Mr. Bush Goes to Africa

Great piece in the New York Times by Josh Ruxin (who wrote this earlier balanced and narrative-busting piece during the heat of the Kenya Election Violence). This new one talks about President Bush's trip this week in Africa to check on the progress of his AIDS initiatives. He argues that while, yes the US needs to fund programs that fight AIDS and Malaria, the government should also invest in business/technology in Africa. Heres an excerpt to illustrate this point:

"In the community of Mayange, Rwanda, a Columbia University project
recently rolled out voluntary counseling and testing for AIDS. While
the community quickly took advantage of the new service, it was not
exactly the talk of the town. Several weeks later, the basket weaving
cooperative in Mayange received a purchase order for $2,000of coasters
and placemats. The community has been talking about that ever since."

 

(Photo by Mandel Ngan)