Many are the factors that have brought us in contact with the
situation in African countries.
As always, we refuse to passively accept reports sent by the so-called
direct sources, hence we are gaining all round information - naturally
including official sources - to find answers, which can justify
these countries’ current situation, since social and environmental
development results do not mirror the extent of finances given
by industrialised nations.
What has prevented or still prevents these results from being
produced?
An early analysis conducted jointly with experts (UN envoys who
check the state of things on site) leads us to deduce that the
issue of the failure to solve problems is caused in most cases
by the fragmentary quality of interventions, besides the increasing
number of religious and lay associations operating individually,
often in limited areas and in competition among them.
As at times interventions organised by international humanitarian
institutions, aid offered is quite the reverse of these countries’
real requirements and often interventions make use of methods
and products, which are by now scientifically obsolete.
It is anachronistic, for example, to think of facing endemic infectious
diseases with outdated drugs only because there are no others
available at present.
This is acceptable and allowed during an emergency, but it can
be tolerated no more after so many years of economic interventions
on the part of industrialised nations.
The philosophy and motivations behind aid given to these populations
must change to obtain concrete results. Objective goals must be
set with well-defined deadlines.
However admirable missionary charity may be in individuals, it
is not and cannot be decisive for the survival of entire populations.
Let us stop considering people in these countries so inferior
as to believe they are unable to understand what they are taught,
and let us start thinking that teaching methods are probably –
and not just probably - wrong.
Let us confirm our commitment not be influenced in our decisions
concerning this issue.
Father Virgilio Rotondi often said: “A message is like a
seed, convey it to those who can understand it and the seed will
sprout”. We are conveying this message to those who can
understand so that the seed will sprout and yield its fruit highlighting
the absurd nature of certain stands.
Genina Iacobone
Direttore di Leadership Medica
