From The Telegraph (April 17, 2012)
UK NEWS
Foreign aid saves lives
A new report shows that overseas aid has been instrumental in saving
millions of children's lives over the last two decades. Britain's
generosity is working, reports Justin Forsyth.
Save the Children's East Africa famine appeal last year was the most
successful in the charity's history Photo: REUTERS
By Justin Forsyth10:14AM BST 17 Apr 20121 Comment
In an age of austerity, when everyone is feeling the pinch, some
question whether we should continue giving aid to poor countries. The
resounding answer is yes, according to a new report Save the Children
and the Overseas Development Institute published today, which for the
first time presents quantifiable evidence of the impact of aid on child
survival, health and education.
The findings are inspiring. Four million fewer children aged under five
died in 2010 than in 1990. Over 50 million more children were enrolled
in school in the last decade. 131 countries now have over 90 per cent
immunisation coverage for diphtheria, tetanus and major preventable
childhood diseases such as measles, compared to just 63 in 1990. These
are incredible changes, and the report presents hard evidence of the
role aid played in achieving these amazing results.
Of course, aid is not the only driver of such progress. There are other
key factors, such as economic growth, good governance and political
will. The better these parts of the puzzle fit together in a given
country or context, the better the result. And if some of these things
are missing, aid can play a literally life-saving part.
In Botswana, for example, an aid-funded programme to provide free HIV
tests for expectant mothers, medicine to those testing positive, and
infant formula to their babies led to a 15 per cent fall over five
years in the number of newborn children contracting HIV from their
mothers. Importantly, the programme was conceived and overseen by the
government and local NGOs, but paid for by aid.
Similarly, in Bangladesh, a 62 per cent drop over a 17-year period in
the number of deaths of under-fives was built on a booming economy and
a sustained commitment from successive governments. These foundations
were crucial. But so was the aid that bought the vaccines and trained
the midwives, so that the government could deliver on its strategies.
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The report shows that using aid to drive child-focused development
pushes economies forward, countering criticisms that it fosters
dependency in recipient countries. Targeting aid to children saves
lives in the short term, is a catalyst for development, and fills a
critical gap when other conditions are lacking.
There are warnings amid the successes, too. Development in
conflict-affected countries remains a challenge, and future efforts
must be made to target aid to the most marginalised groups in these
societies. The biggest difference is made when aid complements and
supports government plans for growth and development – so co-ordination
and national government involvement is key. We have made great
progress, but many challenges remain.
Overall, however, the clear conclusion of this new analysis is that aid
works, and it works in a number of different contexts and situations.
That’s why the UK government’s continued commitment to give 0.7 per
cent of its income in aid is so important, and so welcome. This
generosity from the British people has already allowed the UK aid to
make a huge difference in 22 priority countries. Over the next five
years it means we will be able to vaccinate one child every two seconds
– saving 1.4 million lives by 2017. And given the report’s emphasis on
the need for forward planning and reliable money flows to make aid as
effective as possible, the best way to make sure our money delivers for
children is to make this commitment legally binding.
Last year, Save the Children had our most successful ever appeal for
the hunger crisis in East Africa, which is remarkable given the harsh
economic climate. We know from this and other experiences that the
British public cares deeply about world’s most vulnerable children, and
is committed to helping them. This report shows that confidence in our
ability to make a difference is well placed – not just in crisis
situations, but in the long, hard slog of economic and social
development. As a country, we should be proud of what has already been
done for children, and proud of how much more we intend to do.
Justin Forsyth is the CEO of Save the Childre
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