The Issue with Aid

Linda Polman, in her novel Crisis Caravan, exposes some of the harsh realities that exist in the developing nations where non-governmental organizations (NGO's) operate. Polman identifies and explores how NGO's are often like double-edged swords. She raises multiple questions concerning NGO's and whether or not they actually benefit the countries and the people that they are working with, or if they are only expounding the harm that led them to help in the first place. Oftentimes, NGO's have to bribe the volatile dictators and militaries to even gain access to the victims and cities of the nation that they're trying to help. In the process, the organizations are also helping the wrong side. The soldiers inflicting the violence and terror upon the people will still food and other resources from the NGO's post, depleting resources and also creating a safety hazard for the workers of the NGO.
NGO's, Polman says, are often like businesses, constantly on the mission of finding new contracts and getting funding. These NGO's are often competing with each other to get such money and contracts, and Polman ponders whether or not the people running these NGO's spend more time chasing money than they do focusing on helping the victims of crises. This is why she says, "Aid organizations are businesses dressed up like Mother Teresa" (p.117). The work that an organization is doing can only be made possible with the necessary resources, and so NGO's are constantly marketing themselves as the most beneficial or as having the most-worthy cause, in order to beat out their "competitors" for funding.
The public, the media, and governments all need to work together in order to address the issues surrounding the effectiveness of NGOs. The public needs to be educated about all the vast types of NGOs that exist and what their causes are, as well as where the money goes to if they were to donate. This is where the media comes in. Journalists have a duty to accurately report on the actions of NGOs in the countries that they're operating in, and not just spit out what the NGO is telling them to say. The media should present a clear picture of the harsh realities surrounding NGOs and inform the public about crises taking place in other nations. Together, this will spread awareness and empathy to help those across the world who need our help. The government can also help by providing standards and guidelines on how NGOs are to allocate the appropriate amount of resources to victims, so that the majority of the money is going towards helping those in need.