Introduction of the players I: The Have Nots

The Have Nots are the core group and the main players though often not included in the discussion and not participating in conferences or project write up sessions. Here is a huge communications problem!
They are mainly uninformed, downtrodden and most of the times have no sense at all about being part of a major society, a country, and a nation with a legal framework, they survive on local formal and informal agreements and through family ties. They are mostly not aware of constitutional and human rights.
Most of the time the Have Nots do not know that they are the “target group” in many project write ups where they are widely identified as the justification for a demand for money flowing down (although sometimes it flows in the other direction). Most of the time, the money does not serve their interests or reach them in their daily lives. Even if only half of the given funds reach the clinics and hospitals at the end of the line , it does not even mean that it serves the patients .
Typical statements from Have Nots in Makete:
“What to do? That is the money of the church.”
“It is the money of the government (minister, party)”
“It is the money of that (foreign) organization (NGO) or expatriate”
Have Nots suffer under corruption and live lives of great frustration! Very often they work hard, but live worse than a pauper’s life. Too often, their productive power only feeds the Elites. They have little means to cover basic life costs and most of the time no money at all to pay for the education of their children. Many children have been orphaned and are forced to take on the responsibilities of an adult caring for even younger Have Nots.
In the given system Have Nots are trapped in a vicious circle. Disease makes them poorer and poverty is the biggest risk factor for HIV infection.
Paradoxically, their greatest asset is that they have nothing to lose and that they understand very well their situation – nobody needs to explain to them their needs, though this is repeatedly tried by researchers, policy makers and Do-gooders at big conferences, adding to mountains of papers and publications and doing nothing to change the lot of the poor.
As capable human beings, Have Nots can solve their problems quickly and in the most economic manner, but only if they are educated, are asked and informed about policies, scandals and rights. In short, if they are provided a fair and favorable environment, they are their own best experts.
Have Nots are not simply people who are “in need” of “help” They can do things to high standards if they are empowered and given control of their own systems!


Introduction of the players II: The Do-Gooders

The Do-gooders are usually well-educated people, mainly from Europe, North America, and Australia, with an increasing share of the planet’s wealth and the time and resources to do other things as their own basic needs are well covered. Some of them have been working in the “field of poverty and aid” for many years and hold a common view – or are at least pretending to have this view - that every part in the world considered poor and in need can be “developed” through their expertise in education, humanitarianism, planning and programming.
The Do-gooders are separated into two main groups:
The naïve Idealists
Their main aim seems to be to find some meaning in life by helping poor people and “changing the face of the world”. They often overestimate their power to bring about change; some of them invest huge amounts of personal resources and they tend to take over duties that should be done by the legally established systems that are part of a working society and controlled by local governments freely elected by people in the “focus country”. Therefore, they are often unwittingly and indirectly feeding corruption because they deliver services for free while their progress is claimed by people who have been designated by local systems to deliver these services as civil servants. The work of the Do-Gooders gets paid by foreign sources budgets and donations, while the designated government funds for the same services are simply pocketed by corrupt Elites.
The Careerists
Very often these professional Do-Gooders are very well paid and refer to one another as experts. They mainly work in the capital cities of “poor focus countries” and rarely try to put on the shoes of the Have Nots. Sometimes they get physically close to them in air-conditioned 4WD SUVs when they go to talk with their local field officers and sometimes with local Elites in order to get input for their “reports to higher levels”.
In some cases, they are disappointed former naïve idealists. Often they are full of doubt and talk differently about their work while drinking a glass of beer than when they are doing presentations at “high level meetings”, to their bosses, to donors, to conferences, and especially to researchers and program evaluation staff.
The affinity for 4WD vehicles, swimming pools, high society receptions, yacht clubs, and cocktail dinners at international hotels, expensive safari drives and tourist adventures is high among them. It is especially the case with the Do-gooders who are head office staff for NGOs and FBOs, and even with members of solidarity and church groups that are doing “project assessment visits”.
Some Do-Gooders are able to spend an amount of money in just a few weeks that a Have Not in the given country would need about 200 years to earn.


Introduction of the players III: The Elites

The Elites are a group of economically lucky people who are benefiting from the existence of protected niches in globalized, yet underexposed and undemocratic systems that give them access to knowledge, skills, mobility, information and money that allow them a good life. They use diplomatic, political and NGO influence and protection in order to keep these systems running.
They are not used to criticism and they tend to use their local and international networks and power to suppress any discussion about their group!
This class is always trying to protect itself but, often using the umbrella of humanitarianism to camouflage links with similarly protected business interest, working together to keep the pipelines of donor funds open.
Many times the elites have easy access to mostly uncontrolled and badly-monitored development funds that they use to keep the aid business going and serving their own wealth. They fear a free press (for obvious reasons) and tend to influence, intimidate and corrupt it.
The professions that are over-represented in this class are:

• Ministers, politicians and high level civil servants
• Members of Parliaments
• Media professionals
• Clergy from all denominations
• Business people
• Development Experts
• Academics
• Diplomats
• NGO representatives

At local levels:

• Religious leaders
• Degree and diploma holders
• Academics
• Literates
• Health care staff (doctors, pharmacists, district medical officers…)




The Obstacles – Vested Interests of the players

EAWM’s experience convinces us that it is not in the main interest of the Elites and most of the Do-gooders to solve the problem of spread of HIV/AIDS – otherwise the problem would be much closer to being solved and the world would be a different place .
If demand by clients or “customers” exists, usually they get whatever they want delivered to any place in the world, in high quality and in no time. A precondition is that consumers are allowed to choose suppliers and to control their money. Obviously that is one of the fundamental tools that keep the world moving .
(Making a Do-gooder feel good, is not necessarily an asset for the Have Nots in overcoming the problem of a lack of care and treatment or any of their other genuine needs. Rather, it only addicts the Do-gooder to “helping” the poor in order to get more of the feel-good benefit! Sometimes, Have Nots who are stepping out of their oppressed state threaten the Do-gooders by becoming direct competitors in the chase for donor dollars and local esteem.)
The demand of the Have Nots for proper care and treatment obviously exists! Unsurprisingly, Have Nots are the most genuine group and are keen to solve their problems.
The crux is that they cannot pay. They have no insurance and, more importantly, no mechanism for controlling tax money and government budgets which are theirs as citizens. Most of the time, they are not asked and still not included as a capable workforce to address local needs, even though they have skills, knowledge and creativity. They are cut off from information, rights, mobility and communication – which denies them access to the assets of Elites and Do-gooders.
This is in large measure because the Do-gooders and Elites “own” the job of helping the Have Nots. They benefit directly from the conferences about the problems of the poor: they get flights paid, they stay in nice hotels, they work full time on the “challenge”; they feel good about being humanitarians; they develop spiritually and ethically on the backs of the Have Nots; they are living an adventure, getting experience and improving their own market value as development experts; they get awards for helping the poor; they donate some of their own money to feel better… For so many reasons they need the Have Nots. One of the highest profile and most powerful among them even called the dreadful burden of AIDS “quite a gift” .
Have Nots provide the justification, the ongoing need for aid that keeps the system running and subsequently feeds the interests of the Elites. The Have Nots create thousands and thousands of jobs for the Elites!
When Have Nots are taught and allowed to use self-determined means, they no longer need the Do-gooders or the parasitic Elites any longer. Here is an ironic and destructive conflict of interest!