Aid-based vs. Community-based Approach (Week 8&9 Blog)

Not until this week did I think aid-based approaches were mostly ineffective.  I assumed that all the goods collected and donated to third world countries were because they did not have access to such resources and needed U.S aid.  However, after reviewing aid-based and community-rooted macro social work research, I have been uplifted from the ignorant world of "Badvocacy" (Texas in Africa Blog, 2009).

Aid-Based Approach

Young boy eating 1 of the 2.4 million Pop-Tarts
in which most of them found their way to the Black Market!

The current U.S aid-based approach supplies countries with goods such as shirts, shoes, and foods that are left overs or over produced items from U.S. companies and citizens.  An actual example described by Charles Kenny in his article Haiti Doesn't Need Your Old T-Shirt, indicates the U.S. dropped "2.4 million Pop-Tarts into Afghanistan in January 2002".  If the U.S. was going to give food away why wouldn't they give healthy food?  Think about it - 2.4 million Pop-Tarts! How is Pop-Tarts going to help the local farmers keep their crop growing?  How is Pop-Tarts going to help the poor buy food? How is Pop-Tarts going to give the body needed nutrients?  It's not! Dropping Pop-Tarts, the losing team's Super Bowl shirts, and other overproduced merchandise on third world countries, keeps the countries poor. The U.S. aid contributes to the loss of income to the local economy by giving consumers items that they would normally have to purchase.  It's not that the basic needs products are not available in third world countries, it is the fact that the people need to be able to afford to purchase the items.  The more tangible aid the U.S. provides, the poorer the countries will grow. The article Before You Give...Think!! 7 Steps for Critical Reflection published on a blog by Tumblr indicates that if proper aid is to be given to countries who WANT it, then the U.S. should aid in political and economical growth.  The U.S. could assist in creating jobs within the country, help build free educational institutions, and  provide support for other resources that a particular country needs and not give what the U.S. aid givers feel is needed which seems to only benefits their own self-worth.

Community-Based Approach

The Women, War and Peace movement videos utilize a totally different perspective and approach to change than the Kony 2012 aid approach.  The women of western Africa used a community-based approach. The community-based approach gets to the root of the issue and solves it, whereas, the aid approach seems to provide "left over" products as a way to gain tax deductions and leave a sense of self-worth like one did "something" to help the less privileged. I watched the video I Came To Testify with a beating heart. The brave women who had become the weapon of choice through torture and rape and were tired of being a weapon fought back.  They fought back and they fought back hard.  I was amazed to see how bold they were. The women utilized their cultural resources, their intelligence, and allies with each other.  This was the first time in African history that Muslims and Christians bonded together.  The women didn't let religion get in the way of their movement, nor did they let the fact that they were women stand in their way either.  The women realized that the only way to survive was to fight back and resist in order to find peace for themselves and their children.  The women understood that they had to rally together and get to the bottom of the issue and that is what they did. They knew the only way there would be peace in Africa was if a peace treaty was signed. Therefore, they rallied, chanted, and secured their stance until they were noticed.  The most crucial stance was when  cultural competence was used to gain respect from the lead men.  Threatening to protest naked and taking away the privilege of having sex with the women showed the men that the women meant business. The men then took the women more seriously as seeing a mother figure naked on purpose is against African culture (PBS). The women's actions are perfect examples of grassroots community organizing as the women got down to the problem and resolved it on the community level. If an aid-based approach was taken, the women may still be overtly oppressed, raped, and tortured and their refugee camp filled with overproduced shoes and New England Patriots Super Bowl XLVI champion shirts!

     Invisible Children and Kony 2012 
The idea of Invisible Children (IC) is great. However, the way they are going about it seems to give only one side of the story. A Uganda journalist blogger named Rosebell who responded to Kony 2012 on YouTube indicates that Kony 2012 tells Uganda's story from the perspective of the IC community and from the memory of one of Uganda's children. The story is not representative of the country, but only of a portion of the tragedy that still lingers from the LRA.  The story does not provide what resources and strengths that country boast, nor does it provide what has been solidified and rectified by the passed terror on the country.  The Kony 2012 is Badvocay.  Has any of the millions of YouTube followers or activist that are purchasing the Kony  items or Geo kits ask Uganda what they need?  Think about it!  As social workers, we follow the NASW Code of Ethics.  One of the Core Values of the Code of Ethics is EMPOWERING people...supporting them in THEIR goals (NASW, 1996).  How does anyone who views the Kony 2012 video or exploits the people of Uganda by spreading the "experiment video" narrated by Jason Russel, expect to empower the people of Uganda when no one has asked them what they need?  The Kony 2012 video does not give a voice to the "invisible children" of Uganda. It spreads the ideology of western civilization through one person's perspective.  How is that empowering the Ugandan people? 

What are your thoughts on this MSNBC interview with Jason Russell?

MSNBC "The Last Word" with Jason Russell by Lawrence O'Donnell

 

BADVOCACY or ADVOCACY

Millions of individuals' opinions about people and the world are shared on YouTube daily.

The videos influence the viewers worldview and perspective on social problems and policies.
Below is a video that I found during my YouTube search on badvoacy and advocacy for 3rd World Countries and Exploitation.
I would like to know if you feel this video is badvocay or advocacy!!

Click HERE to watch video
3rd World Aid vs. Exploitation of the 3rd World