Your War Is Your Sickness, And So It's Our Disease

As the major human rights, political, and economic issues in African come more and more to the forefront of international news, the amount of aid going out to these situations is ever increasing. While the sentiment and good will is there, sometimes patching a hole with money merely facilitates a vicious cycle of corruption, violence, and poverty.

Human nature is fueled by incentives and motivations. If organizations keep giving these troubled areas money and other temporary aid, it will merely gloss over a bigger issue and enable things to keep moving as they were before, perpetuating the system that clearly doesn't work. 

That being said, the Red Cross is launching a campaign for a better world, in which everyone can make a contribution towards alleviating another's suffering. The campaign, entitled "Our World, Your Move," operates on the idea that every simple action can make a difference. Although the concept of foreign aid is a tricky one, the idea of a global movement towards peace and harmony is refreshing and hopeful. Help comes in many ways, and the first step towards reducing and eliminating the suffering in the world from whatever cause is one person's working against one small bit of pain, suffering, or cruelty.

http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-08-voa6.cfm

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123758895999200083.html