It has now been 25 years since more than 1 million Ethiopians died as those of us lucky enough to live in the rich world sat transfixed in front of our television screens. The horrible suffering brought with it the biggest outpouring of charity ever seen as governments and ordinary people dug deep to stop it.
But a quarter of a century on foreigners are still feeding a huge number of Ethiopians. The Ethiopian government says poor rains mean 6.2 million of its people need food aid this year and has asked the international community to provide it.
Another 7 million hungry people are on a government-run but foreign-funded scheme that gives food in exchange for work, which means more than 13 million of the country’s 83 million people rely on foreign handouts to survive.
Aid agency Oxfam is now saying that food aid is trapping Ethiopia in a cycle of dependence on the West and that donations could be better spent.
In the valleys of northern Ethiopia much has changed since 1984 when hundreds of thousands of dying people streamed down from the hills desperate for food.
Chinese engineers in huge trucks hurtle down newly built roads financed by their government and children now flow from the hills on the way to school.
Ethiopians say they are sick of their image as a people beset by famine and war and point to foreign investors showing growing interest in their country.
This week I travelled to a small village called Abay where Oxfam and Ethiopian NGO Orda are trying to help the locals become independent of food aid so that, when a drought hits, they will be able to survive without charity.
Men worked fields rich with wheat, young boys threshed barley for a local brewery and women had set up self-help groups and were giving out loans so their members could buy the five sheep necessary to start a breeding business.
The area looked prosperous and the people said they felt more pride now.
A growing number of aid experts — many of them African — say that if more money was spent on schemes like this, rather than on food, then Ethiopians and other Africans dependent on food aid could eventually wean themselves off it.
“I am 100 percent confident that day will come,” one farmer told me, standing in his impressive field of wheat. “Begging is a shameful practice for Ethiopia.”
So is food aid making Africans dependent? Is it time donor countries cut back on it? Should more money be spent on helping people become self-sufficient? Could foreign direct investment improve things? Or is there another answer?
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The only way to get ANY country out of poverty these days, is for the corporations that are raping them to be forced out. And the imf, world bank and all the other mafia gangs to be removed.
They give money to suffering nations and twist their arm in the process, making sure that they never leave a cycle of poverty, and that the countries natural resources are shipped to the highest bidder.
This is evident throughout Africa and other resource wealthy regions like Iraq and Afghanestan.
A bitter view, but in my opinion, no less than the truth.
- Posted by Baghdad_boyI think we forgot one thing. When country existed, there is one thing happen. The government, the people, and the land all to gether make up a country. There is also unwritten treaty between the government and the people. The goverment is obliligated to protect, feed, and preserve the peoples’ right to work in that land. Having saying that Ethiopia has none of them in place so the people and the government don’t know their prespective place. So famine is happening again and again, the government should be responsible and pay for it. This government should removed becouse of this mess.
- Posted by samThere is no hope for Ethiopia. There was famine when the Amharas on Power . Most probablity Oromos will be the next rulers and the hardship and famine will continoue. It is the way of life in Ethiopia. We should be thank full for westerners feeding Ethiopean starved people. Stop blameing US
- Posted by habonThe west is feeding Ethiopia because it is a profitable Business
- Posted by BashirWhy don’t donors stop giving when they know that most of thier money goes in to procuring weapons to crack down on opposition and invade or distabilize neighboring countries? Ethiopian leaders are famous for crying “starvation” any time they are in crisis or sense one coming - election is coming up and they are still mired in the Somali crsis and refuse to abide by intrenational laws and agreements such as the situation in Eritrea. Ethiopians should not be starving today! Food security is national security but succesive Ethiopian governments have used it for their own survival.
- Posted by AbrahamHow about all those diamonds that are found in Africa someone use that to pay the people. Normally the diamonds are posted all over the internet and tv. Africans do not seem that hung up over diamonds just the rest of the world. If we the people of the world where being watched by aliens, the aliens would more than likely see that people of planet earth are selfish. The people of the planet still have hungry people, says alot about all of us as a whole?
- Posted by daniel mosesThe world it seems to me have got used to polticize the
- Posted by samsonstarvation of an african country,with a population of about 70 million with mostely fertile ground,water and all kind of natural resorces,its the wests give and give
attitude that created the gov do nothing and wait for the
donors.The current gov and other nehiboring countries
have to able to sit and talk seriouse bussiness of peace,
harmony of their people.and the donores have to make sure
that war is avoided,leaders are talking to make africa
take of their bussiness.the politicians and their family
are always safe,while most of the population is starving
all fleeing the country.DONORES PLEASE HELP BUT HELP FOR
THOSE LEADERS WHO ARE TRYING TO HELP THIER PEOPLE.YOU HAVE THE RESPONSIBLITY TO SEE WHERE THE HELP IS GOING ,YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE HELP THEM TO FIND SOLUTIONS,WHERE SOME DAY THEY WOULD SAY TO AID ,NO THANKS
Both food and water are still huge issues in Ethiopia. Many women there and around the world have to spend several hours a day just walking to a far away well for water for their families. This is a huge roadblock to their getting an education and earning an income. According to Water.org, which was co-founded by Matt Damon, women spend more time collecting water each day than all the hours worked in an entire week by Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, Target, IBM, UPS and Kroger employees combined. Check out this YouTube video. There’s also more info on this issue at http://www.water.org/women.
http://www.youtube.com/waterdotorg#p/u/3 /Z4xx4vPH5s8
- Posted by Jenn McGuirehttp://www.youtube.com/waterdotorg#p/u/2 /lALU-BBNTKo
When it is Etitrea saying it, meaning, self reliance then it´s something very wrong but when others later copy it and say it then it´s ok. Africans should look at >Eritrea and learn. In Ethiopia, the first thing needed is the removal of this satanic government of meles Zenawi.
- Posted by jackYes I always think about it and gives me pain to see every year appeal for food from the west. Our own management work hard on population growth strategy, as well as our dietry and feeding styles. A lot of teaching has to be made about the way distribution is made from one region especialized in cereals to those who are rich in vegetables and fruits, or fish ,livestock or honey. Ethiopia has a potential of 4 seasons a year, harvesting and collecting could also be managed accordingly. The west do not care it is their way of survival. They have to come and work because of the competition in their respected countries. and is their way of releasing tax freedom from their government because they are engaged in humanitarian works in Ethiopia or elsewhere. So, this generation has to be more knowledgable in stoping the hunger, by working hard and exchanging what they have with others internally then work for external. With all the rivers,lakes,land,people, we have to work hard and stop hunger in the country. Show a man how to catch the fish not how to eat. God Bless Ethiopia
- Posted by asratFor me, reading the comments of the article was more frustrating than the article itself. Look what we are doing to ourselves; we are encouraging Hatred, Anger, pointing fingers at others… We have been doing that for the last 30 years and look where we are? Is that what we want to do in the coming years? Or do we really want to change? Do we want to see drought free Ethiopia? Do we want to change our history? If so we need to take a bold and deliberate decision to handle things differently. Can we do that? And remember it is us who can bring a difference; others can only support our initiatives.
- Posted by FannWhy the donators and NGO’s worry too much to Ethiopia. This is what His Excellency Prime minster Meles Zenawi said referring to donors:
- Posted by MathewThis is what His Excellency Prime minster Meles Zenawi said
-food aid industry-industry actors- It is to their benefit and their advantage. They are selling their food where food is scarce. The same with those who are transporting food in their ships. And those truckers who get it from the ports to the consumer areas. People take quite a chunk of the benefits from this.” See VOAhttp://www.voanews.com/english/2009-1 0-11-voa12.cfm
I disagree with the comments which suggest the solution is to teach Ethiopia better practices instead of giving them aid.
The problem of starvation in Ethiopia could be solved in 24 hours.
People starve in Ethiopia because of economic issues. People starve there for the same reason they starve anywhere there isn’t an active war, they are too broke to buy food.
The US and EU could grant visas to any Ethiopian with basic literacy skills. Voila all the so-called illegal Mexicans in the States, the ongoing labor supply for unskilled labor, would have to compete for unskilled work. Starvation in Ethiopia would stop overnight (well, within a month) from remittances.
Meanwhile, Western aid should be viewed for what it is, a payoff so they can feel good about not letting Ethiopians work in the West where there are jobs right now.
- Posted by Carl RosenbergI Think the problem is deeply buried inside the culture of people of Ethiopia. Specially, the northern part of Ethiopia. People tend to get satisfied with what they have for now and never work hard enough to make sure that they have something for tomorrow. Take the Gurages for instance, they are exceptionally prosperous than any other tribe in Ethiopia. That only attributes to their proper work ethics.
- Posted by DaveIn my opinion if there is a good governance that lead the people in the right direction, teach the mostly illiterate farmers how its properly done, well, we can achieve food security and more. But again the government seems not willing enough to teach the people or let the people of Ethiopia in general connect with the rest of the world. Take the Ethiopian Telecommunication and mass medias for example they are under state control. We are only seeing and hearing what the few people in the government administration think is right. And obviously these people are biased with their own politics and the Ethiopian economy comes second to their politics. I bet if there is better transparency with the Ethiopian people and the rest of the world the government also will be in more stress to deliver what is expected. Its funny, do you people know that you can NOT access any blogs hosted in on blogger from Ethiopia? The government is restricting access to most famous information source on the internet just because it raise red flag for its politics(there are blogs that oppose the existing government). That just a simple demonstration how Ethiopian people prosperity and Economy comes second to Ethiopian government’s politics.
I don’t want to find a “scapegoat” from out side for all our problems there in Ethiopia. First let us fight to have a good governance. The melese’s regime is so dictator and doesn’t have the ability to build a strong nation. All the higher officials worry about how systematically rob the nation resource and maintain their statsco. So if we need any support from out side, it is better to focus on creating good govrnance rather than food aid.
- Posted by BBMIt’s horrible to see famine in Ethiopia again. David, you have to see the evil work of the ruling minority regime.
- Posted by SarahThis is man made famine to exterminate the Oromos, Amharas, South people and Ogadenis.This criminal regime have already killed more than 150 000 forced people to die as mine sweepers in its war against Eritrea, the same in Somalia and against many Ethiopian freedom fighters.
This regime is cruel, inhuman and as we speak he is hiding billions of dollars in the west banks. Because he is corrupt leader the west likes hime,even if he is the most genocidal regime in the world. God help Ethiopians!
The honest answer is the west continue to feed Ethiopia because it wants to. For example the west could have encouraged the Ethiopia to focus on working on its economy instead of sending to make against Somalia. For over half a century the west has spent billions in food and military aid while Ethiopia government starve its people and abuse the citizens of it neighbors such Eritrea and Somalia. I found it very surprising that the west continue give aid to Ethiopia while Ethiopia illegally occupy Eritrean land. Ethiopia would could to beg for decades until the west starts stop supporting corruption in Ethiopia. What we see is designer famine in Ethiopia in order to increase the military budget of Ethiopia and pump up the bank accounts the governments of Ethiopians and perhaps some individuals arranging the donations.
- Posted by King YacobEthiopia is pretending to be democracy nation. It is not easy for the majority to become self-sufficient in a highly corrupt dictatorship. Current Ethiopian leaders have no affection to the nation and its people. They don’t give a damn. They enjoy annoying the people (sounds strange, but is reality). Nothing is going to get better for Ethiopia until freely elected, and leaders who love their nation and people are given a chance to govern.
- Posted by kz