A growing share of aid is spent by private firms, not charities
Thursday, May 11, 2017
“THE gold rush is on!” That is how a cable from the American ambassador to Haiti described the descent of foreign firms upon Port-au-Prince in early 2010. An earthquake had flattened the city and killed hundreds of thousands. But a deluge of aid presented an opportunity. The message, released by WikiLeaks, noted that AshBritt, a Florida-based disaster-recovery firm, was trying to sell a scheme to restore government buildings, and that other firms were also pitching proposals in a “veritable free-for-all”.
During the following two years $6bn in aid flooded into a country of 10m people, for everything from rebuilding homes to supporting pro-American political parties. Of $500m or so in aid contracts from the American agency for international development (USAID), roughly 70% passed through the hands of private companies.
Source: The Economist (link opens in a new window)
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