Deep(er) Pragmatical Ponderings

So as our first week of being in Burundi has come to a close, we're reflecting a lot on how to live and move in our new surroundings. One thing we're struggling to work through in particular is our response to the overwhelming poverty.

Burundi ranks from dead last to fifth from the bottom in GDP per capita (depending on whose statistics you use), making it the world's poorest country. The poverty is prevalent and street children are numerous. The tough question for us here has been how to handle it. Obviously, as Americans, Ron and I have many, many more resources than many people here, which we are humble enough to know is largely an accident of birth and geography.

So as good Americans (:-)) we love macro solutions to societal issues. It's easier for us to give to the Red Cross than to offer shelter to a Katrina victim, and so on. So our impulse is to encourage Burundi to become a more highly functioning country by doing our part to stimulate the economy - mostly by supporting and patronizing local businesses and encouraging local entrepreneurship by buying their products. But does this represent a ludicrously Western way of thinking? Can we really BUY our way into a solution?

The other side of my heart says that while patronizing local merchants is helpful, how can I buy goods or services that I only marginally need while others go without? A friend here has a local salon that gives pedicures for $1.50 US. One half of my brain says that encouraging local businesses is helpful - the other side says you're CRAZY if you are thinking of getting a pedicure when there are literally kids on the street outside the salon who haven't eaten today.

On the other side of the extreme is that the need is so overwhelming that there is no easily visible micro solution. We can and will have small bills ready to give on the street when asked, especially by children, but there will always be more that are going without. There will always be another pair of outstretched hands whose needs are being unmet.

The overwhelming sense that we've gotten here is that Africa and her people are tired of being charity cases. They are ready to play - if only we would let them off the bench. Many African countries spend more on debt financing each year than on health and education combined. These loans are decades old, and are as much a result of irresponsible Cold War-era lending as they are the result of irresponsible borrowing. If Africa got only 1% more of global trade per year, it would be three times the amount of aid money received on the entire continent combined.

Most of the inequity has come from unfair trade practices developed over decades, in which the aiding countries have typically said something along the lines of "We'll give you x amount of money if you spend 4 out of every 5 dollars on American/Swiss/German/Japanese products". It's unconscionable to put in place restrictions on trade that we ourselves would never accept. Africa is rich in natural and human resources and simply needs an equal spot at the bargaining table. People are able and willing to climb the ladder themselves. But if the ladder itself is so far out of reach, they simply need a leg up.

We know we have very intelligent friends (*wink, wink*) who we would love to help us process through all of this. You guys are a valuable resource to us! We'd love to have you a part of our conversation here by leaving comments using the below link. We'd love to hear any thoughts you can offer us as we grapple with this!