For years the West have been providing aid to Africa. The country itself suffers greatly from natural disasters (drought, famine, disease) and corruption leading to abject poverty and desperate situations where the local people can find no way out.Individual wealthy people, charities, corporations and governments all hand over a huge amount of money and resources sometimes with little impact to the ongoing problems.

This report here from the BBC shows how the Chinese government is now starting to provide aid on a large scale. This huge ship has arrived in Mombassa port with over 400 doctors and nurses from China offering free medical help. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11560193

Of course this is a great PR story for the Chinese government and will do wonders for their reputation amongst the Kenyan people. However, one can't help but wonder, what happens to those local people once the ship has left the port? Has the Chinese government considered any further support for the suffering? Let's hope this is not just a case of 'Sticking Plaster' Charity where they put a bandage over the wound and hope it goes away.