Wednesday, May 13, 2009

flawed altruism

So - there's some really thought-provoking stuff on flawed altruism on this Project Diaspora blog site. It's definitely worth reading! One of the things I've really liked about Shelter for Life is that from everything I can tell it's really concerned with long-term solutions, long-term viability of its work. I actually remember having conversations with Mustafa about this subject like five years ago. I think they've seen a lot of the damage that's done with hit-and-run humanitarian projects, and are doing what they can to support communities in not only meeting immediate needs, but also in becoming fully self sufficient. I'm looking forward to hearing and learning from Liberians and expats based in Liberia about what they've seen and learned on this topic - I'm guessing if I ask I'll get an earful! I'm halfway through This Child Will Be Great and Sirleaf has plenty to say about the misallocation of aid funding. Pretty sickening, really.