IntraHealth International’s “Vital”: International Aid Is More than Altruism
Barbara Stilwell, senior director of Health Workforce Solutions, discusses U.S. foreign assistance, writing, “Most Americans grossly overestimate the percentage of the United States federal budget spent on overseas aid, which is in fact less than one percent. It works out to an average of $73 per person per year in the United States. … As individuals, and as a nation, we should be proud of what we contribute to peace in the world, as well as to the wellbeing of individuals who otherwise might not survive. Without our $73 ‘free gift to unnamed strangers,’ many health and development programs would have to close, and many people would suffer as a consequence. … We should be proud of the good it does around the globe and the benefits we can all expect from a healthier, more peaceful, and stable world” (3/9).