A $5.9 Million Gaff?
Attention to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo reached a peak with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Goma more than two months ago. Following the Secretary’s visit there have been various State Department and AFRICOM visits to the region in order to follow up on the announcement of $17 million to combat sexual violence.
Two days ago, the US Department of Defense announced a donation of medicines worth $6 million to a local organization, HEAL Africa. A large press conference was held as the medications arrived at the airport and the handover was televised. HEAL Africa called the national pharmaceutical inspector to take the drugs immediately after the ceremony in order to determine the actual value and quantity.
The total worth of the goods donated was $8,500 and all the medicines are readily available for purchase at a medical storehouse in Goma. Though it is never polite to look a gift horse in the mouth, one must question the intentions involved in the incredibly inflated value given by the Department of Defense.
Follow up correspondence has been made with the Department in order to find out if this is a mistake or if there are more medications on the way, though no mention of this was made. Let’s hope it is one of these, otherwise it is a huge embarrassment for the American government.
November 2, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Please keep me posted on what transpires!! Miss you guys already…
December 20, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Not to speak about the tax inspectors coming to HEAL Africa to see what we will be doing with this oh so generous gift of 6m$ and patients refusing to pay for medication as we really don’t need their money anymore, do we?
what’s been the follow-up on this, are we public yet? Does anybody care?
Most people I told this story to thought it sounded all too familiar…it seems to be the way it goes.