{"id":2194,"date":"2011-05-23T10:28:11","date_gmt":"2011-05-23T10:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.faceofmalawi.com\/?p=2194"},"modified":"2011-05-23T10:28:11","modified_gmt":"2011-05-23T10:28:11","slug":"the-issue-of-money-and-aid-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.faceofmalawi.com\/index.php\/2011\/05\/23\/the-issue-of-money-and-aid-work\/","title":{"rendered":"The issue of money and aid work"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Here is a small peek at a huge frustration that I never considered I would have to face almost daily:<\/strong><\/p>\n

A little while ago I visited a neighboring village to talk with the village\u2019s community based organization, the chiefs, the people and I see one clearly defined problem: no access to clean water for miles<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I discuss the issue with my neighbors, my boss, my colleagues, my friends, my family.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019ll take one example as illustration of how I use the advice I\u2019m given. My mother points me to Charitywater.org, a non-profit which donates money to water projects that do exactly what I\u2019m looking to do. The website is really well done, the cause is simple, the whole concept of \u201ccharity: water\u201d is trendy. So I look at how they work \u2013 send money to partners who actually do the projects. OK, fair enough. I look up all the partners and find one operating in Malawi, Water for People. Again, well-organized website with a catchy concept. Then, I check out where they work: only in and around Blantyre, Malawi\u2019s largest city. That\u2019s better than most of the time when the implementing partner doesn\u2019t even necessarily work on the project that it\u2019s receiving funds to do. Like Concern Worldwide, another charity water partner that does mostly HIVAIDS projects, not water.<\/p>\n

Not to say that the cities don\u2019t need the help or that HIVAIDS money indirectly coming from Charity Water isn\u2019t going to good use, it\u2019s just the nature of trying to get work done here. Nothing is easy or straight forward, no money is used cleanly, the hierarchy and flow of how donations get to projects is so incredibly convoluted and complicated, and I would bet that it\u2019s honestly impossible to track.
\nMy frustration is simply: funding is always difficult, yet there seem to always be plenty of funders with tons of money who are working on the same goals that I have. Why is connection so difficult?<\/p>\n

Or even worse: I find an organization I like, let\u2019s say Kiva.org and want to make the connection between their goals and my village. It\u2019s absolutely impossible. And not only impossible, but after researching, I don\u2019t even know if I want to support Kiva at all anymore. Kiva gives the money you donate to a local lending agency that DOES charge interest (usually at LEAST 20 or 30%). So when you lend a no interest loan, you\u2019re actually giving it to an agency that puts incredible pressure on the recipients, the real people who need the capital. BUT that doesn\u2019t mean Kiva is evil. Capital is short, even for local lending agencies, and it does increase awareness and make us feel good. Just be careful about calling microlending, and especially through Kiva, a magic bullet solution, see this<\/a> article.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m not saying don\u2019t donate to Kiva or Charity Water, just make sure you\u2019re keeping yourself educated about where your money is actually going. The complex network of donors, implementers, NGOs, non-profits, parent and partner organizations is complicated and not easy to sort through. It\u2019s so much easier to see the face of a Bolivian shop owner on Kiva\u2019s website, read the back story, and click \u201cLend 25$,\u201d but I just want to make sure that you are not cheating yourself of knowing what\u2019s behind the whole process.<\/p>\n

And maybe I\u2019m just burnt out of trying to find funding sources and dealing with big NGOs with big plans. Maybe I\u2019m just getting tired of asking my boss for help and finding out after so many meetings, emails, and research that the partner actually have no way of helping me even though my project and their goals are a perfect match. Maybe the illusion of how aid works is still a sore spot for me. Maybe I should just fund small projects myself and forget everyone else.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About Jackie<\/strong><\/p>\n

Welcome to my Peace Corps journal! I am headed to Malawi next spring – I leave for training on February 26, 2010. I will be working on community natural resources management, though I don’t know my exact project yet. I am so excited to share the stories, pictures, and videos of my adventures in ‘The Warm Heart of Africa!’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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