Aid - what does it mean to you?

Vaccinations, education, attempt to help people stay in their own countries and live a good life there.

Yes but manpower, goods, medicine cost money. That’s where the cash is needed until local resources and capacity are built up.

Helping others to become independent.

The reality may be this

What are the priorities for UK aid spending?
The Labour Government, which took office in July 2024, says its development aim is a “world free from poverty on a liveable planet”. Its priorities include economic transformation and addressing unsustainable debt, providing climate finance and humanitarian aid, conflict prevention, and empowering women and girls. The Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, has commissioned three reviews into UK aid policy, and is currently considering his response.

Aid means helping other nations which are struggling, many due to western governments plundering their resources and meddling in their politics.
I see it as a first world obligation.

Babs03

Aid means helping other nations which are struggling, many due to western governments plundering their resources and meddling in their politics.
I see it as a first world obligation.

Catch up Babs most of Africas debt is owed to China it is they that are exploiting developing countries - along with their own corrupt governments.

Babs03

Aid means helping other nations which are struggling, many due to western governments plundering their resources and meddling in their politics.
I see it as a first world obligation.

👏👏

The question was what does Aid mean to you. My view is similar to Babs.
We all know what China is doing in Africa and other places too, but we also did a lot of exploiting ourselves.

I am utterly appalled that our ally Israel is refusing to allow ANY aid into Gaza, and the silence that has greeted that announcement.

Aid means that diseases such as Ebola are controlled at source and don’t spread around the world.

Very possibly because most aid is stolen by Hamas

Aid helps educate women and girls, supplies water etc.

I do agree with the charity that RS is involved with, where individual people are given the cash to spend as they wish. They spend it much more wisely and know what they need much better than someone sitting in a charity’s HQs does.

fancythat

The reality may be this

What are the priorities for UK aid spending?
The Labour Government, which took office in July 2024, says its development aim is a “world free from poverty on a liveable planet”. Its priorities include economic transformation and addressing unsustainable debt, providing climate finance and humanitarian aid, conflict prevention, and empowering women and girls. The Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, has commissioned three reviews into UK aid policy, and is currently considering his response.

Thats the development bit, direct aid is food, water, disease control, initiatives for small steps like farming and small businesses and basic education.

In the cuts due to defence spending the direct aid has to be kept and I believe will, development aims are much more complicated.

Real aid means UK stopping the brain drain from poor countries by using their trained and highly qualified nurses and doctors to staff our own NHS. It means paying the true cost of goods exported from those countries and puttting pressure on fairly traded products. Basically it's about justice not charity.

There's a difference between aid as an acute crisis response to a disaster vs long term development.

Aid is “soft power ” in my book… our first line of defence.

To me, “aid” means “help”.

Aid to me means an altruistic concept.
Then corruption by nefarious governments spoil the reality.
Those in deepest need don’t get to see much of it.
It gets siphoned off, one way or another.

I’ve been seeing flies on black babies faces on tv who are suffering severe malnutrition for over 50 years. Throwing money around doesn’t seem to change much. 🤷‍♀️

lixy

Helping others to become independent.

Yes, so they can look after themselves.

David49

Babs03

Aid means helping other nations which are struggling, many due to western governments plundering their resources and meddling in their politics.
I see it as a first world obligation.

Catch up Babs most of Africas debt is owed to China it is they that are exploiting developing countries - along with their own corrupt governments.

I’m with Babs03 in acknowledging the impact of colonial involvement in Africa (and other countries).
Telling Babs to catch up is both unnecessarily rude and patronising

No, David. Apparently not

"Chinese lenders account for 12 per cent of Africa’s private and public external debt, which increased more than fivefold to $696 billion from 2000 to 2020. China is a major creditor of many African nations, but its lending has fallen in recent years and is set to remain at lower levels. This situation is likely to worsen over 2023, limiting the ability of African nations to raise the necessary finance to deliver broader social improvements for their populations and respond to climate change.

China did not cause African debt distress in most cases, but it is key to finding a solution. Despite growing political and economic tensions, China and the West have a strong mutual interest in cooperating with each other, and with African nations and institutions, to tackle the challenge of debt distress."

www.chathamhouse.org/2022/12/response-debt-distress-africa-and-role-china/02-case-studies-chinese-lending-africa

Iam64

David49

Babs03

Aid means helping other nations which are struggling, many due to western governments plundering their resources and meddling in their politics.
I see it as a first world obligation.

Catch up Babs most of Africas debt is owed to China it is they that are exploiting developing countries - along with their own corrupt governments.

I’m with Babs03 in acknowledging the impact of colonial involvement in Africa (and other countries).
Telling Babs to catch up is both unnecessarily rude and patronising

Do tell how much aid we have sent to these, now independant countries, billions, we left them with decent infrastructure, schools etc, after 60 odd years most of them have not used their vast remaining resources to better their own people. Vast oil deposits in Nigeria, for instance, as having a family member who worked out in those oil fields, training Africans, he found the level of corruption appalling and left them to get on with it.

Totally agree.David.. rather think we need aid for schools hospitals roads 😞