英語検定ライティング準１級（第72回）

タイトル「開発国への支援金は全て無駄なのか？」

No, this suggestion isn’t supportable.
One reason makes this argument unacceptable.

途上国を支援するためのお金と言えば、困っている地元の人たちのところまでは届かずに、特権階級が私腹を肥やしたり、支援国が持ち帰っていたりするイメージが強い。
When it comes to donating money to developing world, such support money cannot arrive at those really in need, instead a large amount of money might enrich the privileged’s pockets, or construction enterprises in the north hemisphere receive numerous kickbacks from a poor nation’s government, which is a typical image we tend to have in our mind.

ところが先日、ネット記事を読んでいると心に刺さるものがあった。それは毎日長い距離を、清潔な水を持って歩く女の子や女性を救うための工夫だったように記憶する。
Several days ago, however, an online article hit on me that a helpful and useful device prevents a girl and a woman from walking a long distance with heavy water between their house and the river every day, so that they don’t find it difficult to gain clean water nearby.

学校の運動場に井戸を掘って、長いポンプを降ろしていく。こどもたちが地面に残されているポンプを踏んで遊ぶ。そのときに地下水が汲み上げられるのだ。
An invention has a system that several wells are dug, and long pumps enter them, on which children step while they are playing in the playground.
As a result, water goes up from the bottom of wells, which meets local residents’ water demands.

デメリットは当然ある。ポンプの設置には初期費用がかかるし、壊れた時の修理費も安くはない。また汲み上げたとしても必要量には達しないこともある。
There are naturally several disadvantages : the initial expense of pumps’ installation might cost much, and repairing costs aren’t low when they are broken.
In addition, the amount of water children picked up from the wells could be too small, and sometimes it cannot be enough for their family needs.

そして都会のように多くのこどもたちがいる場所では効果があらが、田舎では機能しない。しかし支援金の使途としては、寄付する側も納得できる装置だ。
In addition, such devices are extremely effective in the cities, where many children play on the pumps in the playground, but not so in the rural areas because the number of them isn’t enough large.
But such a way of using money donated from overseas might be reasonable in the supporters’ viewpoint because these devices could rescue people in need.

何年も前の話になるが、カンボジアで学校を建てた日本人の大学生を特集した映画を観た。外国が支援するよりも、ボランティアの方が優れていると思った。
About a decade ago, there was an opportunity to watch the movie where young volunteers from Japan’s colleges constructed an elementary school for pupils without any education, which moved me a lot.
Volunteer activities might be superior to the donation from the industrialized world, which was my impression.

This reason makes the question titled above unfavorable.