On "Hatorade" and T-Shirts for the "People of Africa"

by Eric Green · 2010-05-04 11:12:00 UTC
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Last week my Google Reader account was bombarded by posts about a guy named Jason, his idea to help the “people of Africa” with donated t-shirts and a steady stream of corresponding outrage from aid professionals and observers. Here is the go-to link for all things shirt-gate.

Here is my 140-character summary:

No shirts in Africa? Idea: Send 1M tees. Instant web of rejection. Anti-hatorade video reply posted. Roundtable convened. Rethink.

What did I learn from this back-and-forth? First, many Africans do already have shirts (thanks, blogosphere!). Second, in-kind donations of items like shirts and shoes from far away lands do not make for good humanitarian aid. We were reminded of this after the earthquake in Haiti.

A weekend re-branding suggests that the folks at 1millionshirts.org may have learned a few things as well. Most significantly, the site no longer refers to the “people of Africa.” The goal, however, is still 1 million shirts raised. Why 1 million shirts? Jason and colleagues admit that the answer is not clear yet, but commit to use t-shirts “as the vehicle to help sustainable efforts in specific areas that the charities we choose to work with are involved in.”

In their defense, you don’t have too many options after you pay $1.99 for the domain name 1millionshirts.org, right?

As we wait to see what will come out of this effort, are there any lessons that aid/development actors and watchers can take from shirt-gate? I think so. Here are a few suggestions:

  1. In the world of web 2.0, “bad” aid ideas can come from anyone, not just aid professionals and donors.

  2. Beware: their bad ideas don't have to jump through as many hoops as our bad ideas.

  3. When bad ideas are discovered, it helps to speak up. The crowd can make a difference.

  4. In such cases, remember that most people will only come to the table with “good intentions.” Offer them a seat anyway.

  5. All good snark has its limits.

There will be more 1millionshirts efforts — you can bet on it. USAID has. Here is a link to a contest to create a public service announcement to get out the message that cash is best when it comes to disaster relief. Upload your entry here.

Photo Credit: katieschenk

Eric Green is an Associate in the Poverty, Gender and Youth Program at the Population Council and an Adj. Asst. Professor in the NYU Master's Program in Global Public Health.
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