Below is an op-ed piece that nicely summarizes the work behind Bread for the World’s advocacy for increasing foreign aid in the budget this spring. Written by a Catholic Bishop in AZ, this explains the effectiveness and the spiritual necessary for this advocacy. (check out www.bread.org to write your congressperson about increasing poverty-focused development assistance today)
Foreign aid’s not just moral; it’s also wise
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 05.23.2006
This past fall, hunger plagued the people of Malawi in Southern Africa because of a food shortage resulting from a severe drought in a nation where less than 2 percent of the land is irrigated. The American people responded generously, not only with emergency food aid but also with some ingenious technology.
In the village of Chitsa in southern Malawi, Catholic Relief Services and its local church partners started a project supported by U.S. aid funds that provides manually operated treadle pumps — operated just like a Stairmaster — to lift water from a nearby river into the fields.
The water has created a lush, green oasis in the midst of dusty fields. The Malawian government and other aid groups are now distributing similar pumps to other villages.
This simple and cost-effective solution is but one example of a successful and efficient use of U.S foreign aid. It not only saves lives, but it also shows how the right kind of foreign aid can help poor communities to stand on their own feet.
It is important to keep such successes in mind as Congress considers the 2007 federal budget. With so many pressing needs in this country — like rebuilding New Orleans and other areas of the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina — spending our tax dollars on foreign assistance might seem like a luxury. But there are many reasons why we should not back off of our historic commitments to the developing world.
First and foremost, it is our moral duty to help our brothers and sisters who live in poverty. The moral measure of any society is how it treats “the least among us,” and the United States has historically heeded the call to invest in people and communities around the world. Clearly, our European allies and other rich nations need to do their fair share as well.
By addressing deep-seated problems of poverty, disease and malnutrition, foreign aid also contributes to making a safer, more secure and peaceful world.
The U.S. bishops recognized this reality in a pastoral statement more than a decade ago: “Building peace, combating poverty and despair and protecting freedom and human rights are not only moral imperatives, but also wise national priorities. They can shape a world that will be a safer, more secure and more just home for us all.”
With these points in mind, I strongly urge Congress to remember the needs of the poor around the world when it votes on the upcoming foreign aid appropriations. An adequate appropriation would include:
â— An increase in critical development and humanitarian funding, which many developing countries depend on for survival and poverty reduction.
â— Continued support for the battle against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
â— Expanded resources for the Millennium Challenge Account, an initiative that promises to unite poverty reduction with better and stronger governance in poor countries.
Over the years, Rep. Jim Kolbe has been a good and faithful advocate of assistance to lift up the poorest of the poor. I salute him for the good work he has done and the millions of lives he has helped to save through his support of effective foreign aid.
As he approaches his final days in Congress, what better legacy could there be for Congressman Kolbe than to ensure that the cries of hungry and poor people abroad are heard and their vital needs met?
Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas leads the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson. Write to him at jerrykican@aol.com.
Found at www.azstarnet.com