Editor,Allow me to respond to a letter published in The NewTimes of August, 4, titled "Africa must wean itself off aid”. Aid is not bad per se. Used  properly, it can develop any country. It is even true that developed countries also received aid in the past.America’s Marshal Plan, which helped Europe recover from the destruction of the 2nd World War readily comes to mind. But aid must never be an end in itself.It must only be a means to help one grow to wean themselves from perpetual dependency. After all, why should a self-respecting person remain comfortable living off other people’s charity?I am grateful for those that have helped us when we were down and almost out. But in my view, the best way to thank them is to show that their assistance has made us strong enough to stand on our own feet.Let Japan be our inspiration. In 1945, the country was totally destroyed. Nineteen years later, the Land of the Rising Sun had repaired itself sufficiently to host the Summer Olympics of 1964!Discipline, hard-work, a single-minded focus on the need to succeed, ingenuity, self-belief and effective utilisation of American support had put the country on the road to becoming the best ever. No reason why Rwanda should not aspire to emulate the best.Mwene Kalinda