Is Western aid Crippling Ethiopia?
Can a country receiving hundreds of millions of dollars worth of assistance each year still be considered one of the poorest countries in the world? Probably not you would say, but one country has many people scratching their heads, all thinking the same thing: what on earth is happening there?
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| (Drought and Famine: Ethiopia's) |
Here is a graph that illustrates Ethiopia being compared to other countries in the world in terms of food supply:
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| (Food Supply) |
Despite the many years of expected improvement, Ethiopia still maintains a spot significantly lower than the world average. This blog will show the truths behind the struggles that Ethiopia faces, and as to why Western aid is crippling this nation.
To begin, from 1951 through 2013, the United States provided loans, grants, and food aid to Ethiopia amounting to US $11.7 billion , most of this aid being received between 1991 and 2013 under the present government (Teffera).
However, a very small percentage of this aid is reaching the people most in need of it. Whenever a Western country is giving resources for food aid, a middle man, or the transporter of these goods, sells the resources for a profit. For example, if $500 worth of rice is being transported to Ethiopia, it will most likely go into two different places: $300 worth of rice will be sold in the Ethiopian market for a $900 value, $600 being pocketed as profit, and the remaining $200 worth of rice will be given to the government for aid. This ultimately gives the leaders control as to who it will be given to. From there, the government will give the majority of the resource to the wealthy in the society, as the wealthy are the main supporters of the government, along with pocketing some money for themselves. Sadly, whatever few amounts of rice is left over is given to the people in most need. This shows that because the Western countries giving aid do not track the progress of these supplies, the majority of the citizens in Ethiopia rarely get to experience this sent help.
The idea of the people wanting to buy their own resources from neighboring countries becomes a constantly disputed issue, as this would affect the Ethiopian government and the West, the aforementioned system that is in place will be disrupted as the middle man will get no money, and the government will get no resources to give to anyone. Also, because food aid encourages the government in Ethiopia to postpone land reform, which is essential for agricultural transformation, there is no way for the country to grow towards improvement (Teffera).
Sadly, even more resources have been discovered to be taken by the government before even reaching civilians. Ethiopia’s prime minister Meles Zenawi was the head of a rebel army (before his recent death), where rebel soldiers disguised themselves as grain traders and handed over sacks of sand hidden beneath genuine food aid, in return for cash from Western donations. With this money, weapons were purchased to support these rebel groups (Pflanz).
Food aid is just a temporary fix. If the people were given the resources towards agricultural development, this would have a much bigger and more long lasting impact in solving the famine for good, as “at least 80 percent of [Ethiopian] people live off the land”. However, this is not possible, as the current regime has vowed that land privatization will "happen over its dead body", showing a government that is not even thinking about making the country more successful in the future (What Happens When A Disaster).
I can speak from my own family experiencing this injustice, as I have had relatives of mine that had to flee from Ethiopia to the Sudan as refugees because of this lack of promised resources. These relatives, along with many other civilians, found themselves in a refugee camp where they began to work and help recruit those who were also facing these difficulties related to food.
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(USAID (and it's predecessors)
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However, a very small percentage of this aid is reaching the people most in need of it. Whenever a Western country is giving resources for food aid, a middle man, or the transporter of these goods, sells the resources for a profit. For example, if $500 worth of rice is being transported to Ethiopia, it will most likely go into two different places: $300 worth of rice will be sold in the Ethiopian market for a $900 value, $600 being pocketed as profit, and the remaining $200 worth of rice will be given to the government for aid. This ultimately gives the leaders control as to who it will be given to. From there, the government will give the majority of the resource to the wealthy in the society, as the wealthy are the main supporters of the government, along with pocketing some money for themselves. Sadly, whatever few amounts of rice is left over is given to the people in most need. This shows that because the Western countries giving aid do not track the progress of these supplies, the majority of the citizens in Ethiopia rarely get to experience this sent help.
The idea of the people wanting to buy their own resources from neighboring countries becomes a constantly disputed issue, as this would affect the Ethiopian government and the West, the aforementioned system that is in place will be disrupted as the middle man will get no money, and the government will get no resources to give to anyone. Also, because food aid encourages the government in Ethiopia to postpone land reform, which is essential for agricultural transformation, there is no way for the country to grow towards improvement (Teffera).
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| (Ethiopia) |
Here is also a video further explaining this below:
(Live Aid charity money)
Food aid is just a temporary fix. If the people were given the resources towards agricultural development, this would have a much bigger and more long lasting impact in solving the famine for good, as “at least 80 percent of [Ethiopian] people live off the land”. However, this is not possible, as the current regime has vowed that land privatization will "happen over its dead body", showing a government that is not even thinking about making the country more successful in the future (What Happens When A Disaster).
I can speak from my own family experiencing this injustice, as I have had relatives of mine that had to flee from Ethiopia to the Sudan as refugees because of this lack of promised resources. These relatives, along with many other civilians, found themselves in a refugee camp where they began to work and help recruit those who were also facing these difficulties related to food.
Overall, the worst the droughts become in Ethiopia, the more civilians die regardless of any assistance given by Western countries. Because of this vicious cycle of gain for those who do not need it, the country will continue to go downhill if resources are not spent the way that it is promised. However if money towards agricultural development is given instead food aid resources, Ethiopia would have a better chance at achieving a brighter future. The famous Proverb teaches a valuable lesson by saying, “give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish to and he will eat for a lifetime”. If the people are taught to grow proper food, how to maintain the land and to make it fertile, I believe the whole situation taking place in Ethiopia can turn completely around. However, with the way things are going with the West profiting from this “aid”, the West will continue to heavily influence Ethiopia negatively in the near future.
Works Cited
“Food Supply.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 15 Jan. 2016. Web. 24 Jan. 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983%E2%80%9385_famine_in_Ethiopia>.
Live Aid charity money was used to buy weapons. Youtube. N.p., 4 Mar. 2010. Web. 24 Jan. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCdJfmyqGPg>.
Pflanz, Mike. “Millions of Ethiopian famine aid used to buy weapons.” The Telegraph. The Telegraph, 3 Mar. 2010. Web. 24 Jan. 2016. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/ethiopia/7359324/Millions-of-Ethiopian-famine-aid-used-to-buy-weapons.html>.
Teffera, Daniel. “Ending Ethiopia’s food aid dependency.” Ethiomedia. N.p., 4 Nov. 2015. Web. 24 Jan. 2016. <http://www.ethiomedia.com/aa2nov15/4371.html>.
“USAID (and its predecessors) in Ethiopia.” Ethiomedia. Ethiomedia, 4 Nov. 2015. Web. 24 Jan. 2016. <http://www.ethiomedia.com/aa2nov15/4371.html>.
“What Happens When A Disaster Unfolds In Slow Motion.” npr. npr, 1 Jan. 2016. Web. 24 Jan. 2016. <http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/01/01/460193534/what-happens-when-a-disaster-unfolds-in-slow-motion>.
I was not aware that this was happening in Ethiopia, and I guess that would be due to the fact that the media likes to solely focus on things going on in the "Western World" and war torn countries in the east. I find it interesting that the leaders of the country are in control of supplies and things that the people need because it seems to be a constant trend in Eastern countries. For example, in Syria the Assad family has ruled since 1971. and the country wants them out. The Syrian civil war sprang from this, so could it be possible that if things don't get better in Ethiopia that a civil war could start as the people want the government system to change? I definitely agree with your closing remarks- the words you used from the proverb are so powerful, and that was a great metaphor to use. If the people are educated about agriculture, then maybe things could be different. Has the UN done anything to help? As a world organization, they should be aware that a country is slowly crumbling and dying off. One of the main projects of the UN is Humanitarian Aid, so I would be curious to see how they respond, or responded, to the situation. I worry that countries with controlling governments will end up in a state like Syria where people are living in fear of the government and the war around them. If the UN were to step into Ethiopia right now, then maybe they could prevent a lot of future conflict. I always feel guilty for complaining about being hungry, or not wanting to eat, and it is something that I take for granted. Posts like this make me realize how great I have it and how fortunate I am to live where I do!
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