David Sanderson: Why you shouldn't give a goat this Christmas
Over decades, well-meaning governments, aid organisations and donors have wasted billions of dollars on thoughtless aid. That's the kind of giving that sends inappropriate Western women's clothes to a conservative Muslim area of Pakistan, following an earthquake. Or a program that sends expensive tents half way across the world to the Philippines, in the wake of a typhoon, when a local builder could reconstruct a house for a fraction of the cost. Or the new schools and medical clinics that will never be used because there's no staff in the local area to run them.
If you are looking for a charity gift that really makes a difference, just give cash. Over decades, well-meaning governments and donors have wasted billions of dollars on thoughtless aid.
