Why support development?

In the past week I have run into a couple of people who are happy for me but feel that, perhaps, the Canadian government and I should be helping Canadians not necessarily educators in another country.  You might also wonder why it is important to help other countries develop when there are people in Canada in need.

I think the government of Canada’s policy on international development sums it up well:

“Canada promotes international development and provides international assistance for many reasons, chief among them because it is the right thing to do. But beyond simply being the right thing to do, assisting people in developing countries to overcome poverty and to build prosperous, stable, and democratic countries and communities is also the smart thing to do. Canada works to bring prosperity, security and democracy to parts of the world where sustainable economic growth is a struggle, where health and security for citizens are uncertain, and where democratic governance is either weak or non-existent.

For those in need, development assistance can bring immediate relief, help reinforce existing development assistance efforts, and bring about lasting, positive change. It can give people hope that a future without poverty is possible.

Canada undertakes its development efforts out of concern and compassion for the world's less fortunate, and because reducing poverty and ending oppression is in our own best interest.”

We are also a country that is lucky to be able to develop a breadth and depth of experience in our workforce. Grenada is a country with a population of 110 000 people. They do not have the population base to develop the same skills and competencies that we are able to. By sending skilled people we help them to develop those skills.

Next the majority of Canadians have disposable income, which means we can donate to charities like children’s help phone, women’s shelters or addiction services.  In Canada we would say that your housing should not be more than 32% of your income. In Grenada the average monthly salary $360.5 US Dollars. So if you had two adults working 40 hours a week you have a household income of $720 US per month. A one bedroom apartment rents for $600/month or a whopping 83% of income. This clearly does not leave the average Grenadian much left after utilities and food to donate to their own charities. Yet they still have the same issues that we do.

I believe that having our tax dollars helping in areas like maternal & children's health, educating teachers, encouraging democracy and security in developing countries will bring all of us closer to the kind of peaceful and prosperous world we want for all people.