Comments on: Are local NGOs altruistic and sustainable?

By: Linking time « Aid Thoughts

Linking time « Aid Thoughts — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:18:13 +0000

[...] Chris Blattman questions the reliability of local NGOs [...]

By: Katie

Katie — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 05:23:23 +0000

In the Western world, NGOs and non-profit work, like the priesthood, are considered jobs with low-income potential, and therefore attract primarily people interested in non-monetary aspects of the trade. However, in most of the parts of Africa I’ve seen, both NGOs and the priesthood offer relatively high returns to the entrepreneurial and potentially unscrupulous opportunist relative to other employment options. This is especially true in the rural areas, where other skilled employment sectors are unavailable. The presence of these people doesn’t negate the valuable services provided by those locally based NGOs that are responding to legitimate concerns, and doesn’t mean that all NGOs (or priests) are corrupt. That said, donors and aid agencies should be aware that these NGOs are purely business ventures for some applicants and adjust their monitoring and evaluation processes accordingly.

By: Alanna

Alanna — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:06:33 +0000

I’ve seen a lot of NGOs in Central Asia that exist only to provide employment for their founders, with no particular goal or plan for the future beyond USG grants.

By: Snugglebuss

Snugglebuss — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:16:46 +0000

Anyone who has ever spent any degree of time in pretty much any African country can tell you that though, of course, loads of ‘local’ NGOs meet needs that only those people might be able to under the circumstances, lets be honest, the proliferation of â€˜localâ€™ NGOs is as much about the entrepreneurial spirit as the presence of deep social need.

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:32:28 +0000

In Malawi, where there have similar trouble with shady/nonexistant NGOs, we always joked about the NGO TWACIB, which stood for “Two wankers and a computer in Blantyre”

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:53:53 +0000

‘Grants do not appear to go to NGOs that would raise funds on their own; instead, they go to a few well-educated, well-connected organizations and individuals skilled at writing grant applications’

Amen to that. but then how many western NGOs would exist without grant money?

By: Mathias Schwartz Kirkegaard

Mathias Schwartz Kirkegaard — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:12:19 +0000

One problem I have encountered is that the small local NGO tries to do what the donor-NGO expect, even though the local NGO know it will have only little effect. The local NGOs just tries to keep the money floating.

I can’t blame them. I only blame the western donors for claiming that they have a collaboration with an equal partner in the developing country.

I’m trying to start a new project, but even though my own western NGO is very small, I look for the biggest fish in the water for partner for the project. The NGO should be strong enough to speak up against my ideas.