Books on Poverty - How We Can Better Achieve Successful Development

As we continue on this journey with The Ronnie Fund and our daily discussions with Ronnie about the approaches we should be taking to achieve continued success with our many projects currently underway in Wongonyi Village, I have been reading a variety of books on international aid and development. They have all been extremely interesting and I am learning a great deal about the aid business. Some of the books are quite disturbing on the amount of money spent by governments and organizations on aid but still poverty exists as just a drop in the bucket every really gets to those who really need it. And yet other books like "Out of Poverty" give one a sense of hope that improved quality of life can actually be achieved. The successes small grassroot organizations like The Ronnie Fund are achieving is because funds and tools get directly into the hands of local villagers and when training is provided the success rates are even greater. Perhaps these books will help shed some light on international aid and how best to implement it.

"Lords of Poverty, the Power, Prestige and Corruption of the International Aid Business"
by Graham Hancock, Atlantic Monthly, 2001

This is an interesting expose of the wastage in the international aid and development business. Using real life examples, I was shocked by the amount of money given to internatinal aid but how little of it actually reaches the people it is intended to help and those who are employed in the aid business who can sit and eat lavish meals while discussing how they are going to help those who eat only one meal a day, if that.

"The Trouble with Africa, Why Foreign Aid Isn't Working"
by Robert Calderisi, Palgrave MacMillan, 2006

Another publication that exposes how little funding actually reaches the poor in developing countries and the lack of accountability by those aid workers in the field. Robert's own admission that in his first placement in Africa, he had only one black friend for his socializing was spent with ex-patriates and he rarely ventured into the countryside. On his second posting to Africa, he spent most of his time travelling across the country and really getting to know those in rural villages and their needs but having to often explain why aid wasn't getting to them.

"Out of Poverty: What Works When Traditional Approaches Fail"
by Paul Polak, Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc. 2008

Paul Polak's book focuses on the grassroot approaches to overcoming poverty. His philosophy is that if people are given the tools like irrigation pumps and systems they can grow enough food for their own consumption and have surplus to sell. Once they have income they can purchase education, health services, etc. He uses real life examples of people in the developing world who have been able to change their lives. When tools are made available directly to disadvantaged people, and not lost on large aid projects which can have funds redirected by corruption, improvements in the quality of life can be achieved.