You’re imposing on them the idea that education is the right and proper solution to their problems, but do not wish to impose the idea that reproduction should be a choice, or that women should be as educated as men – why?

The idea is kind of like microlending, but instead we just acknowledge that we aren’t going to get the money back. Couldn’t we just send a wire transfer to a poor person in Cambodia, or wherever?

The question is interesting because it suggests that U.S. voters decided to distribute foreign aid thru development schemes because they “know” that that approach gives the best results; and did not choose the approach giving the best results for themselves. I think there is a common type of bias here. A pilot may “know” that, in a given situation, an autopilot is much less likely to crash than a pilot; and yet choose to turn the autopilot off if he is the pilot. I’ve heard people explain, about similar situations that I can’t now quite recall, that in a matter of life and death, they would choose the riskier option that gave them “control” over the less-risky option that did not give them control.

The US constituency in favor of overseas aid may be different than the constituency in favor of welfare here. My recollection is that Americans overwhelmingly think we spend too much on foreign aid, so the forces keeping it in place are probably different from the forces keeping welfare in place.