NEWS
LETTER fall 2013
EFFECTIVE AID FOR EDUCATION
time for a change?
CONTENT p1 Cover photo p1 Word from the President Š IDAY-International aisbl
p2 Brief p3-4 Efficient aid p5 Interview p6 Project Bank Raising voices for education in Africa
p7 Your contribution
Cover Photo
official recognition of IDAY-Kenya and IDAY-Uganda by the government- 2013
Very few organisations that benefit from development aid dare to speak out against its negative effects. Yet close to 80% of the aid money aimed at helping the receiving countries to build stronger economies doesn't fulfill its role as it is intercepted by foreign intermediaries. Contrary to the fundamental principles of aid efficiency, aid is still being granted to countries whose governments show little genuine concern for development and the well-being of their population. A number of international conferences on aid have led to changes that however fail to bring about real improvements. One example is the growing sectoral and geographical concentration of aid, which renders it less and less accessible to local civil society organisations. According to Professor Paul Collier of the London School of Economics, it is every citizen’s duty, and especially that of aidfunded organisations to speak up against such inefficiencies as they will, sooner or later, impact on their own society.
IDAY-International aisbl - 19, rue des Jambes - 1420 Braine-l’Alleud - Belgium Responsible Publisher: J-J. Schul - Editor in chief/Layout & Design: D. Devillers Contact: T. +32 (0)2 385 44 13 - F. +32 (0)2 385 44 12 - info@iday.org Bank account: IBAN - BE 93 5230 8026 6767 - SWIFT - TRIOBEBB (TRIODOS)
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Jean-Jacques Schul Founding member & Chairman of IDAY-International
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In June, several IDAY coalitions in Africa and Europe mobilised to celebrate the International Day of the African Child. They organised meetings, movie screenings and field visits ; they marched for the cause and gave out flyers, t-shirts and Artemisia annua plants against malaria ; they got media coverage ; they received support from sports and art personalities to convey their message:
Brief.
All children and youth in Africa have the right to quality basic education!
special International Day of the African Child 2013
IDAY-International Overcoming the
obstacles to quality basic education for all
IDAY-France Education of children in IDAY-Mauritania Violence against
conflict and post-conflict areas
children at school
IDAY-Kenya Eliminating the IDAY-Senegal Girls' education: improving access and retention
obstacles to quality basic education caused by child and young domestic work
IDAY-Nigeria Beyond the MDGs 2015: Lessons and aspirations in Nigeria
IDAY-Benin Fighting malaria at school with
Artemisia annua and improving girls' education
IDAY-Ghana, IDAY-Burkina Faso, IDAY-Togo, IDAY-Cameroon, IDAY-Tanzania, IDAYUganda, IDAY-DRC/Kivu, IDAY-DRC/Kinshasa decided to align their activities on the theme of the African Union Eliminating harmful social and cultural practices affecting children: our collective responsibility. Some of them focused on specific issues such as obstacles to girls' education, accusations of child witchcraft, etc.
IDAY-Rwanda
Advancing social integration, eliminating harmful and cultural practices including child labour
IDAY-Burundi No to child domestic labour!
IDAY-Gabon Combatting education inequalities linked to wealth and social status
Outcomes? On top of sensitizing a wide range of participants on these issues, these activities allowed IDAY members to take concrete steps. For instance, in Benin, 4 children's centres, 50 youngsters and several schools have decided to start cultivating Artemisia annua against malaria in schools. In the meantime, regional authority decided to advocate for the idea at national level. In Kinshasa, several embassies showed interest in supporting the programmes identified during these activities by IDAY-DRC for the protection of so-called witch children. In Kivu, a member of the provincial parliament committed to sharing with the legislative institution the recommendations formulated for
the protection of vulnerable and economically exploited children. In the Bugesera province of Rwanda, communities and authorities promised to better monitor children who are forced to work at the expense of their education. In Tanzania, all participants acknowledged the importance of increasing grassroots sensitization on child rights and their protection. The advocacy carried out on June 16 by the IDAY network across Sub saharan Africa adds to the daily efforts of the IDAY coalitions to collectively see to it that the right to education of every child and youngster is respected.
More info? info@iday.org
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The impact of capital outflows and inadequate trade policies on development aid efficiency
According to UNESCO, poverty is the main obstacle to education. While education is a prerequisite for economic growth, the latter is equally as important to achieve quality education. It is thus essential to assess what stands in the way of accelerated and fair economic growth in Africa as a condition for achieving education for all. Even today, increasing the volume of external aid is considered by many as the condition for boosting economic growth in Africa.
Africa's resources are abundant enough to meet the basic needs of its population. Yet their allocation and use remains inadequate. Yet, at IDAY-International's last June conference chaired by Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, Secretary General of the Group of ACP State,
both Jesse Griffiths, Director of Eurodad, and Charles Goerens, member of the Development Commission of the European Parliament, pointed to the overwhelming importance of domestic resources compared to external aid. Mr Griffiths asserted that Africa's resources are abundant enough to meet the basic needs of its population. However their allocation and use remains inadequate. The capital outflows from developing countries exceed the inflows.
Overcoming the main obstacles to quality basic education for all in Africa On the occasion of the Day of the African Child
Source : EURODAD
Raising voices for education in Africa
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Capital flight is a real challenge for these countries. It is not just due to corruption, but mostly to tax avoidance and evasion. It is therefore paramount to lay greater emphasis on companies being more transparent and reporting on their capital transfer policies, export sales, profits and taxes paid in each country to make sure that they indeed pay their dues.
Too many local or foreign leaders and companies take advantage of the weakness of the developing countries’ tax systems to get round them and sustain massive tax evasion. External aid often contributes to this process, directly or indirectly. Ben Dickinson, Head of the OECD Secretariat on taxes and development, reminded the audience, among which a number of ambassadors, that capital flight in Africa exceeds capital inflows. The exact figure is unknown but it is likely that this outflow outweighs incoming aid.
Local taxation is the fundamental link between the State and society, the underpinning of the social contract. It is critical for building effective States. In the long term, taxation is the antidote to aid dependency. For this reason, Mr Dickson argued that efficient aid strategies are the ones that dedicate more efforts to building strong national tax systems. Exchange of information between tax administrations is equally essential. Marc Maes, Trade Policy Officer at the Belgian platform 11.11.11, raised the question of the relation between development and trade, and more specifically, trade liberalisation. The extent to which trade liberalisation contributes to development and poverty reduction is uncertain. Trade policies need to be fully embedded in national development planning to be successful. They must be owned by the local stakeholders and adapted to local circumstances. The current trade agreements usually do not allow for that.
Trade may only help exporting countries achieve economic growth and social development if most of the revenues remain within these countries and are converted into human capital through efficient tax systems that feed into the social services. Otherwise trade contributes to worsen income inequalities and poverty. The same applies to entrepreneurship. Driven by private gain, it can lead to inequalities in revenue distribution. Fortunately there are business models that foster a more equitable distribution of wealth. Fair trade, for instance, is more people-centred than profit-oriented. In a panel moderated by Fiona Hall, member of the Development Commission of the European Parliament, Hilary Jeune, Senior Policy Officer at Fair Trade, explained that the fair trade model promoted by her organisation is a trading partnership based on transparency and respect of all the supply chain stakeholders. It aims at guaranteeing sustainable livelihoods through the introduction of minimum prices and premiums. She however stressed the importance of creating awareness of fair trade not
only in Europe but also in the global South through the creation of fair trade labels. Many other factors can influence aid efficiency, and thereby the achievement of quality education for all in Africa. The way external aid is granted nowadays is obviously inadequate and counterproductive. For this reason, IDAY's action is not limited to calling upon governments to take their responsibilities and uphold the fundamental rights - and by extension, the well-being - of their people. IDAY advocates a holistic approach and a radical revision of the foundations and practices of development aid so that it can make a real contribution towards its objectives.
Read the full conference report on www.iday.org
More info? info@iday.org
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INTERVIEW.
DEVELOPMENT AID PLURALISTIC VIEW FROM A JOURNALIST BROUGHT UP IN AFRICA, TRAINED IN BELGIUM AND NOW A MEMBER OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
DURING MY YOUTH IN AFRICA, MY UNDERSTANDING OF DEVELOPEMENT AID WAS... ...almost, if not completely, nonexistent. I discovered the concept of "development aid" in the West. During my youth, however, I benefited from the assistance aid to the refugees... 1996, only two years after the Rwandan genocide, the war was in full swing in Kivu (DRC), the tension in ex-Za誰re was palpable. I had to flee with my family. We ended up in refugee camps, which means assistance to refugees. The HCR (United Nations High Commissariat for Refugees) provides us with packs of biscuits that turn into a vitamin-rich paste when mixed with water... But how exactly do you do that without running water? There are so many inconsistencies in the aid system. I think there is a need to revise the concept and what it encompasses. This story illustrates the work that still has to be done on the ground in terms of aid, be it with regards to refugees or development.
Aid must meet the expectations of the people it is designed to serve rather than technical specifications.
WENDY BASHI is a journalist for CIRTEF-TV5 Africa, where she hosts the shows "Reflets Sud" and "Afrique Plurielle" and works on the channel's production and programming. Wendy Bashi also participates in numerous Africa-related events as organiser, moderator or observer.
Local initiatives for sustainable change Looking for innovative, low cost education projects with a real impact on the beneficiaries? The IDAY Project Bank pools initiatives from IDAY members that effectively contribute to the development of Africa. Two principles underpin the projects promoted by the network. The first one is that they stem from local civil society organisations. This ownership
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is essential for the continent to truly develop under its own steam. Who can grasp the local realities better than the local people themselves? The other characteristics of these projects is advocacy, be it towards the public or the authorities. It is the key to sustainability and to making the governments take their responsibilities. Take, for example, a rather fashionable type of aid project: school construction. Donors are tempted to fund this type of projects as they see an immediate
result: a building where education can be provided. What about the long term and global result, though? Building schools is a necessity, yet it is doesn't help improving access to education if the parents are unable to send their children to school. Moreover, by doing so, the donor acts as substitute of the State and thus undermines the government's responsility. Who, for instance, should be responsible for builing the other shools? Bringing about long term change requires involving the authorities and
SINCE LIVING IN BELGIUM AND FROM MY CONTACTS WITH THE AFRICAN DIASPORA, I THINK THAT IT SHOULD/SHOULDN'T* CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF AFRICA, BECAUSE... ...as a member of the diaspora myself, I am concerned by what happens on the continent I come from. Still, this contribution must be well thought out. At the moment, many projects are run by diaspora members. A closer look at the volume of remittances confirms that diasporas invest massively in their countries of origin. As long as considerable amounts are injected into the GDP of African countries, the States will feel less concerned. They increasingly give up on their responsibilities and no longer feel the need or the urgency to invest in the well-being of their people.
AS A JOURNALIST WITH A CRITICAL OPINION ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT AND ITS DEVELOPMENT, I THINK THAT EXTERNAL AID SUPPORTS/DOESN'T SUPPORT* THE CONTINENT'S DEVELOPMENT...
The help of the diaspora members is useful, but not without the States taking greater responsability.
...although it is high time we revised the concept thoroughly. North/South relations, which lie at the heart of the matter, have shifted during the last decades. Nowadays there are more African experts on the ground - but not yet enough. Who better than the recipient knows what he needs? Projects are often designed in Brussels and implemented a few weeks later in a country in the South, without consulting the local people.
Many criticisms have been expressed on this subject and the situation seems to improve, but there is still a lot to do! * delete whichever doesn't apply
convincing them to work hand in hand with IDAY members. Education is a fundamental right, and therefore their responsibility to protect and uphold. This is why IDAY members are always wary to involve the authorities when implementing their projects. Some years ago IDAY-Burundi launched a campaign for the legal recognition and training of young domestic workers. Their initiative spread to other countries: Uganda, Rwanda, DRC and Kenya, where civil society and political authorities are now working together to
improve the lives of millions of domestic workers ! The Project Bank shed light on local initiatives that aim at long term changes by involving the authorities from the onset and helping them fulfil their responsibilities.
Project Bank.
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