Reasons to Invest in Foreign Aid
Pakistan — Switzerland of the East — is a country located in South Asia. A regional power, Pakistan has the sixth largest country by population as well as one of the largest armed forces. As an emerging and growing economy, Pakistan also possesses one of the most thriving middle classes in the world. Possessing a semi-industrial economy and a well-integrated agricultural sector, it has also had its fair share of strife. Plagued for years by overpopulation, regional conflicts with neighboring India, as well as rampant poverty, illiteracy and corruption.
In order to fully understand foreign aids far reaching implications and advantages, I spoke with Aliyya Noor, a Communications Associate at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Representative Office in Islamabad, Pakistan, about some of the most pressing reasons to invest in foreign aid, not merely in Pakistan, but around the globe as well.
1) Elimination of Global Poverty.
When asked what she felt the most vital reason was to donate to foreign aid, Ms. Noor responded unequivocally — to lighten the immense economic and social burden of poverty. “The disparity between the immensely wealthy and extremely poor to the point where entire populations do not know where their next meal comes from is increasing by the day,” she says. While this is reason enough to donate foreign aid, Pakistan, much more than most, has been caught in the middle of a global war on terror that has only exasperated its inequality issue. Foreign aid, Ms. Noor maintains, helps prevent the scrounging of resources. “The stuff of failed states”, she observers.
2) Combat Climate Change
“Pakistan, as well as many Asian nations, have also been hit the hardest by the repercussions of global warming,” she states. As one of the biggest suppliers of wheat and cotton, and the second most vulnerable nation in Asia (as it relates to the negative effects of climate change), Ms. Noor urges that foreign aid in countries such as hers are vital for the preparation of the inevitable natural disasters that come with a warming planet.
3) Promotes Gender Equality
With the infusion of foreign aid in countries such as Pakistan, Ms. Noor tells us how that money can be put to good use, and make a difference in the lives of native women and girls. “These are countries with the strongest gender disparities,” she says. And while foreign aid alone won’t change the social fabrics that make up a society, “A real effort is made to include females in programs as prime beneficiaries.” While allowing women to be masters of their own financial fate, social progress has the potential to be not far behind.
4) The Economy, Stupid
The economic benefits of foreign aid on any given country is substantial and well documented; and when asked what one of biggest discernable impacts of limited financial aid is: “The loss of jobs in the private sector,” Ms. Noor lamented. The accountability that many of these jobs create will also be at a detriment if aid ceases to flow to many countries — leaving potentially-corrupt bureaucrats in power with little to no oversight.
5) Security
For many nations receiving foreign aid, the correlation between economic prosperity and overall national security is starkly obvious; something that Ms. Noor pointed out. “…We know poverty and crime rate is directly related…the lack of foreign aid will push the security situation in the country from bad to worse.” And in many instances, the budgetary restrictions could prevent local communities from thriving economically, further inciting criminal activity and creating security risks. As former Senator Norm Coleman states, “Spending money on foreign aid is a less costly alternative to placing aircraft carriers” (WV Advocacy, 2017).
6) Disease and Epidemic Prevention
“Health is always one of the biggest concerns, especially when aid is cut. The potential for the loss of life is frightening in many countries,” she says. This has shown evident time and time again. In 2014 the Obama administration was keenly aware that foreign aid and assistance would be vital to preventing deadly epidemics, such as the Ebola virus, from spreading.
7) Promotes American Jobs
One of the biggest misconceptions Americans have about foreign aid is that it doesn’t benefit them (or their country) in any meaningful way; Ms. Noor disabused that premise. “Sixty percent of the aid committed to Pakistan is returning back to the U.S” in some fashion, she says. In fact, even the furniture used in USAID offices is made in America. When asked what she wished Americans knew about foreign aid, she declared categorically — “a cut to foreign aid will mean a loss of well-paying jobs for Americans.” Ms. Noor even goes so far to say, in this regard, America reaps more of the benefits from USAID than the recipient countries.
8) It Encourages Educational Pursuits
According to the article, “10 Reasons to Invest in Foreign Aid” published by Uloop, research has indicated that countries that receive aid see higher enrollment in primary schools, which also leads to large quantities of young people pursuing degrees in higher education (Rose Boyle, 2018). A well informed electorate is undoubtedly better for a country roiled with political, economic and social strife.
9) Prevents the Coveting of False Prophets
A study done in 2017 made clear the connection between the benefit of foreign aid on states yo-yoing between chaos and instability. The Global Health Journal found that “…per capita spending…aid was associated with a large and immediate decline in the level of state fragility” (Gupta, 2018, p. 2). When local communities and organizations are prospering, people in disadvantaged countries are less likely to put their faith in false prophets promising prosperity in exchange for human rights.
10) You Make a Tangible Difference in People’s Lives
Lastly, and importantly, foreign aid has the ability to a make a positive, life-altering impact on those who are receiving it; as Ms. Noor can attest. She has seen first-hand the difference aid programs can make. Differences such as a sobering and impactful story of a young girl who was injured in a suicide bombing in Pakistan and was afforded job training due to USAID. “In the absence of the program, she would have ended up either on the streets, or in a home for the disabled due to lack of opportunities for youth and young girls.”
