Why We Should Increase Funding for Foreign Aid

Although I live in the United States, I am currently visiting family abroad in India. Some of my family lives in more urbanized parts of the country while others live in the most rural of areas. But one thing that both locations have in common is poverty. Everyday I see families trying to build makeshift houses that are literally torn apart by monsoon winds, looking for scraps from trash piles, filling their cups with water that has been stagnant outside for days. Its heartbreaking, yes, but India is not alone with its 224 million people living in dire poverty. It is estimated that more than 1.3 billion people worldwide live in extreme poverty.

When we have the ability to help those in need, we should. The Borgen Project’s aim is not to lobby for funding to provide impoverished people with luxuries, but with necessities. A necessity is a food bar that can help a malnourished child reach a normal weight in a matter of weeks. A necessity is a portable water filter so water borne diseases can cease to be rampant among those in poverty. A necessity is a cheap and effective means of transportation to a hospital, so that diseases that are easily treatable don’t have to be deadly anymore. The Borgen Project lobbies for bills and acts that make sure that impoverished people can make their worries for necessities a thing of the past.

Many people have misconceptions as to how much money actually goes towards foreign aid. Estimates as high as 30% of the yearly government budget are not uncommon. In reality less than 1% of yearly government budget goes towards helping those most in need. Is that really that much to be spending on improving the lives of those living in the direst of situations? I think not. In fact, although the US gives the most absolute money to foreign aid assistance programs, comparatively, it ranks 20th out of 28th OECD countries in terms of foreign aid assistance as a percentage of Gross National Income. The United States spends 0.18 percent of GNI on foreign aid assistance when the UN Target is 0.7 percent of GNI. The US is ahead of the curve already by topping absolute foreign aid assistance. Lets keep it that way by improving our comparative aid assistance.

The Borgen Project’s purpose is to lobby Congress to make foreign aid assistance a priority of US Foreign Policy. We do not directly go to impoverished places and help build homes, wells, etc with the money we receive via donations. Rather, we aim to spend our money on lobbying the US Government to pass acts and bills that go out and help build homes, wells, etc. 50,000 dollars spent building a well might make one that can comfortably satisfy the needs of one village. 50,000 dollars spent lobbying for the US Government to increase development can make enough wells to satisfy the needs of hundreds of villages. We agree that although we have an obligation to help those struggling below the poverty line at home. However as the last remaining superpower, the United States has an obligation to those struggling abroad as well. We are not just citizens of our respective countries. We are citizens of the world, and as such, when a person abroad is toiling in poverty, we have a duty to help him. Let's get to work.