UN Report

On account of its status as a "consultative" NGO, the UN asked DPG to write a report summarizing all the work achieved from 2004-2007. The document needs to list in bullet-point format exact number of cured hungry people, number of children educated, number of women empowered...It's like a recipie list for saving the world. First put two pounds of universal healthcare, then add one cup of free education, and a dash of clean water. Bake in a 100'x150'x200' conference room for 10 years at maximum pressure. Allow it to cool until capitalism assimilates. Then sprinkle in human rights to taste. The only difference is, in a recipie book you get a photograph of the final prodct. But this report only allows a 5-page 12-point font double-spaced text summary of DPG's povery-eradicating creme brulee.

On a side note, a book I just read by Amartya Sens, mentioned that if countries measure their poverty rates (or success at eradicating poverty) with body counts, they tend to focus relief efforts on the richest of the poor as they would be considered the most "effective" use of the fund. But then resources would not be allocated according to the greatest need. It's hard to tell if this applies also to work done on a grassroot level.