Best thing we could possibly do is to cut off just about all foreign aid, relief, supplements, donations, etc., etc. The sooner we stop handing them more money for guns (that's what really happens), the sooner they find their own ways to get money, meaning developing natural resources. Once they have a source of income, wars won't be as common (still common, by world standards, but a lot less). That, and if we stop telling them how and where to run their governments they can eventually form thier own borders and EFFECTIVE governments.
I think that would have been the best thing to do in the FIRST place. But at this point, it isn't that they're poor and have malaria. It's a straight up crisis area, and I feel that we should do something about it. I'm not saying, you know, throw money at them, or even go in and topple their governments.
I'm saying we should force our way PAST their governments and start feeding and educating people. Combine the two. Give free meals at schools so that parents will want their kids to go, if only so that they don't starve. Fund family planning health clinics that provide abortions and condoms and birth control and STD testing. Fund education for women.
With adults, especially women, focus on teaching people marketable skills. Even if you don't teach the adults to read and write, once they better their own lives and the lives of their children economically, they will want even better for their children, and get them off to school for literacy and such.
You're right, throwing money and donations at Africa only funds war and suffering. The better solution would be to fund the organizations and people who want to go there and actually help people BEYOND just giving them free meals.
Unfortunately, the US doesn't like doing that. We like to rely on religious organizations to help the poor. This usually doesn't work out especially well for the poor.
