Make Poverty History

Three years ago many Ignatians were inspired by the Make Poverty History campaign. This article will re-awaken that feeling that aid, trade and debt cancellation can make a difference. It focuses on Tanzania, the biggest recipient of aid in Sub-Saharan Africa and - of course - of specials interest to us, and Jamie Drummond, the man behind Jubilee 2000 and latterly, Data (Debt Aid Trade Africa). It is a fascinating read and it will bring you bang-up to date with development economics in Africa.

$50 billion of debt has been cancelled because of this guy's work.

Data aim to do more about Debt-Aid-Trade in return for governments doing more about Democracy-Accountablility-Transparency. Noble stuff, but the article points out that China are doing even more by offering to build roads and infrastructure in return for Africa's minerals. In the article Bono and Bob Geldof are interviewed and both credit China and the other superpower, George Bush, for having achieved so much.

Like Ireland recieving EU aid 20 years ago and The Marshall Plan which developed post-war Germany, the argument for aid is irrefutable: "Across Africa since the year 2000 there are 29m more children in schools; 2m Africans on ARVs [anti-retro-viral drugs - to fighty AIDS], which has gone up nearly 750,000 in the last year; 46m insecticide-treated bed nets have been distributed across the continent to protect children, and expectant mothers in particular, from the mosquito bites that cause malaria."

Upper Sixth-formers would be mad not to read and quote from this article in their upcoming unit 5 exam. It will take you more than one sitting, but well, well worth it.

Jamie Drummond lobbies the richest people on the planet on behalf of the poorest | Politics | The Observer

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