them (or has doctors and 
others bring them) to many places around the world. It probably does 
not begin to cover the need, but at least there are some sterile sup-
plies available (now, the next step is having these readily available 
in situ!). I believe the website is http://www.remedy.org , though if 
that is wrong I will be happy to post the correct URL (I did a Google 
Search and found the org. there, so that would be an alternative). 

With many thanks for bringing up these great talking points, Peter, 
and hope to be helpful in any way we can! 

With all best wishes, 
Janet Feldman,
Director
KAIPPG/International
mailto:kaippg@earthlink.net


----- Original Message -----
From: "CABA Forum" <cabaforum@tvtassociates.com>
To: <CABA@LIST.S-3.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2002 11:43 AM
Subject: How much Development Aid gets to Affected Communities?


Dear CABA colleagues:

Thank you all for your contributions to this discussion. It is a very 
important issue and one that should be dealt with in a practical way.

First...... almost all development aid originates in the NORTH, is 
managed by the NORTH and has a NORTH perspective. Taxpayers in the 
NORTH expect to see benefits that are meaningful to them. Reports, 
studies, workshops all have tangible outputs that can be shown to the 
taxpayers.

The same can be said of many of the initiatives of the large interna-
tional NGOs. But there are some NGOs that are trying to reflect the 
true needs of the beneficiaries and the beneficiary communities. But 
how much resource flow is in this group compared to the resource 
flows of the NORTH focused organizations.

It is likely that more than 80% of ALL development aid for the SOUTH 
is actually disbursed in the NORTH. Clearly this allocation of re-
source flows needs to get changed.

Second........ there is very little reliable information about fund 
flows in development and in the related arena of foreign direct in-
vestment and multinational business. Sadly a lot of resource flows is 
related to massive removal of value from the host communities..... 
mining, petroleum, timber, fisheries are obvious examples...... but 
policy advice delivered by expert consultants can serve also to re-
move value from a developing country's economy...... as indeed does 
much of humanitarian aid. I will not get into resource flows associ-
ated with military hardware and supplies. There is a need for infor-
mation..... good information.... independent information.

The Internet and database information systems can be deployed to pull 
good information together and have it independent and have it serve 
the interests of the SOUTH by exposing the behavior and performance 
of the NORTH. Information can make development performance much more 
accessible and let transparency have a chance. And the Internet and 
database information systems can make it more and more possible for 
the beneficiaries to add their voice to the debate...... including 
asking more and more the simple question..... where did all the money 
go?

It is time the Global Fund embraced the idea that an independent se-
cure Internet database information system would serve their need for 
accounting and accountability in a way that has never been possible 
in the official development assistance (ODA) community up to now. It 
is entirely practical and could be deployed very quickly.

I have not seen much defense of the status quo in the discussion..... 
but until there is easily accessible independent reliable informa-
tion.... the status quo will remain. And a NORTH "spin" of limited 
information will prevail again now as it has in the past.

Sincerely

Peter Burgess

______________
T. Peter Burgess
VP and CFO ATCnet
New York USA
Tel 212 772 6918 Fax 707 371 7805
website: www.atcnet.org
email: profitinafrica@aol.com / hivaidsstories@aol.com

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