“I wish we questioned the aid model as much as we are questioning the capitalism model. Sometimes the most generous thing you can do is just say no.” — Dambisa Moyo
Social and environmental challenges are becoming more and more complex.
COVID, climate change, war and conflict are disrupting livelihoods, bringing about greater inequalities and threatening our security of a sustainable future.
It’s time to rethink the way we do Aid. We must adopt an innovative long-term strategic approach to aid that ensures social and environmental value creation and, ultimately, sustainability. Donors and beneficiaries need to understand why we must embrace an aid model that directs capital and resources into initiatives that create sustainability.
Giving aid in a way that doesn’t improve an individual’s self-sufficiency doesn’t work. It creates cycles of dependency and limits the individual’s potential to change their circumstances and contribute to their community’s and economy’s growth.
Aid that offers short-term relief and ignores long-term risks is unsustainable and needs to be invested in long-term solutions with maximum social and environmental impact.
We must aim to create an aid model that fosters partnerships between donors and beneficiaries, where benefits, duties, and obligations are shared equally.
Now is the time for donors and beneficiaries alike to realise the roles they can play in driving sustainable development, positive change for individuals, the whole of society and the environment.
Read more about our Xchange Program model here and how we’re building a value-creation aid model here.
