A friend just sent me a link to an article from the BBC on the threat of wasted aid dollars in the developing world.  

Normally I see articles (and books) on this subject related to how aid dollars have already been wasted.  This article, however, warns of the inefficiency of waiting until a crisis occurs to deliver aid, when the costs are much higher than they would have been if preventative measures had been taken.  

As a hunger advisor for CARE International, Vanessa Rubin likens untimely aid delivery to “fire-fighting,” and says, ”Take the example of Niger, in west Africa. In 2005, it was costing about $80 (£44) to save a malnourished child at the height of the crisis.  Months before that, at the point where children were vulnerable, the equivalent intervention would have been about $1 a day.”  It doesn’t take an expert to see how much a missed opportunity can cost.

Rising food prices worldwide have recently been a catalyst for crisis hunger situations, especially in Africa.  Aid agencies are asking for emergency donor dollars so that they can continue to serve communities as their costs rise.  The BBC reports that “the CARE report comes a day after the head of the UN’s food agency, Jacques Diouf, said the number of people suffering from acute hunger rose by 75 million to an estimated 925 million last year.”

Ms. Rubin places the responsibility for timely action and intervention on agencies that deliver aid, donor governments, the UN, and governments in crisis countries.  But I wonder what would happen if private fundraisers (individuals) shouldered some of that responsibility as well.  Aid agencies are not in the dark about the effectiveness of of pre-crisis intervention and the importance of funding long-term prevention work.  If this awareness can be translated into fundraising on the part of individuals, aid agencies could be much more effective in their work. 

It starts with you!  Create your own fundraising page for CARE International, World Vision, Oxfam, or another non-profit organization on Firstgiving.com.  See also a post on Oxfam America’s blog about timely intervention for hurricane relief efforts in the US.