Africa has the Human Capacity for Self Development

On the count, one would loose the number of endless and blessed foreign entities with programs to teach Africa how to do. Last week, one unveiled the need to teach African women the protocols necessary to take care of babies to prevent children from infections. In all of these developmental crisis and funding, nowhere do you see African epidemiologists, their peer-reviewed references on theory and methodology informing the framework. In essence, African health practitioners have nary a presence in advocating, designing and directing these redeeming and alien programs that are counted as Development Aid to Africa. Not to mention that the development is not mutual or reciprocal. For example, accomplished and balanced African women's groups are not funded to teach ethics and morals, or to offer counseling in wayward and dysfunctional western settings.

Yet, the pathetic needs assessment can be very touchy - convincingly with the running nose, half naked and malnourished African children being touted by the foreign group on public television and elsewhere. True, too, if one goes from wealthy homes to the hoods and trailers in America and England, babies can be found at various stages of mental and physical neglect.

But these are explained in psychiatry and psychology with fancier words such as postpartum and other manic stuff. However, in Africa, it is tossed as something with the stark primitive that soap may wash; nothing clinical. It may escape the grasp of the foreign entities that in order to provide a basic understanding of health, along with health conservation and improvement, one most take into account the sensitivity to cultural differences that affect beliefs and reception of counseling styles. Consequently, what is needed is an integrated approach with specific interventions that reflect the characteristics of the target population, expectations, with a self-exploration of their own core values, beliefs and world-view. And why would a foreign group think it can design a remote program for African reception if that is not colonial imposition?

Without the African competencies, we end up with sloppy, one-sidedness sob story that chokes needs analysis. This mangled jungle image is bad taste exploits if the competitive, professional wealth of Africans with contextual knowledge and skills are not featured on those same public visions.

Then, with the funds, the foreign group hires few Africans to implement a program but without the independent authority to design and manage it, regardless of the structural incongruence. That is participatory development, a sort of capacity building? Maybe it is mosquito nets, hygiene class and bathing soap program? Whatever it is, it is screwed up. The nets will tear off, the soap will finish, the ideological basis for funding the program may no longer be attainable because the political interest of the donor may shift.

You can evaluate whatever but the truth is that no indigenous capacity building ensues when it was never an indigenous program. If you check the dollars or pounds, more of the monies stayed in the foreign country on personnel and experts. The bottom-line? It could be sustainable job development that kept the foreign NGO afloat and relevant.

Africa fails once more. But the method that was misaligned with realities was not a winning proposition to begin with. Of course, there are well meaning foreign NGOs who will agree that what Africa needs is not more foreign programs but more Africans directing the programs.

Core African American Leadership (CAAL)
June 10th 2006
Venue: The Host is Dr. Wangira Kamau,
Executive Director, African Immigrant and Refugee Foundation.

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