The government is to reduce the water aid budget by 80%

I didn't think this shabby government could shock me any more.

Just been watching a report on Sky.

Every other western country is increasing their aid.

The U.K. is isolated apparently.

Foreign aid: UK cuts its pledge to UN family planning by 85%

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56924128

This should make us all feel ashamed of what our once good and generous country has become.

I heard this two or three days ago.
I've written to my MP but she won't care.

Basics such as clean water and sanitation are not a lot to ask.

I am ashamed of our greed and selfishness.

Apparently the drastic cuts have affected the covid vaccine rollout and monitoring in India.

Well done Tories.

What a mean, selfish and in humane lot you are.

The UK will cut its funding for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) by 95 per cent, from £100m to £5m.

The UK has been sending money to third world countries for over 50 years to provide a clean water system - what has happened to that money? The failure was in not keeping a tight control on where that money was going.

I feel for the people in India but it is not a poor country, has it's own space programme and even it's own stockpile of nuclear weapons.

It seems that the UK is increasing its stockpile of nuclear weapons and paying for it by cutting aid to poor countries.

I am not advocating a carte blanche cut to overseas aid.

I would just like to see the money reach the end user i.e. projects on the ground as opposed to being paid into foreign governments coffers!

It just seems to get more embarrassing.

It is a mystery that having pumped masses of money into third world countries for the past 60 years + that these countries have not become perhaps prosperous or at least resonably self sufficient and less reliant on aid. The countries of the Middle East particularly Israel over the course of time have created prosperity out of the bare desert. Why haven't other countries been able to do similar? India of course is a rich country and perhaps should concentrate on at least providing clean drinking water and proper sanitation for its population before embarking on a space programme and nuclear arsenal. I think counties have become reliant on aid over the years because some governments regard aid money as their personal fortunes and not for the well being of their populations who unfortunately continue to live in poverty in order to generate more aid which fills the coffers of corrupt governments . I too would like to see aid money go directly to the particular project it's ear marked for to make sure that this is what the money is definitely used for and not syphoned off along the way which sadly has often been the case.

This is like Groundhog Day.

I'm sure we had this conversation last week.

If a person was dying on your doorstep for the want of a glass of water, would you tell them sorry, I can't help you, your government has a space program?

Actually I agree with Jabberwok. I think helping a country in a time of crisis/natural disaster is fine, but we are sending aid to countries that have decided to have a space programme rather than running water. In other words they are relying on A.N Other to provide the necessities.

Shall we have the "foreign aid isn't what you think it is" conversation again? Probably not worth it.....

India isn’t the only country to which we send aid.

Try Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, amongst many others.

What is the reason this aid should be cut to these countries?

What is the reason this aid should be cut to these countries?

It seems to be that we're giving our money to foreigners who don't know how to spend it properly.

All those corrupt governments where money goes to their mates. instead of on things like nurses wages... Not like the UK...

In 2019, India received £109 in aid from the UK. How far would that have gone to provide clean water?

£109 ?

Is that a typo? Should it have a few more 0000s?

Sorry £109 million. (The million got lost!)

Difficult to refuse aid in times of an acute crisis. I have read articles which claim that over the long term it can lead to growing dependence and removes the need for communities to develop themselves and has encouraged some governments to rely on handouts. Also food aid programmes help hunger in the short term but the overall effect seems to be that it disrupts local markets and makes it harder for poor countries to feed themselves in the long run .. therefore the cycle continues.
Also the problem of increased corruption which makes it all to easy for the funds to be used for anything and not reach the needy .
Certainly we should not be leaving people in dire straits but I think it is a tricky subject that I don’t know enough about.

What's happened to all the money that WAS sent to aid these countries ? All the millions every year ? Where is it ?

Money has also been cut to the UN family planning programme.

Money that prevents maternal and child deaths in the poorest countries.

Those exercised on aid to India are clearly not aware that no aid is given to the Indian government.

Money is invested in various industries and technologies, like the vaccine production.