Development Works The Complete Set | Page 9

ESSAY  1 “Graduating” from development assistance is actually its goal. If you look at the list of countries that used to receive emergency relief or U.S. assistance to provide school lunches, for example, you see Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Germany, Italy—not countries we now consider poor. Some “alumni” now fund school lunches in other countries themselves, and all purchase goods from the United States. & Myths Realities Myth: Development assistance is a big part of the U.S. budget and is fueling our record budget deficit. Why Support Development Assistance? There are two main reasons. First, it’s the right thing to do. With the U.S. economy still struggling, many Americans have their hands full meeting their own family’s needs and perhaps contributing to food pantries or charities that help their communities. But Americans have always cared about people who are hungry overseas, too. Even in tough economic times, the American government provides half the world’s food aid, and Americans as individuals respond generously to appeals to help people such as survivors of the devastating earthquake in Haiti or, earlier, the Indian Ocean tsunami. Sometimes, though, we see skeletal Somali babies and other suffering people in the news and realize that disaster assistance, crucial as it is, may be too little, too late. It’s also important to help people prepare in advance. Development assistance may be used to build hospitals and roads or to train doctors and nurses—all important in normal times, but even more essential in case of disaster. Natural disasters happen in developed countries too, most recently in Japan, but resources and planning help make people more resilient. That’s why there was widespread starvation in Somalia but not in Japan. Several problems collided to cause the famine in Somalia—armed conflict played a huge role. But one key step in overcoming chronic hunger and preventing famine deaths is enabling people to develop a “plan B” or even a “plan C” for feeding their families when something goes wrong with “plan A.” This can work even in very poor countries. Ethiopia, noted for its devastating famines of the past, is currently suffering from the same drought as neighboring Somalia. However, peace and a measure of economic development mean that unlike Somalia, Ethiopia hasn’t lost 100,000 of its people, mostly young children, to malnutrition. Second, it’s the smart thing to do. Already, half of U.S. exports go to emerging markets. People in developing countries become customers of the United States once they are able to develop their local economies and generate surplus income. It makes sense to invest in the future by ensuring that potential customers have sufficient nutr itious food. After all, a malnourished population is ill-equipped to build a prosperous economy. Many African countries, in particular, have enjoyed strong economic growth for several years now. For 2012, experts again predict high economic growth rates—5.75 percent for sub-Saharan Africa as a whole, far higher than anticipated for the United States and Europe. Eight of the world’s 10 fastest-growing economies are in Africa. If you visit a developing country, it’s hard to miss another potential asset: children are everywhere. Half of Africa’s population is younger than 20, Reality: Development assistance is less than 1 percent of the U.S. budget, so cutting it would not help fix the deficit. It does, however, save millions of human lives every year. nn Myth: Not much progress can be made against a problem as big as hunger. Reality: In less than two genera- tions, global hunger has been cut in half. Instead of one person out of every three suffering from hunger and malnutrition, it’s now one person out of every six—still far too many, but a big improvement. The global situation is now one where there’s a heightened sense of momentum, more commitment and leadership, and better knowledge of “what works.” The United States is leading the way with new initiatives such as Feed the Future, which focuses on agriculture and nutrition. nn Myth: It’s a waste of time and money to give development assistance, because it never gets to the people who need it. Reality: In recent years, there has been much more emphasis on transparency and adherence to strict accounting standards. It has become increasingly difficult for anyone to make aid money “disappear,” lost to corruption. There are many examples of children, families, and communities who have benefited from development programs. And, of course, there are the longer-term results just mentioned: the rate of global hunger has been cut in half. www.bread.org/institute n Development Works  7