Help us to be responsible and accountable

EDITOR: Handouts of every kind are never sufficient and often lead to learned helplessness, and dependency. If we really want to help the poor, our assistance would be focused on developing self-sufficiency, and independence. Because the Bible says that it is better to give than to receive, we need to examine our giving to ensure that those who receive our gifts would be similarly placed to experience the blessings of giving.

Handouts, by their very nature, may lend themselves to favouritism, with inherent tendency to corruption.

Some are selected as recipients and some are rejected. The selection process may be shrouded in secrecy, and with subjective criteria. The life of grant assistance can be extended if the possibility of no- interest, low-interest loans are considered. What people need may be technical assistance to make their ideas of interest productive. Too often we try to fund people into areas we want them to pursue rather than supporting their aspirations. Thus, for learning opportunities, we should advertise the areas of need, and allow those with interest to apply long before the awards are made. Successful enterprises should be proud to replace the initial investment in them so that others can experience the same beneficial opportunities. In this way those receiving taxpayers funded resources will be more responsible and accountable. The size of handouts is limited by those providing them while the size of loans is negotiated by both the provider and the recipient.

Repayment creates the atmosphere to be responsible and accountable.

Anthony G. Stewart, PhD