Peruvians protest against Christian Aid

By Alex Singleton | 29 June 2005

Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace, had an article in the Washington Times on Sunday. He examines the attacks by Christian Aid (PDF) and other NGOs against Doe Run Peru, a subsidiary of America's Doe Run Company:

The day I visited the Peruvian mountain village of La Oroya, I watched Mayor Clemente Quincho lead a noisy march of thousands of demonstrators.

Their loud slogans and emotional chants would remind anyone of the protests long associated with environmental and civil rights activism. In many ways, that's what this was.

But this wasn't your ordinary demonstration. These vocal townsfolk demonstrated in favor of the continued operation of an 80-year-old copper and lead smelter - both because it's the town's lifeblood and they support efforts of the company, Doe Run Peru, to improve social and environmental conditions.

Unfortunately for La Oroya townsfolk, this doesn't sit well with international advocacy groups like Oxfam, Christian Aid and Friends of the Earth - who have made Doe Run one of the latest targets in their ongoing anticorporation, antidevelopment campaigns. These campaigns ignore the wishes of developing-world communities the international groups profess to defend.

Moore points out that local people support Doe Run because of the investment it has put into improving conditions. I has spent $140 million on that since it bought its subsidiary from Peru's government. The company also funds health care, education and hot lunches for local children.

Left-wing Western NGOs keep on attacking private investment in developing countries. They label Western factories as "sweatshops", even though Western investment leads to better wages and conditions. Compared to today, Britain had poor wages and conditions during its industrial revolution. That stage of development has enabled the British to to enjoy levels of prosperity unknown two centuries ago.