BBC Scotland's Social Affairs Reporter Fiona Walker has been looking at how much of taxpayers money is reaching those in need in the African country. She explains why she started investigating "The Malawi Millions".

Frontline Scotland is shown at 1900 GMT on 21 February Watch the programme

It's great to give - everyone's a winner. The beggar at the train station gets an extra pound in his polystyrene cup and the commuter feels satisfied that he's done just a little bit of good. Except giving isn't as simple as that, especially when it comes to international development.

Countries like Malawi which have been receiving aid for decades haven't necessarily got more prosperous. Sometimes aid can even do more harm than good as western rules are imposed on developing countries.

Handouts can create a culture of dependency. If the beggar at the train station is still there tomorrow, how useful was the commuter's well-intentioned generosity?

Aid has also become highly competitive. It's a multi-billion pound movement of expertise, food, medicines and hotel bills.

Arriving in Kashmir after the Pakistan earthquake in 2005, I was struck by the number of aid agency billboards competing for space at each bend in the road.

MALAWI FACTS Population of 12.6 million 240 people a day die from HIV/AIDS-related illnesses Average life expectancy of 41 One in 10 children dies before the age of five

It was a reminder that behind the valiant work of volunteers are advertising executives and accountants. We can see how charities compete for every penny as shaking cans on the high street has been largely replaced by direct debit collectors.

In Malawi, you are surrounded by extreme poverty, yet when you drive into a town you can play "I Spy" with the glossy signs of charities and development organisations. The aid business is a crowded market.

The UK Government already spends �65m each year in Malawi so why is the Scottish Executive getting involved?

It was early 2005 and Scotland was soon to host the G8. Africa was high on the agenda. The Make Poverty History march was about to take over the streets of central Edinburgh, motivating hundreds of thousands of ordinary people to speak with one voice. Jack McConnell wanted to show the world that he was doing his bit too.

Jack McConnell's Malawi tour led to a fundraising appeal

Faced with naked poverty, it's an automatic reaction to want to give. So when Jack McConnell visited Malawi, I imagine he felt the same.

The difference is he gave taxpayers' money. That means we all have a right to know that the cash is being spent effectively.

In January 2006 I went to Malawi to see some of Scotland's efforts first hand. Oxfam showed me how volunteers were being trained to administer drugs to HIV positive patients, subsistence farmers were learning to grow crops more efficiently and people were empowered to help themselves.

This is a classic model of development which leaves lasting benefits. But there were concerns that not all of the Scottish Executive's money, which is also "our" money, was being used so efficiently.

A year ago I started asking the Scottish Executive to provide details of how all the money was being spent and how much was actually reaching the most needy in Malawi.

After further attempts to get details of the executive's spending, I resorted to Freedom of Information legislation to try and obtain the figures.

'Tough questions'

The executive eventually published information on the projects but they have never been able to say exactly how much has been spent on administration in the projects they fund.

They also couldn't say how much of the overall spend on Malawi reaches the people in need.

So we tried to find out for ourselves. It's a difficult thing to do. Money for Malawi is ear-marked as "doing good" so no-one really wants to ask, or answer, the tough questions.

We also needed to be careful not to put people off giving or to make a programme which could have a detrimental effect on Malawians who are already benefiting from the projects.

Most people who've got involved in the Malawi project are extraordinary people with a genuine desire to make a difference. And many of them are. But International development is a complex issue and there were concerns that Scotland's inexperience was beginning to show.

Edge Kanyongolo

One Malawian development consultant, Edge Kanyongolo, looked at the executive's policy, its projects and its figures. He says good intentions don't always mean sound decision-making.

Yet, there is some great work being done. Scots are working with Malawians providing training and expertise. Homeless children are being offered support and care. Our funding is making a difference to individual lives.

The minister responsible for International Development, Patricia Ferguson, says: "What we're doing with Malawi is delivering real benefits to people on the ground.

"It's making a difference in health. It's making a difference in education. It's making a difference in civil governance which is vitally important in a country like Malawi."

So, we felt it was important to be able to show whether we are achieving what we're being told we're achieving.