Poor Story: An Insider Uncovers How Globalisation and Good Intentions Have Failed the World's Poor [Paperback]

"heartening book on Africa and remedies for its plight....Bolton
doesn't rant or preach; he tells hopeful stories as well as explaining
tragic failures; he balances hard facts with strong ideas"

"superbly lucid and readable"

"A shocking account...clearly, intelligently and sensitively
written...an important, fresh perspective on a long-running debate"

A startling insight into how the West is failing Africa and what we can do about it - by an aid industry insider --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

For eight years, Giles Bolton worked for the British Government's Department for International Development (DFID), in countries as far flung as Kenya, Rwanda and Iraq. Idealistic and committed, he was determined to make a difference, but instead found himself confronted by an appallingly wasteful global aid industry and a persistently unequal trade system. He also began to see how Africa was being ripped off in its relations with the West, and how the western consumer and taxpayer was also losing out as a result. Born of both passion and frustration, "Poor Story" addresses the five crucial issues at the heart of this dilemma - Poverty, Aid, Trade, Globalisation and Change. Informed, engaging and jargon-free, the book draws on Giles Bolton's personal experiences to answer the questions behind the campaigns and concerts: Why is Africa still poor? What really happens to our aid money? How do trade rules affect the ordinary consumer at the checkout? And will the new promises made by Tony Blair and others finally make a difference? Accessible to read yet radical in its scope, "Poor Story" is the definitive insider's guide to how globalisation is failing the world's poor.

A startling, hard-hitting account of how the West is failing Africa, and how we all lose out as a result

Born in London in 1973, Giles Bolton has been closely involved in Africa and it's development for more than ten years as civil servant, diplomat and aid worker. From 1996 until 2004 he worked for the British Government's Department for International Development (DFID), in countries such as Kenya, Rwanda and Iraq. This is his first book.