Dear friends from neighboring nations, aid workers, donors, dignitaries, fellow social servers who care about Nepal, Here’s a humble request from yet another Nepali.

“Do help us, by not helping us now!”

No, this is not trying to make a mockery out of you or to slight you, It is but a serious proposition! A cry for help.

Your help day by day is making us addicted. It is NOT your fault. It is ours. We have become greedier because of your generosity. We want more now, but by doing less and less now.

We have become lazier because of your wealth distribution, for we know it is easier to ask (or loot) from you, than to earn it in a dignified way on our own. It is getting harder to convince youths to work for “hard-earned money” when “easy money” is handed nearby. Why do we have the most educated youths opting for the tens of thousands of NGO’s (non profits) littered around the country? Why do you think almost all our parliamentarians are traveling abroad and doing anything but  building the right policies? You know most of their trip expenses or their salary comes from your “aid” right ?

(So let us be)

We are fast learning the easy way to hustle wealth. We all know, “easy money” is  synonymous with “Aid dollars” here in Nepal. Even a cow-herder in remote Bajura, knows this. Last time I was there, s/he was waiting on an empty hospital complex, waiting for your money to help resurrect our empty hospitals like his. S/he will wait until you melt seeing their “helplessness” in that pathetic state. S/he will never count on her community nor herself to start finding a solution ourselves. (let us be)

We are learning that it is safer, easier and materially rewarding to wait for disasters after disasters in Nepal, because we recognize poverty, disasters, self-inflicted problems are the key to easy money pouring into Nepal. So this time around, will you help us by taking us away from this appetite for the “status-quo” or “disaster-love”. (let us be)

I can see, how when you initially refuse to help us, we will suffer. Consider this a “withdrawal syndrome” (to our aid addiction). At first we get a terrible hangover, we will cry like maniacs, plead, shout, threaten and we may even hurt each other! Fine.
Then we will slowly figure that there is no one (no mummy) who will come to our doors to help us, no aid coming to give us our ‘fix’. Only then we might just start sorting our matters ourselves.

(So let us be)

This mess is ours to solve even though we might dig ourself digger into the hole in the short run. The only way out of this addiction is a complete withdrawal from this greed drug we inhale day in and out, in Kathmandu specially.

(So let us be)

Leave us alone now, even when we might threaten to harm ourselves and our dear ones. Out of our own pain, will come our salvation. This addiction has to stop.

(So let us be)

And, when we have finally come out of this ‘re-hab’ (we will), only then please come over with your open arms and your generosity. Ask us, “Hi there! how can we now work together for mutual benefit?” This way, give us a bit of self-dignity while we make a head-start again. Never “aid” us. Always “Work” with us. How about foreign trade instead of foreign aid ?

So till then, for better or worse, let us Nepalis figure it all out for each-other. We owe it to you and the rest of the world to get back in track. You will be doing us a great “service”.

Thank you. 
A Nepali (in with-drawl)

Further read:
2 reasons why Foreign aid is not effective
Why poor countries never develop