Causes of Poverty Remain

The avoidance of dealing with the root causes of oppression means that, in effect, World Vision is propping up the status quo and perpetuating the poverty. People of the Third World become dependent on charity, instead of being helped to help themselves.

Rumoured links with the CIA aside, it is most probably World Vision's political conservatism that has kept it in the New Zealand government's favour. In 1978 the National Government made donations to World Vision tax-deductible. A year later it removed tax-deductability from donations to CORSO, as well as ending its annual grant of $40,000. CORSO had a reputation of exposing the causes of poverty and pushing for change which seems not to be in line with the government's conception of aid.

People who support the methods of aid groups like CORSO believe it will take more than what Mr Muldoon calls "the natural generosity of New Zealand citizens" to "speed the day of victory" in the war on want.

Michele A'Court