Sushi bars? Pools? I'll be a international nonprofit worker, too!

The WaPo has an interesting take on NGO workers in Liberia. Liberia is cool because it was founded by ex-American slaves back in 1822 and has a lady president. It's not cool because it has endured a horrific civil war for over two decades. The piece talks about the harsh living discrepenicies between the mostly white Western NGO workers and European U.N. workers and the African locals.

When you read about the sushi bars, luxury vehicles and four-star hotels, one is slightly PO'ed because when the word NGO worker comes to mind, you think about shacks, knapsacks and hippies looking to make a difference. You also have to wonder where your private donations and taxpayer dollars are going. Hell, if I realized international work could be so damn comfortable, I would have peaced out to worn-torn African countries years ago.

Of course, you can take this reporting with a grain of salt, but the bigger dynamic at play sounds all too familiar. The stratification of class and race is inescapable. I think the bigger question is how can an infrastructure exist to support the dominant class of white foreigners (and small native elite), yet the average Liberian doesn't have running water, a living wage or even food? The even bigger question is how can a country with such a rich and strong history rehabilitate itself after decades of civil war? What does the presence of these workers mean to the people of Liberia? How does living so comfortably affect local perception of foreign aid workers? Where is the oversight?