Charity groups think US ‘should delete its (US Aid) logos’ on aid to Pakistan
A group of 11 prominent charities is preparing a letter calling on the US to remove logos on American-funded assistance in Pakistan. The letter, signed by charities including Save the Children, Oxfam, and World Vision says that such “branding” of aid jeopardizes their neutrality. They say that this is especially dangerous in a country with numerous anti-American militants. The letter will be delivered later this week in Washington, officials say.
The groups claim that there are “strong indicators” that US Aid branding will attract violent attacks for both “economic and ideologically-motivated reasons.” The appeal is being sent to the US government aid agency, USAID, by InterAction group, a coalition of more than 160 humanitarian groups working around the globe. Should be noted that the US government requires non-governmental organizations that receive funding to brand any aid with the agency’s logo and the words “from the American people” translated into appropriate local languages.
Pakistan has been ravaged recently by floods, with millions of people displaced across the country. You’d think militant groups would think of that first and foremost, before attacking charity groups because of some logo on donated bags of food. One would also think that all this US aid, announced by the logo, would temper some of the ideological hatred that inspires such attacks in the first place.
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I dunno. How do you think People from manhattan would have felt about “Bin Laden Aid”?