LEAD Uganda
By John
There are many aid organizations in Africa, but most of them can only provide the most essential needs of survival - food, shelter, and perhaps the most basic of educational resources. Of course, there is a definite need for these things, and it is appropriate to address that need first and foremost. But what we sometimes forget is that the bare necessities of survival are not an end unto themselves. They are a means to an end, and that end is not mere survival, but prosperity. And for many, that end is still much too far out of reach. Too often a child is provided with tuition fees for school, but cannot complete or utilize his education, because he still must work 8 hours a day to eat. Too often a family is provided with food for the week, but still is left with no way to provide food for themselves.