#endofdfid

By Binit Agrawal  In 2010, when over 78 billion people in India did not have access to sanitary toilets, a slow revolution was brewing across villages. Pramila, a gram-sevak (village volunteer) was a part of this revolution. She, along with her good morning squad, went from house to house inspiring people to start using toilets instead of defecating in the open. Within a year, she was able to help increase access to toilets from 25% to 100% in her village. Pramila was one of the many volunteers trained under a course supported by the Department for International Development (DFID). However, this course, and a multitude of other aid initiatives by DFID, may not go on for long. This is because the rumors of merging the DFID into the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) have come true. The effect of this merger on the UK’s aid initiatives has been widely discussed. In this post, I detail what impact this move will have on the poor across the globe.  End of a Democracy Builder  The failure of aid programs in having an impact on the lives of people has widely been investigated. It happens primarily because of the lack of strong grassroots democracy and good governance in the beneficiary states. Most aid funds in these countries are either hijacked by corrupt demagogues or come tied with corporate interests. DFID’s UK Aid, however, is untied, that is to say, it is not linked to other strategic or commercial interests of the donor. Read the full article