The meaning of food. There are those within the international development community that see food as a form of aid that is unsustainable.  Food distribution is seen as a drain on resources that does not provide any long-term benefits in a person's life. Education opens doors to future jobs and careers.  Entrepreneurship training opens the doors to new markets and business opportunities. Yet the food simply goes in and eventually comes out, and then more is needed.

And the people that have this opinion are absolutely right. Food aid by its very nature is not a sustainable development program. It is something that money goes into and no return is ever seen.

Yet, recently, I have become aware of an issue. Many of those I have talked to who feel that food aid is unsustainable also desire to lower funding for food aid. They desire to move funding from food aid to "long-term sustainable programs."  They want returns and measurable outcomes that are being met. And the way they talk it appears that they feel they can have the "long-term sustainable program" without the food aid.

But I do not think they can. I think they are misunderstanding the meaning of food, or indeed the meaning of the provision of any basic need.  Refugees do not flee their homes, go through war and trauma, lose contact with family members, and walk for miles, only to arrive in Kenya and say, "Boy, do I need some peacebuilding!", or "Excuse me, but where is the nearest computer training course?" They want food, medical care, clothes, and shelter. They need immediate needs filled.

I think many donors are viewing food aid as simply about putting food in the belly. And by viewing food that way it is obviously easily seen as a drain on resources that must be satisfied with large, continuous, monthly payments with no obvious, sustainable goal even years later. But the meaning of food lies not in the physical aspect, but in the social-emotional-psychological realm. Food says we are with you in your hour of need.  Food says this is a safe place.  Food says these people can be trusted. Food says you can rest from your journey. Food says you can take some time to consider what is next.

It takes away an immediate threat and it provides a certain amount of breathing room that was not there before the food. But above all, food brings clients to an NGO's door, as does the provision of any basic need. And once the clients are at your door, feeling safe, being able to rest, trusting the giver, it becomes vastly easier to have those clients embrace whatever truly long-term, sustainable programs that are offered. They will embrace your entrepreneurship programs, conflict mitigation programs, and scholarship programs.

But without offering food, or meeting some sort of basic need, there is a real danger that when the long-term sustainable programs are developed fewer clients will be around to take advantage of them.  They will be somewhere else looking for food, medical care, shelter, the things they need to stay alive.  And yes, maybe they will find places to meet those needs and still end up finding their way to your NGO and its sexy micro-loan program, or that fantastic, wizard of a peacebuilding program in Kayole. 

But why risk it? Why not change the understanding of what food means and continue to fund the fuel (or some version of it) that brings people to your door. That way those that need the long-term, sustainable programs will already be there with you when they are ready to receive them.  That's the meaning of food.