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Notes from the Author

Origins & Destinations

The people, the community are more likely to ‘come together’ now.

It can take time to navigate the concerns and interests of central government, provincial and local

government. These will have their own priorities. So that will take time. And nothing will be taken
seriously unless there is some sort of initial funding in place.

I remember the faces of some of the ‘ordinary’ people who live in that community in northern Ethiopia. I
can imagine the tragedies that may have befallen them. The loss of life, the loss of a lifetime’s work.
There will be a time when they will need to rebuild what they have lost. They will need people to give them
hope.)

***** ***** *****
The more I worked on this book, the more I became persuaded to think of other goals.

UK International Aid and the infernal triangle

Discussions and decisions concerning UK International Aid are handicapped by the infernal

triangle that links UK politicians, UK civil servants, and the UK voter public.

Records show that UK government ministers responsible for UK International

Aid are in office for an incredibly short time. (See Volume 3 of this trilogy). This
makes it incredibly hard for them to exercise a visionary approach to their

responsibilities. And it becomes even harder when they find themselves under
pressure from the two other points of the infernal triangle.

UK Civil Servants who don’t tend to be visionary and who are always conscious
that politicians ‘come and go’ and that today’s priorities won’t last long.

(It’s easy to see why UK International Aid has become more of a budget disbursing operation
which is blown this way or that by whichever ism is being pushed by the current politicians in
power.)

The UK general public, which is so uninformed about Africa, about Africa and

International Aid and all the matters that relate to these that they make

decisions based on stereotypes.

(And this makes them ever vulnerable to those who ‘jerk’ popular opinion by

playing on whichever stereotype suits their own purpose.)

Whenever one of the these three ‘stakeholders’ wants to make far-reaching decisions

about the future of UK International Aid, it is held back by the other two.

If real change is to take place in the role and operation of UK International Aid, it will only

come about by addressing all three players in this infernal triangle.