Top-Down vs Bottom-Up in DRC
Geography: KS3, topic 4.3.6
Top-Down vs Bottom-Up Aid Projects in the DRC
Bottom-up aid is organised by communities with the aim of benefitting the local area. Top-down aid is on a much larger scale and is organised by governments and other large institutions.
Benefits of the Inga Dams project
- The Inga Dams project is a top-down project, supported by the World Bank, the African Development Bank, South Africa, and the DRC's government.
- This could supply the DRC with cheap electricity and it could export any extra energy to neighbours, bringing income into the DRC.
Costs of the Inga Dams project
- In 2016, the World Bank stopped supporting the project.
- In 2020, ACS, the main construction company backing the project withdrew its support.
- The Inga Dams on the Congo River are expected to cost over $100bn. People are scared that only a fraction of the $100bn will ever reach the dam project and could be embezzled.
- The dam would flood animals' habitats and destroy thousands of people's homes.
Benefits of the Kvinna till Kvinna
- The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation campaigns for women's rights in the DRC. This is an example of bottom-up aid.
- These campaigns promote awareness of the violence against women and the lack of female education in the country.
Costs of the Kvinna till Kvinna
- The initiative is small-scale and does not change the lives of every person in the DRC.
- The mechanism for creating change for the people living in the DRC is unclear.
Test yourself on Top-Down vs Bottom-Up in DRC
Which of the following is a cost associated with the top-down Grand Inga Dam aid project?