Aid agencies criticised for `de-skilling' those they help

Aid Agencies frequently ignore, misinterpret or undermine the skills of the people in the developing world they set out to help, a conference on development has been told.

The vast majority of work by agencies and other non-governmental organisations has little to do with bringing about lasting improvements in the ability of poor people to transform their societies, Ms Deborah Eade said. Ms Eade, an English writer on development issues, said NGOs had to be alert not to become unwitting agents of neo-liberalism. This happened, for example, when a government closed down essential services and the NGOs found themselves performing a "gap-filling" role.

She was speaking last night at a conference on capacity building organised by the Development Studies Centre in Kimmage Manor, Dublin.

The centre, which is holding a parallel conference on the same theme in Kenya next month, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

Ms Eade cited the example of Salvadorean refugees in Honduras who refused "point-blank" to cooperate with a European NGO providing medical help. This was because the NGO wanted to operate a "doctor knows best" philosophy while the refugees wanted to build up their own skills as community health workers.

"In the refugees' view, it was more important to avoid being `dumbed down' and de-skilled than for foreign medics - who spoke no Spanish - to be able to boast 100 per cent vaccination rates", she said. Aid agencies needed to be more self-critical; simply invoking concepts like partnership was not enough.

She called on NGOs to practise self-awareness, self-criticism and "a degree of modesty" in their work in developing countries. "The important thing is not how cleverly we can draw up plans and documents or design new structures or courses, but whether we are prepared to learn and to adapt our ways of working accordingly."

The conference continues today.