Madam, - I have to strongly disagree with David Adams (Opinion, November 25th) and John O'Shea (December 28th).
I have been to Uganda twice in 2005 and have had discussions with NGOs, officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as health service personnel.
I was in Uganda for the first week of the current election campaign. I believe that aid should be sent in co-operation with the Ugandan governmental agencies, otherwise many of the projects will collapse when foreign aid is withdrawn. Famine relief clearly is an exception. I observed good partnership between governmental workers and aid workers, and observed Irish aid being well spent.
People in poverty should not be punished for political difficulties and withdrawal of aid would have a particularly damaging effect on poor children. - Yours, etc,
Prof MICHAEL FITZGERALD, Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College, Dublin 2.