Archive - Mar 20, 2008 - Story
Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth
Liberia lacks doctors, teachers, lawyers, electricians ... but they may have too many cooks.
Why? To help provide jobs following the end of Liberia's long and costly civil war, many international humanitarian agencies began delivering skills trainings to women. The most commonly taught skill? Baking, of course.
But there just aren't enough jobs for all the newly trained pastry makers. So women who learned to make wedding cakes and fancy foreign pastries are now selling two-cent donuts on the street. And foreign-owned companies (mostly Lebanese) continue to dominate the pastry making business.
In the rush to help Liberia, it appears that well-intended job trainings did not reflect market demand. The problem goes beyond baking. Other aid organizations continue to train women in the art of tie-dying. But unless Liberia's demand for tie-dyed shirts and sarongs reflects 1960s America, they may be wasting their time.
Digg
Facebook
Google Buzz
LinkedIn
StumbleUpon
Twitter
Recent comments
on GOMANGO! A simple solution to save Haiti's leading fruit
on Groups claim World Bank aids land grabs
on Is Foreign Aid Helping Or Hurting Africa?
on More than an argument, land conflicts stall economic growth
on Honduras envisions a Caribbean Hong Kong, but 'charter city' plan meets criticism