International Development Needs to Return to the People!

My dad opened the door of our house and there stood a disheveled man in his 40s, “Salam, sir, I am unemployed and looking for a job, for the love of God, can you help me?” My father, looked at him, and then after a pause replied, “do you know gardening?” he is said “yes”. Then my dad took this total stranger to the corner of our yard, and told him if he could make a small garden for our house. And from that day onwards, this man, whose name was Mash Morad, a Lor from southwest Iran, became our gardener. The fact was that our family did not need a garden or a gardener, but my dad understanding the desperate situation of this Mash Morad, hired him and created employment for him, so he could support his family. As time went on Mash Morad’s economic situation changed and things got better for him.

 

My dad’s selfless act of kindness was a great template for me to follow as I took the path into the field of international development. The lesson of listening to and understanding peoples’ needs, relationship building, empowering people, mentoring and sharing resources were part of my childhood lessons. Being an aid professional is an exciting career that gives me an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people around the globe. But for me the field of international development has lost its way, shifting away from its original goal of helping people. Instead it has shifted towards carrying out the goals of governments and the big donors of the world!

Today’s International development and humanitarian aid is full of great brochures, power point presentations, conferences, experts, and lots of money, but of little impact and substance to the beneficiaries scattered around diverse communities. Development has become a business for some to fill their pockets on the back of poverty, misery and violence. Part of the problem are the thousands of implementing partners, formed as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) who exist, function and are at the mercy of the big International donors. These are implementing partners that know that the project they are carrying out will not have any impact but will do it just because the donor will pay them to do it. They know that that projects they are doing in community A will not help anyone and that it is just a great media ad for the donors and the implementing partner. How else can you explain distributing seeds to farmers when they have no water, or setting up fish farms where no water flows or building a woman’s center knowing that after that photo op no woman will ever enter that building.  Development needs to return back  to its original mandate of empowering people, and come up with programs that make sense on the ground. Programming that has the interest of the community in mind and not how we can use the community to gain more funding for new vehicles for our staff, bigger bonuses or a bigger and nicer office space!!

There are still a few committed NGOs who struggle to make a difference against all odds, who are led by individuals who still understand the fundamental goals of development, but they are few and far in between.

Hopefully international aid and the humanitarian field can reconnect back with its beneficiaries and fall in line with their needs and not just the needs of the donor! Until that change comes, more scarce resources will be wasted and more people like Mash Morad will live and suffer in silence!!