Already major debt relief for Bolivia and Honduras is being held up for lack of U.S. funding. The possibility that this initiative will fail is something that our church partners in Africa and Latin America dread to contemplate. Through a host of church institutions, from relief and development programs to hospitals and schools, they are with the poorest of the poor and see every day in countless ways the practical consequences of debt. They know that debt relief is not a panacea. It alone will not end poverty.
Poverty is much too complex and deep-seated for that.
They know that it must be tackled first by their own governments and people working together on a variety of fronts for the common good. Yet their people are too poor to do it alone. Unless the debt burden is sharply reduced, it will continue to drain resources needed for education, health and other essential investments, and make the task of poverty reduction immensely more difficult. A few weeks ago, the Senate and the House were set to approve only very small amounts for poor-country debt relief. Then something most heartening occurred during the House floor debate on the foreign aid bill.