CHEAT SHEETS

Development Aid Development aid is any type of aid which aims to help people help themselves. For example, the building of schools or training of teachers to promote education or the building of clinics and the training of nurses to expand health care provision. Development aid helps countries become independent. Most of the aid given by developed countries is development aid.

Emergency Aid Emergency aid (or humanitarian assistance) is aid given in response to a crisis such as a drought or in times of war. Emergency aid may include tents, blankets or medical aid. Emergency aid is short-term aid designed to support only to the end of the crisis.

Voluntary Aid Voluntary aid is when volunteers, usually with skills or experience such as doctors, teachers, engineers or technicians, give up their time to work abroad in countries where people require support. Voluntary aid is designed to bring about long-term improvement in the lives of the people supported.

Bi-lateral Aid (between two countries) Bilateral aid is where one country gives directly to another e.g. the UK provides bed-nets to prevent the spread of malaria in Tanzania. Over half of all UK aid is bilateral given directly by the UK Government to other governments around the world. In 2011/12 the UK Government gave £4.2 billion in bilateral aid out of an aid budget of £7.8 billion.

Multi-lateral Aid (between many countries) Multilateral aid is where groups of countries work together to provide aid. For example, the United Nations and the European Union, both multi-member organisations, provide a range of multilateral aid to countries in Africa and across the developing world. About 35% of all aid is multilateral. In 2011/12 the UK Government gave £3.2 billion to multilateral aid programmes.

Voluntary Service Voluntary (or charitable) service is support given by individuals or groups such as Oxfam, Save the Children or the Red Cross. Voluntary service is independent of government although the UK Government gave voluntary organisations £336m to support their aid programmes in 2011/12. About 10% of all aid going to the developing world is voluntary aid.