Can Large Amounts of Money Help an African Village?

If the rich world poured huge amounts of money into villages across Africa, would it make a difference?

For some, sending financial aid to Africa is simply seen as a waste that will go into the hands of corrupt officials and dictators. But for the economist Jeffrey Sachs, the argument that aid has poured into the world's poorest continent for decades without much result is a false one - he says that there has simply not been enough.

In speeches, articles and his 2005 book "The End of Poverty", Sachs has been saying for years that massive outside aid investment is needed to lift Africans out of their vicious cycle of poverty - but he says it will work. And he has convinced a lot of people. Pop star Bono cites him as a mentor and his ideas inspired in part the Live 8 concerts of 2005 and have helped boost Africa aid funding.

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