February 23, 2009 - Aid to Africa

There is a very interesting article in the NY Times; thanks to my friend Amy for sending it to me because I hadn't seen it on my own.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/magazine/22wwln-q4-t.html?_r=1

It is actually an interview with a global economist, Dambisa Moyo, who is Zambian and has written a book "Dead Aid" criticizing foreign aid to Africa because of the dependence and corruption it creates, along with alienating African citizens. The article in the Times is definitely worth a read - especially to determine if you want to read her book - and I have to admit since living in Africa I can clearly see the point she makes. I am not yet sure if I agree with it completely, but certainly to some degree I can see how she is right.

As a microcosm of the same issue she is discussing, Kristoffer and I are dealing with a situation with our housekeeper, Ida. Ida has three children, the oldest of which is a son, Brian, who just finished high school. He is waiting for his final exam scores and really wants to go to college because his whole life she has told him that they only want to get their family out of poverty is through education. Originally, their plans were for him to go to school in Kampala, Uganda because it is less expensive than going to school in Kenya. Brian is apparently a very good rugby player and, through some friends, talked to the rugby coach at a very good private university here in Nairobi last week. The coach told him that they want Brian to play at their school and he would get an athletic scholarship. Brian and Ida both assumed that meant it was a done deal and celebrated immediately; Brian now refuses to even entertain going to Uganda. Unfortunately, neither of them knew how much the school costs - it is very expensive by Kenyan standards - and the administration and the coach are telling them different numbers regarding what Brian's scholarship would be so the celebration has turned into sadness between them. The bottom line appears to be that Ida cannot afford him to send him to this school, even with the scholarship.

So where do we fit in? Well, we are pretty sure that Ida and Brian would like us to offer to pay for his education. It is not uncommon here for expats to pay school fees for their staff members' children to go to primary and secondary school and we know that Ida's two previous American employers paid public school fees for her other two children and private school fees for Brian (even public education here in Kenya is anything but free). Ida hasn't actually asked us for the money but we know she would happily accept if we offered, and after meeting Brian last week I could tell that he hopes we will pay based on what he said and the way he said it; from his perspective, his mother's employers have always paid for his education so why wouldn't we do it now?

My feelings on this are mixed. If Ida needed $100- or some other small amount - to make up the difference between what she could pay and what the school wants, we could give her or a loan or work something out. But to just give her a few thousand dollars a year is another thing. I had Brian come to the house last week to talk to him about the program he wants to study, what information he still needs to get from the school, and how to look for scholarships. Banks won't give educational loans in Kenya so Ida can't take a loan to pay for school. Brian had no idea how rigorous the school was and the program he wants to study for hospitality and tourism (a good degree to get in this country!) is really well-structured, including four years of a foreign language. He was instantly asking if he could get the degree in two years instead of four, which he can't, and if there were other programs that were easier. My impression is that Brian is really only interested in playing rugby, has very average grades (Cs) and is not necessarily ready to work really hard for the degree. I don't think he had any idea of what the academic life at the school would be and, in my best role as guidance counselor (a role I have played before for sure), I gave him a pretty stern lecture about being committed to the degree, what it could help provide for his family once he gets it, and how he has to get involved looking for scholarships if he wants to make it happen.

I think when he left our house he probably didn't like me too much, but I didn't think it would do him any favors to just tell him what he wanted to hear. I realize that this connects to the book the economist wrote, because Brian is used to getting a handout (I think - even if his mother really appreciates the assistance she has received, I am not sure that he does) and therefore has no idea what is really involved in "working hard for the money". He is justified, of course, in being unhappy with his poverty, but he has been enabled to not realize what it takes to get out of that poverty without the financial help of others. While Kristoffer and I are not able to afford paying for his college education anyway (certainly not while paying off our own educational debt and saving for our own baby's education), I am not sure that we would just give him the money even if we could. I offered him help writing applications for scholarships, I gave him a list of steps to take and questions to get answered, and I gave Ida the afternoon on Thursday to go with Brian to the school to meet with the coach and the administration and figure out the best package they can give him if they really want him to play there. My fear, however, is that Ida will kill herself to pay for this school and Brian will not make the most of the academic opportunity he has. I suppose that is a very negative attitude though, and I really hope I am misjudging the situation.

So we will see what happens. It is a tricky position to be in because, probably from their perspective, we could easily give them the money, but I am not convinced that that would be the right way for Brian to make his way in the world. Until it is all sorted out, Ida is a bit sad because her son blames her for not being able to afford this school and, because she didn't go to college and he thinks she is "old" (Ida is about 38 or 39, mind you,) he won't listen to a thing she says. I mean, he is a typical teenager and she is a typical mother with few economic resources who works very hard to put food on the table for her children. It is a difficult, but typical, situation for sure.

LMW