Af Richard Steed
En ny rapport fra Københavs Universitet opfordrer til at vi gentænker den måde vi leverer bistand til konfliktområder. Ofte sender omverdenen en masse penge til staten, men en stor del af dem når aldrig ud til de, der er ramt af konflikten.
When conflicts or disasters hit a population, the international community is eager to deliver health services and help people in need. Yet according to a new Danida funded report from the University of Copenhagen we need to completely rethink the way health services are delivered in conflict zones around the globe. And this includes facing some uncomfortable realities.
Report author Tania Dræbel, PhD, from the Department of International Health, Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen explains why it’s time to rethink the way aid is delivered.
What are the problems facing delivery of health services in conflict zones today?
We currently assume if we hand over money to governments that this will automatically be channelled into local communities. Yet there is no evidence of this intrinsic link between the aid and having an effect on those that need the help. So we need to consider better the relationship between the state and society, as we insist on delivering aid based on the premise that we are dealing with another society like ours, based on trust and strong social cohesion.
I think we are suffering from a ‘Florence Nightingale’ complex – we want to help out of good intentions and assume everybody else has that intention. Yet in reality these war torn countries are based on different structures and principles. For many people it’s about a basic competition for daily survival and predatory behaviours between communities. So having a good understanding of local knowledge and social structures are often ignored or unexplored.
Læs hele artiklen på Copenhagen School of Global Health.
