Comments on: How To Help Invest In The Future Of Guatemala

By: Luke Armstrong

Luke Armstrong — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 19:27:00 +0000

Tom, you’ve obviously arrived at your stance through rich experiences, study and thought, but I think there are other viewpoints those same experiences can take you to.

The “we have homeless here to” is an old one and one I’ve thought about a lot. In the end I find it an unconstructive and defeating one. People need help anywhere you look, and neither government failing, nor much else should cause the hopelessness of of our relative small influence on the big picture make us feel powerless on the small scale where the individual reigns.

While there are problems everywhere, (and in my experience loads of inspiring people making a difference in any corner of globe) the problems of the third world are a whole different animal. It’s true that some NGOs are ineffective and at worst make things worse. But if they all followed your lead there would be millions of people in gangs instead of school, on the streets instead of in good families, and without the opportunities provided by people leaving their hometowns with the empowering thought that maybe they can do something.

I’m speaking from personal experience here. These aren’t abstract concepts. They have names, Maria, roger, Calvin, Joash, Jose, Mercedes, etc.

I appreciate your thought though, one very essential trait in development is being able to ask yourself if you are making a real difference and answer honestly.

By: Hannah

Hannah — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 07:36:00 +0000

In reply to Tom Porter. Hi Tom, the issue you are talking about is a highly complex one and not something that can be simplified as "us" giving to "them" and this model not working. In lots of ways, you are right. But perhaps we have to be more careful in considering if this isn't working, then WHY this isn't working, and also the role "we" have played in the so-called underdevelopment of the global south. If you are interested, I would be happy to point you in the direction of some books you could read about it, or to talk to you about some of my own experiences which might offer an alternative to the above argument.

By: Tom Porter

Tom Porter — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 23:26:00 +0000

Luke, I just can’t agree with Americans doing things like this, not when we have enough homeless people in this country living under bridges to raise an army.
And look at all the lies the U.S. govt. has been telling us for the last four decades, that “investing in third world countries develops *markets* that we can sell to.” Yeah and our goods and services get paid for with U.S. taxpayer dollars!
We end up buying luxury villas and Mercedes Benzes for foreign despots and dictators, THAT’s where the money goes!
I’ve been to Haiti (a 4th world country!) six times while in the U.S. Coast Guard and nothing, …*nothing* has changed there after pouring Billions of taxpayer dollars in there.
The thing is, Western countries simply can’t be “giving” money to foreign countries.
It “dissapears” and the stealing starts right in D.C. with the “lobbyists” on K street who make obscene amounts of money from foreign aid!
If we tried to stop it it’d be *they* who’d start running the “starving children ads!”
The corruption right through “foreign aid” is ~staggering!~
They might as well pile up $100 Billion dollars, throw gasoline on it and light a match.
Countries are poor for a few reasons, they don’t have the rule of law, that’s the biggest one, they simply don’t care about their own people.
One thing is for sure, you can’t “give” people things! They take it for granted and then don’t want to “do” anything for the next check.
I met a teacher who went to an African country to teach the local villagers how to “teach.”
She said she spent more time going from house to house rounding up the people she was supposed to “teach” than she did teaching them. She said that (she) was there to teach (them) how to teach but they just expected her to do all the work!
She said that they just couldn’t understand the concept.
Regards, Tom Porter