Madonna starts school construction in Malawi, High Heels

Madonna broke ground in Malawi yesterday, planting a tree on the site where a $15m girls school — funded by the music superstar — is to be built in the coming months. Events like these beg the question: What is the most efficient use of money for poverty alleviation? Wouldn’t it have been better to divert the money used on Madonna’s (and her entourage’s) flight to build a better, or even other schools? And why would you wear stilettos to a construction site?

Celebrity volunteerism, or really any international volunteerism, raises interesting questions about the efficiency of development. To speak from personal experience, I have volunteered abroad  for several weeks at a time, and can assure you that the work I did could have been done far more cheaply and effectively by local labor. Nonetheless, I believe there is immense long-term value in international volunteerism in that it creates a large population of individuals in western countries that have first-hand experience with the realities of poverty. These experiences are what transform “2.6 billion live on less than $2 a day” to “individuals who I know and care about, and who are very hard-working people but are unable to escape poverty due to the actions of my government, live on less than $2 a day.” Celebrity volunteers act as a conduit to problems on the ground, using their far-reaching voice to transmit their experiences to the people who admire them. This might encourage people to learn more about a certain issue, or other problems around the world as well. Despite the millions or billions of dollars “wasted,” the long-term investment will be invaluable, especially when a senator, house representative, or president is one of those international volunteers. A quote like this, from Madonna, really sums it up: “Growing up in a privileged life, I took education for granted. Coming to Malawi has taught me a lot.” Really though Madonna, you’re doing great work, but lose the heels.

[Times Live]