Think of the Children in Africa

The purpose of this work is to contrast the academic discussion on whether the affluent countries have a responsibility or not to provide food aid for the LDCs, to the views of food aid recipients. In addition to the issue of responsibility, Daniel Wallinder also discusses the responsibilities of individuals contra governments, and what type of aid (if any) that would be preferable in order to ensure food security. In order to gather information on the recipients' points of views, Wallinder have conducted a minor field study in The Gambia and interviewed former food aid recipients. In the academic discussion Thomas Pogge, Peter Singer, Dale Jamieson, and David Miller are represented. The results of the field study shows that most of the recipients argue that the affluent countries in the world have a moral responsibility to assist the LDCs, since they have the ability to assist. In contrast to the academic discussion, it becomes clear that the interviewees base their arguments on a different moral foundation than some of the theorists, and that they have different perspectives on how to eradicate poverty and ensure food security.