| Article Index |
|---|
| What is Foreign Assistance? |
| Does Assistance Work? |
| Is it Our Responsibility? |
| Foreign Aid and the MDGs |
Foreign assistance or foreign aid refers to the funding the United States provides to other countries for a wide variety of reasons.
Sometimes foreign assistance is given directly to a country’s government either in cash or “in-kind,” meaning physical items such as tents, food, or weapons. But U.S. development assistance is predominantly delivered by nongovernmental organizations directly to local communities to address their needs and support their development efforts.
Since 2001, Bread for the World has used the term poverty-focused development assistance to identify foreign assistance that directly affects the lives of hungry and poor people and distinguish it from aid given for military, economic, or political reasons.
In 2007, just over 40 percent of total U.S. foreign assistance went to programs that work in poor communities to immunize children, train teachers, build water wells, schools, and rural roads, and provide agricultural training to help farmers increase their productivity.
These poverty-focused development programs respond directly to the needs of poor people and are usually delivered by trusted providers such as Church World Service, Catholic Relief Services, or World Vision.
Communities receiving the assistance frequently provide input on the design of these programs.
| Comments |
|
