How effective is the Aid offered by Oxfam, Christian Aid etc to Developing Countries?
Pinkyfeather is right; in fact more can be said. Let us suppose that Oxfam etc. achieve their aim. Let us suppose that not a single child in the whole of Africa dies prematurely as a result of conflict, hunger or preventable disease. We mobilise all the spare resources of the rich West to this end, and we succeed. In twenty years or so these babies will be marrying. In the course of nature, they will have children – and they love large families. We now (having already exhausted the resources of Africa to feed the original population, and the resources of the West to feed the next generation) have a hugely increased population to feed, water and clothe; to provide with medical care and education. And if by a superhuman effort we manage this, the problem will be again multiplied in the next generation. I once scandalised an Oxfam collector by telling her that I would start giving to her organisation when they stopped shipping food and started shipping contraceptives. Crudely put, but it
