the Department for International Development
/ðə dɪˌpɑːtmənt fər ɪntəˌnæʃnəl dɪˈveləpmənt/
/ðə dɪˌpɑːrtmənt fər ɪntərˌnæʃnəl dɪˈveləpmənt/
(abbreviation DFID)
- a British government department that gives help to poorer countries by sending money, food, equipment, etc.Culture aidaidMost aid (= money, food and equipment) is given to the world's poorest countries to help reduce poverty. Projects paid for by aid money are often aimed at improving local housing and water supply, agriculture, health and education. Training local people is a central part of many programmes. A lot of aid money comes from governments, but development projects are often run with the help of NGOs (non-governmental organizations), such as charities. Some charities, for example, Oxfam, the Red Cross and Save the Children, run their own aid programmes with money given by the general public. Additional emergency aid is given after natural disasters.The British government gives aid each year to developing countries. The distribution of aid is organized by the Department for International Development. Some aid is given direct to individual countries; the rest is distributed through international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank. Britain, together with other countries, is helping to reduce the debts of poorer countries and may under certain circumstances cancel debts.The US began giving foreign aid during the Second World War, when the Lend-Lease Act made it possible to give military equipment to foreign countries. After the war the US created the Marshall Plan, a $15 billion programme to help European countries rebuild their economies. The US has continued to spend large amounts of money on foreign aid although it has sometimes been criticized for the way it decides who to help. USAID distributes US foreign aid.Two organizations are particularly concerned with training local people. In Britain Voluntary Service Overseas arranges for people to work abroad for a few years so that they can pass on their skills. They are paid at local rates by the government of the country they are working in. The Peace Corps, a US government agency, does similar work but it pays the living expenses of the volunteers and gives them a small amount of money each month.