International aid starts at home

Jean Béliveau
A man who is walking around the world | Weblink

TREKKER EXTRAORDINAIRE JEAN BELIVEAU is on the sixth year of his travels and, having just passed through London, he’s halfway round the world. He’s seen many things and spoken to many people on his travels through the Americas and Africa – and he has clear opinions about giving.

“I am often asked if I am doing the walk for charity and it annoys me,” he says. He’s clear about his status: “I am walking as a pilgrim walks, in my case to make the world aware of the UN’s International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for Children.”

“They are smart people and they don’t need foreigners to tell them what’s best.”

He explains: “The condition of children affects me a lot, and in difficult situations - natural disasters or human conflict - it is imperative that their basic needs are fulfilled. Which makes it very important to support the right charity.”

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But he believes deeply that old-fashioned aid is bad news for the developing world. “We have encouraged a dependency culture in Africa that takes away peoples’ dignity,” he says. “From my many conversations with ordinary Africans, I believe that their countries would be better off if we stopped giving them handouts. They are smart people and they don’t need foreigners to tell them what’s best.”

He concedes that in these days of globalisation and climate change, it’s difficult to be pure about this concept, and in emergency situations, there may be no alternative. But, in general, “there has to be a better way,” he insists.

"The money is honestly earned and it is sent straight to where the need is."

His suggestion is simple, but unusual. Instead of giving to charities, he wants you to give direct to people in need – through their relatives in Britain.

“In most cases these people work very hard and live very humbly so they can save up and send the money back home,” he says. “The money is honestly earned and it is sent straight to where the need is. It is spent with pride because it has more value: it is earned by a member of the family.”

He has witnessed the recipient effect in Africa. The money is used at village level. It helps pay for food, education, healthcare, job creation – just like money from international aid agencies.

He insists, “If you buy from workers from immigrant communities – believe me, you will make a difference. And it won’t be charity. It will be reward for jobs well done: an exchange between equals.”

He shrugs: “In a perfect humanity, there would be no need for charity… Dignity would be sufficient! Until then…”