Africa’s Hope for the Future,

In Africa children are starving and homeless. The reason for this is that many of the childrens’ parents have died from AIDS or wars. While one would assume that the children could be taken care of by families, most of the relatives

United Nationes International Children’s Emergency Fund retrieved December 12, 2002

The two positive effects that NGOs have on children can be looked at more closely from the World Systems Theory and the Modernization theory. The World-Systems theory states that “the affluence of rich countries in the contemporary world results from the long-term economic exploitation of poor countries” (Bradshaw and Wallace, 1996). What this means is that when a poor country is impoverished it is assumed to be the other, first-world, countries’ responsibility to pay attention to them and therefore help them get out of poverty. One can look at this theory and see that while rich countries are given the responsibility of another country’s poverty the rich countries are also turning around and finding out how to decrease poverty and increase education. The reasons for the first-world countries helping the third world countries now, after exploiting them, could be that they have the capabilities to help other countries because of their success. Another reason could stem from technology. Because of technology people are able to go to third-world countries and broadcast to the first-world countries the horror children live in. It is this knowledge that leads people in the first-world to do something about it. It is that inspiration to fix the problem that leads to organizations being formed to help children and help the deprived societies of Africa. While the World-Systems Theory explains that the rich countries are to blame for poor countries’ faults, through the work of NGOs, the wealthy countries can now be credited with bettering the life of poor children in Africa.

On the flip side, the Modernization theory focuses on how a country is poor (or rich) based upon its economy, industrialization, and class structure (high middle class= rich country; versus high lower class=poor country). Basically while the World-Systems theory looks at the outside actors, the Modernization theory sees the victim as the reason for the lack of success (Bradshaw and Wallace, 1996). The NGOs that provide money for organizations within Africa help with the modernizing of the country. The more modern a country becomes the more easily that country can stand on its own feet. The World-system theory sees the gap that is made between first-world and deprived, third-world countries to better the first-world country. However, it is now the work of the affluent countries that is the reason for extending lives of children and providing education.

Moszynski, Peter (2002). NGOs in sex for food scandal.

Some topics in this essay:
Africa’s Promise, Bradshaw Wallace, UNIVEF Zambia’s, Children Initiative, International Children’s, , World-Systems Theory, Modernization Theory, Moszynski Peter, Theory Modernization, african children, children africa, modernization theory, non-government organizations, rich countries, africa’s promise, succession planning, positive effects, world-systems theory, african children initiative, sexual abuse, hope african children, nations international children’s, bradshaw wallace 1996, united nations international,