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I
have, for some time now, been quite weary of
non-profit and non-governmental organizations.
Because the very existence of these organizations is
for the purpose of helping those who are less
fortunate and being the Good Samaritan in whatever
area that they may be focusing on, it has always
raised, at least in my mind, questions about
accountability.
Ethiopia is the ideal place for this issue to be
raised, given the massive number of NGOs and
non-profit organizations that are here in the name
of fighting the good fight. On the outside, this all
seems well and good. There are several issues that
are not being handled by the private or the public
sector and need to be given due and swift attention.
Water is one such issue; there is malaria,
water-borne diseases, and vaccinations. Granted,
many of these topics should be addressed by some
sort of welfare or medical coverage system, but
since the country’s current economic situation does
not allow for that, we turn to the NGOs.
But as commendable as some of what they are doing
may be, we have to be cautious when we applaud, not
to make it a standing ovation. The fact remains that
NGOs operating locally are accountable to their
donors, all of who have their own agenda and set of
prerequisites that have to be fulfilled. This is the
reason for the huge number of administrative staff
that we encounter when dealing with such
institutions. Although much of the work that they
focus on is mainly in rural areas, the members of
staff who represent the companies outside of urban
centres are often weak and the offices undermanned.
The issue of appeasing donors is the one that brings
to mind the most vital questions. Not being on the
ground, donor organizations base their financial
kindness on the proposals that they are offered.
Once that money has begun trickling in, donors more
often than not want to see where their money is
being spent.
Imagine a representative from the head office of
some major donor on a two-week trip ranging across
four or five recipient nations. He may have two or
three days tops in each country and is more than
likely to be stuck in the offices, holding meetings,
and going over paperwork. But if that representative
sees large English posters all across the city of
the NGO that they are funding, he feels as though
something is being done, because he may understand
the power of advertising. What remains unseen is the
fact that those posters, and all the other
accoutrements that are in the urban areas, do
absolutely nothing but cater to the administrative
monsters and appease others much like them.
When you delve deeper into the issue, there are
serious moral and ethical questions that can be
raised as well. Many of these organizations are
going amongst people with a certain way of life and
spreading doctrines. When a humanitarian
organization goes into an area trying to stop, or at
least decrease, what they consider to be ‘harmful
practices’, they are, in essence, claiming that the
way of the world is better than the way of the
people who they are trying to ‘save’. While dealing
with certain issues such as early marriage, female
genital mutilation, and education, going in to
change the manner of living may be deemed
acceptable. But when it comes to changing the
fundamental ways of life by coming in with new
religions, such as is the custom with evangelical
NGOs which are astounding in number, it is
essentially eradicating an existence that has
persisted for thousands of years.
Who is the judge of whose way of life is better
suited for an individual? Where is the
accountability of these institutions? Some come in
dealing with increased farming production, have
extreme success for about two years, and then the
land refuses to bear the fruit that it once did. Has
the farmer really been helped? This is the same for
irrigated water, tackling diseases, and long-term
education. Do the ways of donor nations and their
local representatives really meet the needs of the
people who they are trying to help on the ground,
and is their implementation and effort getting done
what needs to be done?
The answer to these would be a resounding no. If,
indeed, there were major improvements in the areas
of non-governmental and non-profit organizations,
then we would see them decreasing in number and as
their subjects become self-sufficient, using the
tools provided to them. In addition, the need for
and solicitation of foreign donors would also
decrease systematically; with efficiency being found
in local funding, from both the public and private
sectors.
Instead, what we witness on a daily basis is the
increase in the number of NGOs and foreign funding
coming into the country, which simply tells us that
we are becoming more and more dependant on the
handouts of outsiders to survive when we should be
trying to do it for ourselves.
Interestingly enough, you may find that your
neighbour and the community around you could be the
best ‘Good Samaritan’ and support system that you
would ever need.
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