Why can’t Britain’s foreign aid be used to help Christians too?

For years now, the British government has prided itself on how much money it gives away in foreign aid. But of course it’s not just the amount that matters — it’s how effective it is. Now that the Prime Minister is to wrap the Department for International Development back into the Foreign Office, it’s a chance for us to ask again: who are we as a country? What are our values? And how can we ensure that taxpayers’ money is well spent?

It can be difficult to ensure that a recipient of aid is legitimate and worthy. That’s why there’s been a tendency for the UK and aid agencies to rely on giving to foreign governments and their bureaucracies.

But in doing this we’ve risked sending good money after bad: losing it amid suffocating bureaucracy, inefficiency and outright corruption. In Pakistan, for example, a large chunk of educational aid is in danger of being wasted because DfID-related contractors have built substandard school buildings which may need replacing.