About Us

All children have the right to access quality basic education. IDAY exists because too many African children and youth are still deprived of it. Africa has the necessary resources to achieve it but a greater share needs to be allocated to education, health and basic amenities. Local civil society has a leading role to play to support this change. Constructive dialogue and trust between citizens and their authorities are key to successful development processes and respect of fundamentals rights. Aware of this, IDAY-network members lead advocacy campaigns towards their government for every child and youth in Africa to enjoy their right to free quality basic education.

IDAY takes a critical look at the current functioning of development aid. Investment policies designed to reduce level of poverty in recipient countries, especially in sub Saharan Africa, are globally underperforming and doomed to failure. From the end of 1980s, researchers questioned the contribution of foreign aid to the development of recipient countries (Riddel 1987). Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, it has even turned out that aid actually delays development and thus the fight against poverty in these countries (Dambisa Moyo 2009, Easterly 2014, Angus Deaton 2015). Indeed, aid, whether private or public, replaces the actions that governments should take and condemns local civil societies to beg from generous external donors. This substitution effect is resumed in the Samaritan Dilemma (Buchanan 1997, Gibson 2010). Moreover, foreign aid seeks to impose models that are not adapted to the customs of the countries in which it is intended. Donors are more concerned about controlling their funds and their interests dominate the needs of recipients. In education, the education system does not sufficiently meet the needs of the population, and notably of most young Africans. This contributes to school drop-out and undoubtedly illegal emigration. The example of vocational training is symptomatic: imitating the models of donor countries, foreign aid concentrates on long-term full-time training. But it is impossible for a young African not to work for several weeks in a row! The northern model is only suitable for the formation of an elite. On the contrary, trainings offered by local civil societies are much more equitable: arranged schedules allow young people to stay in their jobs. Finally, the final beneficiary benefits very little from this aid, and as a report from EURODAD shows, for every dollar that enters Africa, 2 come out, half of which is in illicit financial flows. In response to this observation confirmed by numerous studies, IDAY proposes new ways to create the conditions for a sustainable development for all. To avoid this kind of drift, the only process likely to respond globally, sustainably and equitably to the needs of the poor would be to bring the governments concerned, the organisations of their civil societies and the business sector to work together (Amartaya Sen 1998 ). Development philanthropy must therefore adopt a new approach that consist in not wanting to solve problems itself, but to encourage local civil societies to have the validity of their proposals recognised by the responsible authorities. In 2017, IDAY published its brochure Killer Charities: Together for a Modern Development Philanthropy to bring the subject to the public attention and initiate a real democratic debate with authorities and citizens. (Order our Brochure) IDAY also organises conferences on the subject. (Contact us to organise a conference)

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