Some Disturbing Thoughts about Humanitarian Aid

Philip Gourevitch of the New Yorker has raised some disturbing questions both about the outcomes of humanitarian aid and the moral complicity of providers, particularly Christian aid groups,  in horrific crimes by recipients.

Whether or not this has some basis in fact needs to be investigated. Particularly as these groups hold themselves, and are generally held, above reproach. Or as Gourevitch describes it

Aid organizations and their workers are entirely self-policing, which means that when it comes to the political consequences of their actions they are simply not policed. When a mission ends in catastrophe, they write their own evaluations. And if there are investigations of the crimes that follow on their aid, the humanitarians get airbrushed out of the story. Polman’s suggestion that it should not be so is particularly timely just now, as a new U.N. report on atrocities in the Congo between 1993 and 2003 has revived the question of responsibility for the bloody aftermath of the camps. There can be no proper accounting of such a history as long as humanitarians continue to enjoy total impunity.

And surely the Church has a role here as well. Not only do we put our imprimatur on these more often than not faith based groups but we funnel vast resources to them as well. Yet in my experience, we do little to hold them to account. Given what is done in our name, surely it is time to start.