The Implications of Direct Aid to Local Communities

Abstract

This study discusses several differences between conventional methods of providing foreign aid and the method I recommend here, which is cash given directly to an affected region by an NGO. I seek answers to the following questions: 1. Does foreign aid directly help people in need? 2. How do providers and recipients find each other? 3. Does direct foreign aid enable donors to leverage policymaking in a recipient country? 4. Can recipients of aid help themselves if there are no strings attached to the aid? 5. Will direct cash assistance allow the recipient to make decisions about how to invest as he/she sees fit? I sought answers to these questions by conducting a case study of communities in the Karamoja region of northeast Uganda. I interviewed villagers and various NGO staff. I observed differences when aid was offered through the government versus aid given with no government intervention. My observations focused on improvements in the lives of villagers, comparing those who received help directly from donors, and those who received assistance through the government. My research found that the best method for helping people who are suffering as a result of natural or man-made circumstances is through direct cash assistance that requires full accountability from each recipient.