March 20, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
Mark Lange, a former speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush, writes that ending extreme global poverty is within reach, but that wealthy nations, government aid agencies, and charities need to change how they help the 1 billion people who live on less than $1 a day.
In a five-part opinion series in The Christian Science Monitor, Mr. Lange writes that to successfully fight poverty, the world needs to:
- Support activists and small nonprofit groups in Africa and other poor regions to find their own solutions.
- Foster trade and property rights for poor people.
- Increase evaluations of aid work.
- Use military force when needed in humanitarian disaster, such as Darfur.
Mr. Lange writes that many governments and antipoverty groups will resist changing their operations.
“Like almost any other organization, aid agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and contractors suffer from an inherent conflict of interest: They exist to run projects and perpetuate themselves – not to put themselves out of business. While individuals are deeply passionate about progress, institutions like things as they are – the bigger the problem, the bigger the operating budget,” he writes.
He does however point to several charities that he says are doing good work, such as Kiva, Opportunity International, Changing the Present, and the advocacy group One.
What do you think? Are international charities resistant to change? Does Mr. Lange suggest a good plan to fight global poverty? Click on the comments link below this post to share your thoughts.
