U.S. Rep. Brad Miller has just wrapped up an 11-day trip to Africa.

Miller was one of seven congressional Democrats on the trip to the African countries of Liberia, Uganda, Ghana, Kenya and Morocco. They went to measure how well various U.S.-funded aid programs were working.

But Miller said the group also debated the best way to handle foreign aid, reports Barb Barrett.

There’s a quandary, Miller said, between making sure assistance gets to the right recipients without being siphoned off by corrupt officials, while ensuring that whatever aid lands with families doesn't lead to a dependence on charity.

Millions of internal refugees in the countries have been forced out of their homes after years, sometimes decades, of civil war. As nations such as Liberia and Uganda find peace, the international community has to help them figure out how to resettle in post-conflict societies.

"They can't live in these camps forever," Miller said in an interview today. "They've got to return to living independently and providing for themselves. That's not an easy thing to do. We now have a generation of people who don't know how to make a living from farming."