Humanitarian Relief Crisis is No Laughing Matter

Those wondering where their donation money went might finally find an answer in Linda Polman’s book “The Crisis Caravan:What’s Wrong With Humanitarian Aid?” which debuted on comedian Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” on Sept. 29.

Aid groups were the first to land in Haiti after the Jan 12 tragedy that took the lives of more than 300,000 Haitians. The invaluable help was later questioned as their work, seemingly uncoordinated, began to stall, not further, operations. As debris was cleared from Port-au-Prince’s streets, many Haitians complained that aid was trickling in too slowly to their families.

Polman’s book tried tries to explain these intricate topics.

One hot button was the corruption that delays help from reaching impoverished regions. While there is undeniable evidence that some regimes use aid donations for less than humanitarian reasons, Polman reminds us that corruption also occurs within first-world governments. As an example, she points to the $1.5 billion in funds the U.S. promised last March to Haiti. The money is being held off for unclear reasons and is postponing vital reconstruction. (A note by Dart Society fellow Jina Moore elucidates this issue).

Another important topic Polman discussed with Stewart was that aid perpetuates war in some countries. The reporter told Stewart of an investigation in Somalia into the UN World Food Program. The program is worth $425 million per year and is designed to provide food in the region, but according to researchers some of that money is banking local warlords.

“They can convert that money into weapons; they can buy soldiers to fight for them,” Polman argued.

Lastly, Polman told Stewart there should be accountability for the agencies working in developing countries. She too observed that in Haiti the 64 donor nations and the 10,000 organizations established in Haiti before the earth shook are working independently from one another, which is delaying progress.

Stewart asked if she worried these accusations might stop the flow of donations.

“Are you worried that all this will slow down aid or people won’t give? Are you saying, ‘Don’t give’?” Stewart asked.

Poland replied that people must ask what the purpose of the funds is and if those handling it — donors and humanitarian participants — are working toward the same objectives.

Poland’s book will be useful in particular to those hoping to understand what the role of the NGOs and humanitarian groups really is. I, for one, have based an entire proposal on the maxim that foreign aid perpetuates marginalization of the states and that humanitarian groups interfere intermittently in Haiti’s governance.

I wish I had the book on hand earlier, but it’ll be a valuable tool in the near future.

Foto: Elkit