Imtiaz Sooliman, a medical doctor practising in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, visited a Shaikh in Istanbul in 1992. The Sufi teacher gave him a message that would dramatically change the lives of countless people.

‘To my absolute astonishment he told me I would help people for the rest of my life. He then instructed me to form a humanitarian organisation called the “Gift of the Givers”, and repeated the phrase “the best among people are those who benefit mankind”.’

Almost 30 years later Gift of the Givers, Africa’s largest humanitarian and disaster agency, has a reputation for speedy responses to floods, war, famine, fires, tsunamis, kidnapping and earthquakes. Well known for their interventions in South African and international disasters, teams of volunteers have undertaken missions to places such as Bosnia, Palestine, Japan, Haiti, Indonesia, Malawi and Mozambique. In the last few years they have turned their attention to the poorest South Africans - they have put up hospitals, run clinics, dug wells, drilled boreholes, built houses, offered scholarships and provided shelter, food and psychological succour to millions.

Originally published in 2014, the book has been brought up to date to continue the extraordinary tale of an organisation that has become a South African legend – the first to intervene in so many devastating situations and bring hope to those who have lost everything. Gift of the Givers’ reputation for direct, honest and non-partisan solution-finding has become a beacon of hope in South Africa.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the NSRI, here is a collection of daring rescues filled with drama and danger. From burning ships to shark attacks, sinking trawlers to hallucinating fishermen, these are the stories of man’s constant battle with some of the most dangerous waters on earth. But there is one story in particular that gave rise to the creation of the NSRI...

On 12 April 1966, four fishing boats put out to sea from Stilbaai on South Africa’s southern coast. Soon they were all pulling in fish as fast as they could bait their hooks, and the boats were settling lower in the water. Shortly before sunset, skipper Gerhard Dreyer saw clouds building on the horizon. But the fishing was too good and they ignored the signs. Later that night a gale force wind slammed into them. ‘I told the men to throw everything overboard,’ Gerhard remembers. An hour before midnight, Gerhard headed for deeper water to try and ride out the swells. As dawn broke, they saw for the first time the true extent of the night’s damage: among the flotsam, one man in a lifebuoy. That man was the only crewman from the other three boats to survive the terrible storm. Seventeen men died that night.

Simonstown schoolteacher Patti Price was horrified when she read the news. She began a media campaign and appealed to the president of the Society of Master Mariners. As a direct result of her efforts, the South African Inshore Rescue Service was founded in August 1966 (renamed the National Sea Rescue Institute in 1967). Today, the NSRI has 35 rescue bases and over 1 000 volunteers.

A powerful memoir about a girl from Africa whose near-death experience sparked a dream that changed the world.

When severe drought hit her village in Zimbabwe, Elizabeth, then eight, had no idea this moment of utter devastation would come to define her life’s purpose. Unable to move from hunger, she encountered a United Nations aid worker who gave her a bowl of warm porridge and saved her life. This transformative moment inspired Elizabeth to become a humanitarian, and she vowed to dedicate her life to giving back to her community, her continent, and the world.

Elizabeth has been instrumental in creating change in communities all around the world, uplifting the lives of others, just as her life was once uplifted. This memoir vividly brings to life one extraordinary woman’s story of persevering through incredible odds and finding her true calling – while delivering an important message of hope and empowerment in a time when we need it most.

'Today's questions regarding foreign aid centre around aid allocation dynamics, the impact on trade and growth for receivers as well as donors, and, quite frequently, on aid effectiveness. The inter-relationship between aid and politics are also topics of high interest. These are precisely the issues that the Handbook edited by B. Mak Arvin and Byron Lew deals with. In more than 30 contributions, some highly renowned development scholars use the theoretical state of the art combined with empirically based econometric approaches to analyse various issues in the foreign aid field. It is a great pleasure for science-oriented readers to find a wealth of findings derived from hard data and rigorous analytical methods. The book is an excellent contribution to the current foreign aid discussion.' - Siegfried Schoenherr, Ifo Institute for Economic Research, Germany 'A title like Handbook on the Economics of Foreign Aid is ambitious; it promises coverage of literature that spans from theory to empirics, from macro to micro levels of analysis, from positive to normative economics. This Handbook fulfills this ambition 100 percent. It will be the single place that people will go to get a state-of-the-art survey of a particular issue. Some chapters are written by established experts in the area, others by newcomers that bring a fresh view on the issues involved. All in all, a book that future researchers in foreign aid must consult.' - Pascalis Raimondos, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark It would be fair to say that foreign aid today is one of the most important factors in international relations and in the national economy of many countries - as well as one of the most researched fields in economics. Although much has been written on the subject of foreign aid, this book contributes by taking stock of knowledge in the field, with chapters summarizing long-standing debates as well as the latest advances. Several contributions provide new analytical insights or empirical evidence on different aspects of aid, including how aid may be linked to trade and the motives for aid giving. As a whole, the book demonstrates how researchers have dealt with increasingly complex issues over time - both theoretical and empirical - on the allocation, impact, and efficacy of aid, with aid policies placed at the center of the discussion. In addition to students, academics, researchers, and policymakers involved in development economics and foreign aid, this Handbook will appeal to all those interested in development issues and international policies. Contributors: E. Aguayo, E. Alvi, B.M. Arvin, S.A. Asongu, E. Bland, C. Boussalis, J. Brambila-Macias, S. Brown, R. Calleja, L. Chauvet, A. Das, H. Doucouliagos, V.Z. Eichenauer, G.S. Epstein, P. Exposito, S. Feeny, D. Fielding, I.N. Gang, F. Gibson, R. Gounder, P. Guillaumont, M.-C. Guisan, N. Hermes, P. Huhne, A.L. Islam, A. Isopi, S. Kablan, C. Kilby, A. Kumar, S. Lahiri, R. Lensink, B. Lew, I. Martinez-Zarzoso, I. Massa, G. Mavrotas, M. McGillivray, B. Meyer, K. Michaelowa, O. Morrissey, D. Mukherjee, P. Nunnenkamp, M. Paldam, C. Peiffer, R. Pradhan, M.G. Quibria, B. Reinsberg, D. Rowlands, M. Salois, J. Serieux, D. Sogge, S. Torrance, S. Tezanos Vazquez, L. Wagner

'Once in a while a book is published which offers an empirically and theoretically informed analysis of an under-studied topic which helps to carve out a new field of enquiry. Such is the case with Dr Sarah Bradshaw's breathtakingly detailed, richly first-hand informed, and incisive, account of the frequently paradoxical co-option of women into the analysis and practice of ''disaster'' in developing economies. Bradshaw's eminently comprehensive, well-substantiated, perceptive and sensitive treatment of the ''A to Z'' of gender and 'disaster' in developing country contexts constitutes a 21st century volume which will be a definitive benchmark for scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and feminist activists at a world scale.' - Sylvia Chant, London School of Economics, UK The need to 'disaster proof' development is increasingly recognized by development agencies, as is the need to engender both development and disaster response. This unique book explores what these processes mean for development and disasters in practice. Sarah Bradshaw critically examines key notions, such as gender, vulnerability, risk, and humanitarianism, underpinning development and disaster discourse. Case studies are used to demonstrate how disasters are experienced individually and collectively as gendered events. Through consideration of processes to engender development, it problematizes women's inclusion in disaster response and reconstruction. The study highlights that while women are now central to both disaster response and development, tackling gender inequality is not. By critically reflecting on gendered disaster response and the gendered impact of disasters on processes of development, it exposes some important lessons for future policy. This timely book examines international development and disaster policy which will prove invaluable to gender and disaster academics, students and practitioners. Contents: Introduction 1. What is a Disaster? 2. What is Development? 3. Gender, Development and Disasters 4. Internal and International Response to Disaster 5. Humanitarianism and Humanitarian Relief 6. Reconstruction or Transformation? 7. Case Studies of Secondary Disasters 8. Political Mobilisation for Change 9. Disaster Risk Reduction Conclusion: Drawing the Links: Gender, Disasters and Development Bibliography Index

Hunger and malnutrition stalk the countries of the South. Over the last twenty years, as the populations of these countries have increased, so too has mass poverty on a grotesque scale. In this fiercely critical study of Western aid giving, Walden Bello offers a persuasive argument that recolonisation of the Third World has been carried out through the agencies of the International Banks. Bello argues that neoliberalism or doctrinal free-market ideology came to power in the United States with an agenda to 'discipline the Third World' and the consequences of such a policy has resulted in lower barriers to imports, the removal of restrictions on foreign investments, privatisation of state owned activities, a reduction in social welfare spending, wage cuts and devaluation of local currencies. Recipients of 'structural adjustment' loans from the West, have been forced to accept these polices, with disastrous consequences. Hailed as a classic study of global poverty, Dark Victory is now reissued with a substantial new epilogue by the author.

'This fine collection of essays demonstrates in a very articulate way why EU State aid law has taken the centre stage of EU law. In eighteen chapters the reader is provided with a fascinating snapshot of the main issues and developments of the law. The key elements of the EU policy are analysed in a critical way often leading to new insights. In addition the book contains a wealth of material greatly facilitating further research.' - Piet Jan Slot, University of Leiden, the Netherlands 'European state aid law needs more self-questioning and more intellectual debate. In my view, this Research Handbook is a very valuable contribution to this necessary process. It correctly identifies the most intellectually problematic issues within state aid law and asks the right questions. This may be due to the balance in the excellent selection of contributors, coming both from the academia and from practice. This guarantees, on the one hand, that the questions are relevant in practice and not purely theoretical but also provides, on the other hand, for a rigorous analytical approach when confronting the issues. The result is a fresh and interesting new look to many of the basic issues of state aid law.' - Jose Luis Buendia Sierra, Garrigues, Brussels, Belgium, and King's College London, UK This timely new Handbook reflects on current issues that confront State aid law and policy in the EU. State aid was a neglected area of competition law until attempts to modernize it became central to the Lisbon process 2000 where the aim was to encourage 'intelligent' State aid by reducing aid to specific sectors and by making better use of aid for horizontal projects central to EU integration concerns. This policy framework has underpinned the new approach to State aid policy in the EU in recent years and informs many of the chapters in this book. Contributions from leading academics, regulators and practising lawyers, discuss topics devoted to modernization, problems faced by recent enlargements of the EU, the role of State aid in the fiscal crisis and recession, the role of the private market investor test, regional aid, environmental aid and the review of the Altmark ruling. Perspectives on State aid law and policy from the disciplines of economics and political science are also explored in detail. Research Handbook on European State Aid Law will appeal to academics, regulators, national and EU government officials, practitioners and postgraduate students who are involved in State aid law. Contributors: C. Ahlborn, A. Bartosch, A. Biondi, A. Birnstiel, M. Blauberger, L. Coppi, M.-A. Dittel, M. Everson, M. Farley, L. Hancher, H. Heinrich, H.C.H. Hofmann, K.-O. Junginger-Dittel, J. Kavanagh, T. Kleiner, M. Krajewski, R. Kramer, A. Lykotrafiti, C. Micheau, A. Morini, P. Nebbia, G. Niels, D. Piccinin, S. Pilsbury, F. Salerno, M. Schutte, E. Szyszczak

In spite of shared rhetorical commitments to tackling poverty worldwide, donors have varied considerably in their use of aid as an instrument for global poverty reduction. This book explains varied donor priorities by examining how societal actors, governmental actors, and the institutions that regulate their interactions influence development policy choices. The Domestic Politics of Foreign Aid challenges explanations for donor generosity that identify humanitarian values, partisan politics, and welfare state institutions as key determinants of aid-giving patterns. It explains how the preferences of diverse sets of actors are amalgamated in the domestic political arena to shape national preferences for international redistribution. Drawing on interview research conducted with a variety of stakeholders in four donor countries (Denmark, France, Switzerland and the United States) and an extensive review of primary and secondary sources on aid politics in the countries studied, the book offers both a static overview of the characteristics of aid policymaking systems and a historical treatment of policymaking dynamics over a 25-year period (1980-2005). Applying a common theoretical framework to the four case studies and using development NGO advocacy as a starting point for examining the politics of aid, this book provides a synthesis of several strands of theoretical work dealing with interest group politics and political institutions to inform the analysis of the societal and governmental determinants of aid choices.

In the past two decades, the international community has shown an increased proclivity to engage in programmes of post-conflict reconstruction in the aftermath of wars. During the same period, increased globalisation has meant that multinational companies have grown greatly in size and influence and have begun to challenge existing notions of governance at a global level.

Here Peter Davis explores the reconstruction processes that have taken place in Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Rwanda. Based on extensive field work as well as existing literature, this book plots the recovery of these countries from conflict, and examines in detail the role that international companies have played in that process. The book also explores how companies impacts on reconstruction are governed, both by the companies themselves, and by the host government and international agencies managing the rebuilding process.

Food aid is a controversial form of development assistance and this book, first published in 1979, seeks to counter allegations from critics by taking account of both direct and indirect affects. Based on field research in Tunisia, Botswana, Upper Volta and Lesotho, it considers aid from the UK, EEC, USAID, the World Food Programme, Canada and France, and draws a number of policy-orientated conclusions about the impact of food aid on nutrition, consumer prices and agricultural production. In the light of the evidence from field studies it is shown that many of the claims advanced by food aid supporters and by critics cannot be sustained, and that the real impact of food aid is rather different from that assumed by the conventional wisdom on the subject.

First published in 1971, this reissue considers the main aspects of foreign aid to developing countries in terms of economic concepts and principles. The author gives an economic definition of aid and considers the motives for giving aid and the principles on which it may be allocated. He looks at the effect on the economic growth of developing countries of both the aid given and the need to repay the debt, and the effect on trade patterns and resource allocation of tying aid to one particular project, or one source of goods. While economic analysis is only a first step in providing a basis for policy decisions on foreign aid, Dr Healey shows that many issues can be clarified by looking at them from the economists' point of view.

Much about India's economy and aid flows has changed in the last two decades. India's growth rate has quickened since economic liberalisation, the poverty head count has fallen and the volume and composition of its aid have changed as new issues of climate change and the environment have emerged.. Yet Does Aid Work in India?, first published in 1990, remains of great interest as a study of aid effectiveness in India's pre-liberalisation era. It identifies those sectors where aid-funded interventions succeeded, and where they failed. It explains how India avoided problems of aid dependence, and managed the political tensions that are associated with aid policy dialogue. More generally, it contains a useful commentary on and criticism of donors' aid evaluation procedures at that time and it highlights donor efforts in the difficult area of institution building. Despite the passage of time, many of the insights from India's earlier experience remain highly relevant to key issues of development assistance today.

This reissue, first published in 1976, considers the rapid rate of economic growth in Kenya, combined with its apparent political stability, to determine whether or not this is indeed a case of 'growth without development' and, if so, where the responsibility for aid lies in this situation. The book concludes that while Kenyan growth has not been to an ideal pattern, accompanied by an increase in inequality, there is little or no reason to believe that living standards have not improved. It examines the impact of aid on Kenya's progress at both the microeconomic and macroeconomic level and provides an institutional study of the impact of aid on Kenyan Government policy formation and administration and a discussion of British aid's political purposes and influence in Kenya. The authors conclude that some of the effects predicted by the critics of aid are visible, but that the net effect on general living standards has been strongly positive, concluding that the problems constitute a case for improving aid procedures, but not against aid itself.

Japan's arrival since World War Two as a major industrial nation has meant that she has had to bear a greater share of the developed world's contribution to the developing nations and foreign aid has become an integral part of foreign policy. This book describes the roots of Japan's aid policy and shows that this side of her international economic policy is based largely on domestic conditions, structures and forces. To understand the pattern of Japanese aid as it stands today, it is important to appreciate the complexities of the Japanese decision-making process. This book clearly explains the patterns of Japanese aid policy-making.

Climate change impacts upon the world's poorest most heavily. It is therefore essential that international development initiatives focus on improving the ability of developing countries to adapt to the effects of climate change. This book, a product of research by the JICA-RI (Research Institute of the Japan International Cooperation Agency), examines climate change adaptation from the perspective of development cooperation in order to provide useful lessons for those engaged in research, policy and practice in this vital area. In this book the editors have brought together a wide range of case studies from across Africa and Asia, covering urban and rural areas and different sectors including water, agriculture and disaster management, in order to examine the following: high-resolution climate change projection in Asia and how this can be used in planning appropriate adaptation responses; in-depth case studies of climate change projections, social, economic and environmental impact and vulnerability assessment and adaptation in rural Thailand and urban Philippines; cases across Africa for which climate data is less readily available and alternative approaches need to be adopted; the current situation amongst international donors; emerging issues caused by climate change. In the introductory section, the editors draw together the full implications from the case studies to discuss how international communities can support adaptation in developing countries and to give an assessment of bilateral projects. They reflect on the lessons learned and offer recommendations for future research and international development cooperation.

Is it possible to see famines coming, to be prepared and to save possibly hundreds of thousands of lives?Or is this the wrong question? A famine is not a single natural catastrophe: it has different stages. Many societies have sophisticated strategies for coping ? but these are becoming dramatically limited.Famine Early Warning System is about the people who are caught up in the process of famine. Peter Walker looks at how they perceive their predicament and what they do to avert mass starvation: and at what genuinely useful help can be offered in order to prevent irreversible disaster. Originally published in 1989