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For the next generation of changemakers who care too much to settle for just good intentions.
The system of “saving the world” is broken—and it’s time to call bullshit. After seeing good intentions lead to bad outcomes in 30 countries, international development veteran Susan M. Davis is challenging the sacred cows of the aid industrial complex. She urges a radical rethink of how Global North outsiders approach social impact, starting with listening to the people closest to the problem.
Drawing from three decades of experience, from a scrappy startup that became Water.org to managing a multi-million-dollar USAID contract, Davis reveals the shocking truth: the system designed to end poverty may be perpetuating it. For example, half of all charitable water projects fail today, just as they did in the 1980s.
Bullshit without Borders is a provocative, self-implicating, and often hilarious exposé of the weird world of global aid. Davis pulls back the curtain on:
- The Voluntourists: Why the feel-good fantasy reinforces power imbalances.
- The Celebrity Foundations: How vanity projects drain resources from effective grassroot organizations.
- The Alphabet-Soup INGOs: How billion-dollar agencies measure success by activities completed rather than lives transformed over time.
With unflinching honesty both endearing and uncomfortable, Davis uncovers the sector’s most oft-repeated mistakes. Each chapter closes with a C.R.A.P. (Curious Reflection and Provocation) to encourage a mindset reset. Essential reading for anyone brave enough to question how those with privilege can truly “help” others and those determined enough to do better.
We’ve been trying to change the world for a long time. It’s time to change the way we do it.
Do you have a story to share?
SO many people in the international development/humanitarian aid community have told me their stories. Do you have one to share? I’d like to hear it. I can keep your name anonymous.