Reuters AlertNet - Dependency myth stops aid reaching people in need - report

Reuters AlertNet - Dependency myth stops aid reaching people in need - report: "LONDON (AlertNet) – Aid agencies sometimes cite concerns about creating a culture of dependency on aid in disaster-hit countries as justification for withholding relief, according to a new report that says this was a key reason why the humanitarian community was slow to respond to Niger’s food crisis

In fact, the report’s authors say, there is scant evidence that relief undermines local initiatives in responding to crises. Rather than fretting about issues of dependency, they say, the aid world should strive to make aid less unpredictable and more dependable.

“If you did depend on relief, you’d often be dead,” said Paul Harvey, co-author of a new report by the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) of London-based think tank Overseas Development Institute.

“If people in Niger had sat on their arses, they’d be dead.”"