Not Just Another Band-aid Solution

Imagine you’re watching your favourite TV show and then the commercials come on. You see that same old white male who has a child sitting in his lap. He starts telling you about that little child and how he is constantly hungry, how his father was killed, how he is constantly living in fear, and how it seems completely hopeless but you can make a difference. Does this look familiar?

I’m not trying to bash on these Christian organizations, I admire them for their efforts and hope one day I am able to make a difference as well but what exactly is that difference they are making? Is it a permanent difference or just like we said in class a “band-aid solution”?

World Vision is an organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. This organization tries to give these poor countries access to clean water, food, medical assistance, clothing, and shelter. All the money you give to these organizations is used to make improvements that will help the entire community. It may be a “band-aid” but it is still making life easier and bearable for these people who live in poverty.


We may not be making a great impact on the country overall but we are making a great impact on each village one by one. We give them access to clean water, food, and an education so that they will eventually be able to survive on their own. We are implementing these small steps that will eventually make a big difference. They are thinking globally and acting locally to help make a change. It’s sad how more than half the world’s population survives on less than $2 a day. The society we live in has become a consumerism lifestyle that makes us believe that money is everything when really it isn’t and it takes the poorest of the poor to teach us that.
We discussed in class why Africa is poor and how it mostly comes down to the horrible and corrupt governments. So what makes the government so corrupt? Are they corrupt because they are desperately poor so they result to negative ways of earning money? Or are they simply corrupt because they are keeping their people in poverty? According to a 2002 study conducted by the African Union, corruption consumes more than a quarter of the continent's gross domestic product every year, about $148 billion. It is sad because there seems to be no solution that the world leaders can come up with to help Africa’s corruption, wars, everyday violence, and droughts. Also, the core of Africa’s failure is their leaders to provide an effective government but, it seems we can’t do anything about that. Maybe that’s why the only peaceful option we have to help them is through organizations that we see on TV who goes over to support the poor.

Another plan that could be possible is to start creating jobs in developing countries because without jobs then there will be no end to the poverty. To make this work, it would take the international community to all get involved and start investing in Africa. They need to fix its corrupt leaders so that no more money is wasted so that way Africa will finally be able to survive on its own. It would take a lot of money but with specific targets and effort, progress could be made. It’s time for a positive change that will make a big difference in the future. Just like the old saying goes “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime”.




BBC News. Can Life Improve for the Worlds Poorest? 14 Sep. 2005. 15 Apr. 2009 .
Rice, Andrew. Why Is Africa Still Poor? 6 Oct. 2005. 15 Apr. 2009 .
World Vision. Imagine a Generation without AIDS.. 15 Apr. 2009 .