Why not give people the means to buy what they need?

By Chris McIvor, Programme Director for Save the Children UK in Mozambique
January 21, 2008

The movement of families into camps continues, now estimated at around 70,000 people. Generally this is well managed and orderly, people familiar enough now with their places of safety. Over the coming days and weeks a principal need will be for food since families have only managed to bring a small amount with them. Save the Children will work with Government, community leaders and other organisations to ensure that people receive what they need; a regular ration of maize meal, cooking oil and beans.

But rain has not been a disaster for everyone. In the districts close to where the flooding has taken place it seems likely that the harvest this year will be above normal. In April when this begins to be collected we need to be careful that any food aid programme we are running does not undermine local markets. "How can we sell what we have grown if people get free food and if they have no money to buy what we have?" is a complaint we have heard before from local farmers. Sometimes they have to export their crops to neighbouring countries in order to sell what they have produced.

So why not give people cash or the means to buy what they need, if it is locally available? This will do two things. It will avoid undermining local production and ensure that farmers do not stop growing food because they can't sell it. Secondly it will give people choice and dignity, some measure of control over their own lives. We shouldn't underestimate how important this is for people who have had these choices taken away when they end up as displaced refugees in their own country, dependant on the charity of others.

There are skeptics. Some people say, "If you give them money they will only waste it." But there is enough evidence to show that this is not the case, that people will use money wisely and in the interests of their family. I remember the observation I heard last year, "If you treat us like fools we will behave like fools." Another way of saying this would be that if you give people responsibility they will behave responsibly too."

Please click here to watch Chris McIvor's Interview on Youtube.