Band Aid ‘like Sending Get Well Card To... (Press, 16 June 1988)

Colonel Hugh Mac Kay, retiring director of the Save the Children Fund, highlighted a dire global crisis at the annual conference of the New Zealand branch in Wellington on 16 June 1988. He pointed out that the equivalent of a jumbo jet full of children dies every 18 minutes due to disease, starvation, and poverty, with about 40,000 children dying daily. Mac Kay described this situation as a "silent and hidden emergency" that receives little attention. He provided a stark example from south-west Uganda, where entire villages have been abandoned because of the AIDS epidemic. The fund is currently caring for approximately 3,000 orphans whose parents have succumbed to the disease and who are themselves now H.I.V. carriers. Tragically, many of these orphans are expected to perish within five years due to the combined effects of poverty and illness. Mac Kay critiqued the aid efforts, noting a kind of poverty in how aid programmes are designed and executed. He emphasised that while some believe that building infrastructure such as harbours and bridges is sufficient for aid, others think simply pouring money into a country will help those in need. He also stressed that environmental destruction, such as deforestation, exacerbates issues, creating deserts and degrading the lands where vulnerable populations live. Additionally, he pointed out the squalor in urban settings that deprives residents of hope and aspiration, highlighting the ongoing accumulation of slums as a significant concern. Mac Kay urged for a shift in how aid is approached, advocating for investment in long-term development rather than relying on short-term emergency solutions. He likened initiatives like Band Aid and USA for Africa to merely sending a "get well card" to starving populations, lacking the depth necessary to inspire real change. He called for a better training framework for leaders and professionals in developing countries, insisting that engineers should be educated not only in construction but also in the environmental impacts of their work. Similarly, medical professionals should focus on healthcare management as well as treatment. His remarks pointed towards the necessity of sustainable approaches to aid and development to create a lasting impact on the communities in need.

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