I am writing to express my strong belief that the United States should strive to be in a place of global leadership in terms of poverty-reducing humanitarian aid. We should support foreign aid initiatives that aim to improve the living conditions of the world’s most desperate people. Though this sentiment is often met with opposition based on concern for domestic issues, and it is true that the United States has internal problems, I do not believe this warrants ignorance of issues abroad. Nor does it excuse our refusal to help those we have the power to help.

In my work volunteering with the Borgen Project — a nonprofit whose mission is to make poverty-reducing foreign aid a focus of American foreign policy — it has become clear that support for humanitarian aid does not have to come from a place of generosity. Its defense can also be rooted in purely American interests. As developing nations progress, for instance, these countries can constitute new consumer bases to buy American goods, creating jobs here in the U.S.

Additionally, there are national security implications associated with foreign aid. By sending humanitarian assistance to crisis-stricken areas, the United States can make these regions less habitable for extremist or armed groups which may exploit those conditions for their gain. Thus, the infusion of aid protects and improves the lives of those not just living in the region, but everyone around the world, including those in the United States.

Zoe Niebauer,

Center Township