Street children in Philippines and World.

Emilia’s point is straight forward: what guarantees do you have that the monies will be spent in a way that the developing countries’ operatives want it spent if it is being filtered through large US corporations? This is a valid concern since so many of these nations have issues that are long-standing because in some cases outsiders have given them the wrong kind of help. It seems clear that you would want the developing countries’ to lead these projects, with assistance AS NEEDED AND REQUESTED of the large corps if you want to really make a change. Otherwise, it smacks of more of the same old thing, and implies the locals don’t know what they need to make things better. Again, I think Emilia’s concern is valid. Even innovative ideas for application in developing countries that come from the outside should be evaluated by the people in the country to make certain that it is a workable solution for them. While we can say it doesn’t matter where the idea comes from, when it comes to patents, and recognition (=dollars for support), it matters a lot. So yes, good ideas should be shared, spread around, and most importantly, put to use. But roles need to be clearly defined so that progress is made, not blocked due to mis-communication and mis-understandings.

G. Jones