Who should have the most say in how aid is used: the countries giving the aid or the communities receiving it?

I believe that countries receiving and providing aid should all have an equal say. This standpoint will demonstrate how a shared collaboration between donor governments,NGOs and local communities creates the most sustainable impact.

An example of this is the One Wash National Programme (OWNP) in Ethiopia. Launched in 2013 and still active today, it focuses on self supply and community-managed water systems and sanitation. Donor governments like UNICEF, DFID, KOICA, World Bank ,Netherlands, Finland, Saudi Arabia and the African development bank funded this project by providing money and resources as well as infrastructure like Hygiene services. These governments also collaborated with the NGO IRC WASH in Ethiopia that helped to send professionals to train the locals to be able to monitor water quality and provide their own expertise. The local communities acted as the executives making their own committee known as WASHCO with the help of IRC to manage this project and contribute financially towards it.

As seen in Ethiopia, NGOs train locals to be able to carry out important tasks to ensure long term stability after the NGOs leave. These NGOs understand a community's needs and know how to help them. This can decrease ineffective aid and dependency as the community can now sustain itself.

Donor governments on the other hand provide funding and resources,but they may use international aid for their own strategic, economic and political interests without consulting with the communities receiving the aid first. This can make the aid ineffective for the communities receiving it and open them up to corruption and exploitation.

Local communities provide feedback and they know exactly what their priorities are and how to solve their problems. Some argue that the local communities don't know how to manage aid well and corruption is easy at a local level, but this is why the donor governments and NGOs should be part of this as they can guide communities and teach them how to manage these resources effectively.

A shared collaboration between these groups will lead to a long lasting and sustainable impact on countries receiving and providing aid. Through legal contracts and agreements, everyone can contribute equally, so that when the donor governments and NGOs leave, local communities can thrive on their own.