Make it Transformational: A Blog for Champion Discipleship

Dambisa Moyo has written a challenging new book titled Dead Aid. Born in Zambia and educated at Oxford, she brings a new-normal perspective to the philanthropy discussion and asks some excellent questions on giving. Dead Aid addresses the trillion dollars of aid given to Africa in the past-half century that seemingly produces more harm than good. She asks,

Why is that Africa, alone among the continents of the world, seems to be locked into a cycle of dysfunction? Why is it that out of all the continents in the world Africa seems unable to convincingly get its foot on the economic ladder? Why in a recent survey did seven of the top ten ‘failed states’ hail from that continent? Are Africa’s people universally more incapable? Are its leaders genetically more venal, more ruthless, more corrupt? Its policy-makers more innately feckless? What is it about Africa that holds it back, that seems to render it incapable of joining the rest of the globe in the twenty-first century?

The answer has its roots in aid.

Moyo does more than pile on evidence that do-gooders don't understand development aid. No, she makes a case that aid has been harmful. She states,

IN THE PAST FIFTY YEARS, more than $1 trillion in development-related aid has been transferred from rich countries to Africa. Has the assistance improved the lives of Africans? No. In fact, across the continent, the recipients of this aid are not better off as a result of it, but worse--much worse.

People in the West are haunted by images of starvation, poverty, and oppression coming out of Africa, but Moyo is not on a mission to cry out for more help. Instead, she makes a case to stop the aid, saying "The notion that aid can alleviate systematic poverty, and has done so, is a myth."

I encourage all of you to read Moyo's terrific book. You may not agree with her conclusions, but I guarantee that this book will challenge you, make you think, and even reshape how you view aid in this new emerging normal.

Please send any book recommendations you have that might benefit our readers.