Imposing Aid, Why?

Abdul-Aziz Ali Omer

Hassan Zubayr ,looking out of his office at the Public Directorate for Development said:” We implemented a host of water and sanitation projects in the western locality of Gallabat” He went on to point out ” These projects have been executed via UNICIEF with a grant from the American community” , he estimated at 5 millio1n dollars while we were talking , Salem Jamal, an engineer from Gedaref water corporation came to Hassan’s office for a cup of coffee. He introduced us. Salem explained for me that an ad hoc committee was designated and had set up a matrix of information relevant to the schemes. After Salem had left, Hassan resumed his talk and summed up the goals of water project as follows:” Raising the local per person consumption of water to be proportionate to the individual share of water at a global-level equilibrium. In addition to distributing water to hospitals, health centers, schools, there is an increase of water sources, and ensuring safe and healthy drinking water. Thinking of recent broadened meetings which the General Administration of Development convened with NGOs in Gedaref, Hassan said ” We discussed the necessity of their interventions” noting that is only restricted to implementing some aspects of water, health, education, sheltering and the agricultural production services. He went on to stress that the prospective interventions of NGOs in the development sector would be consistent with the nature of emergent variables, conditions of displacement and the density of pressures on the fragile services in Gedaref state. ” The call for the interventions of NGOs” said Hassan ” aims to improve the health situation and means of stability for the natives of Gedaref” ” The voluntary humanitarian organizations have demonstrated their seriousness and genuine desire to contribute to the basic needs” he concluded. Finally, from the department of development , I went to Al-makarabi Inter-net café. There, I read a letter in which the executive manager of governor’s office urged Tika NGO, an International co-operation to implement their promised grant for constructing a diagnostic centre and an eye hospital in Gedaref. The letter commended the Turko-Sudanese relations as ” distinguished” and noted that according to the ministry of health surveys, there is a pressing need for an eye hospital. It’s anticipated to be of a great benefit for Gedaref and other states. The consultant Ibrahim Abdel Majeed is due to e commissioned to set up the two projects and to arrange for the visit of Tika Director-General. Foreign aid such as grants can improve the precarious situation for a while, but it doesn’t offer long-term solution. Gedaref is described as the Sudan-food basket and with an accountability, transparency , proper management of its diverse resource, will have the capacity to achieve self-reliance and self-sufficiency