[afro-nets] IDA Solutions 2008 Training Program (3)

["Peter Burgess" <profitinafrica@gmail.com>]

Dear Colleagues

Thank you Dr. Olusesan Makinde for your observation about the cost of courses being offered in support of global health relief. You touch on some very sensitive issues for the donors ... some issues that need to be addressed without too much concern about being politically correct. 

The blunt fact is that a small amount of money in the right place in Africa doing the right thing can produce a lot of improvement. How much does it cost to save a life in Africa? To save the life might well not cost very much at all ... the right medicine ... some nutritional food ... etc. You know this better than I ever will.

But of course saving a life is not enough. There is a need for a lot more in order for a child to grow up healthy and educated and ready to be a productive part of society. Much of this can and should be resourced within the local society ... some needs external support of some kind. But this is not how development experts are thinking ... and the results are disappointingly poor.

I would like to start a process of building up some database of stories about how a small amount of help produced great results ... I would love to hear from people on this list that have such stories.

Sincerely

Peter Burgess

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Peter Burgess
The Transparency and Accountability Network: Tr-Ac-Net in New York
http://www.tr-ac-net.org
+1 917 432 1191 or +1 212 772 6918  
mailto:peterbnyc@gmail.com
IMMC - The Integrated Malaria Management Consortium
http://www.IMMConsortium.org