ABSTRACT

Non-governmental organization (NGO) is a term that has become widely

accepted for referring to a legally constituted, non-business organization
created by natural or legal persons with no participation or representation
of any government.Major sources of NGO funding include membership
dues, the sale of goods and services, grants from international institutions
or national governments, and private donations. Several EU-grants provide
funds accessible to NGOs.Its purpose is to serve people
Even

though

the

term

"non-governmental

organization"

implies

independence from governments, most NGOs depend heavily on

governments for their funding NGOs are difficult to define and classify, and
the term 'NGO' is not used consistently. As a result, there are many
different classifications in use. The most common use a framework that
includes orientation and level of operation. An NGO's orientation refers to
the type of activities it takes on. These activities might include human
rights, environmental, or development work. An NGO's level of operation
indicates the scale at which an organization works, such as local,
international

or

national.Nongovernmental

organizations

are

essential to humanitarian relief in bringing years of experience in

public health and preventive medicine programming to a crisis
zone. A non-governmental organization (NGO) is a legally constituted
organization

created

by

natural

or

legal

persons

that

operates

independently from any form of government. The term originated from the
United Nations (UN), and is normally used to refer to organizations that are
not a part of the government and are not conventional for-profit business. In
the cases in which NGOs are funded totally or partially by governments, the
1

NGO maintains its non-governmental status by excluding government

representatives from membership in the organization. The term is usually
applied only to organizations that pursue wider social aims that have
political aspects, but are not openly political organizations such as political
parties.

Introduction

The term, "non-governmental organization" or NGO, came into use in 1945

because of the need for the UN to differentiate in its Charter between participation
rights for intergovernmental specialized agencies and those for international
private organizations.
At the UN, virtually all types of private bodies can be recognized as
NGOs. They only have to be independent from government control, not seeking to
challenge governments either as a political party or by a narrow focus on human
rights, non-profit-making and non-criminal. As of 2003, there were reportedly over
20,000 NGOs active in Iran. The majority of these organizations are charity
organizations, and thus would not fall under the category of development-oriented
NGOs. In this document the term NGO is primarily used for organizations other
than charitable organizations.
3

The structures of NGOs vary considerably. With the improvement in

communications, more locally-based groups, referred to as grass-roots
organizations or community based organizations, have become active at the
national or even the global level. Increasingly this occurs through the
formation of coalitions with other NGOs for particular goals, such as was the case
in the case of the Bam earthquake
For example. :
A civil society is composed of three sectors: government, the private sector and
civil society, excluding businesses. NGOs are components of social movements
within a civil society. In the case of Iran, where civil society is not yet mature,
NGOs can have an important role in strengthening the foundations of an emergent
civil society. The issue of independence is an important one in the credibility of an
NGO. It is hard for NGOs not to come under any governmental influence.
Individual governments do at times try to influence the NGO community in a
particular field, by establishing NGOs that promote their policies. This has been
recognized by quite common use of the acronym GONGO, to label a governmentorganized NGO. Also, in more authoritarian societies, NGOs may find it very
difficult to act independently and they may not receive acknowledgment from
other political actors even when they are acting independently. On the other hand,
development and humanitarian relief NGOs need substantial resources, to run their
operational programs, so most of them readily accept official funds. It is thus
important for the NGO to have transparency in its operations and goals so that its
relations

Meaning
A nongovernment organization is an association which is based on the
common interests of its members, individuals, or institution has no
governmental status or function, and is not created by a government, nor is
its agenda set or implemented by a government. A non-governmental
organization (NGO) is a legally constituted organization created by natural
or legal persons that operates independently from any form of government.
The term originated from the United Nations (UN), and is normally used to
refer to organizations that are not a part of the government and are not
conventional for-profit business.

Definition
According to the World Bank, NGOs are value-based organizations which
depend, in whole or in part, on charitable donations and voluntary service,
and in which principles of altruism and voluntarism remain key defininis not
affiliated with government.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are generally
considered to be non-state, non-profit orientated groups who pursue
purposes of public interest, excluding the private sector (Schmidt and Take
1997).

Terms of NGOS
Some of the Famous terms used for NGO are mentioned
below.
BINGO It is a short term used for business-friendly international NGO
CITS It is a type of NGO that basically devoted in helping the scientific
community by motivating the young talent towards R & D.
CSO It is short term for civil society organization
DONGO It refers to the Donor Organized NGO
ENGO It is an abbreviated form of environmental NGO like Global 2000;
GONGO It refers to the government-operated NGOs
INGO It is an abbreviated form of international NGO like Oxfam
TANGO It refers to the technical assistance NGO
GSO it stands for the Grassroots Support Organization
MANGO It refers to the market advocacy NGO
CHARDS It is a short form for Community Health and Rural Development
Society

History
6

International non-governmental organizations have a history

dating back to at least 1839.[29] It has been estimated that by
1914, there were 1083 NGOs.[30] International NGOs were
important in the anti-slavery movement and the movement for
women's suffrage, and reached a peak at the time of the World
Disarmament Conference.[31] However, the phrase "nongovernmental organization" only came into popular use with the
establishment of the United Nations Organization in 1945 with
provisions in Article 71 of Chapter 10 of the United Nations
Charter[32] for a consultative role for organizations which are
neither governments nor member statessee Consultative
Status. The definition of "international NGO" (INGO) is first given
in resolution 288 (X) of ECOSOC on February 27, 1950: it is
defined as "any international organization that is not founded by
an international treaty". The vital role of NGOs and other "major
groups" in sustainable development was recognized in Chapter
27[33] of Agenda 21, leading to intense arrangements for a
consultative relationship between the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations. It has been observed that the
number of INGO founded or dissolved matches the general "state
of the world", rising in periods of growth and declining in periods
of crisis.

Rapid development of the non-governmental sector occurred in

7

western countries as a result of the processes of restructuring of

the welfare state. Further globalization of that process occurred
after the fall of the communist system and was an important part
of the Washington consensus.

Globalization during the 20th century gave rise to the importance

of NGOs. Many problems could not be solved within a nation.
International treaties and international organizations such as the
World Trade Organization were centered mainly on the interests of
capitalist enterprises. In an attempt to counterbalance this trend,
NGOs have developed to emphasize humanitarian issues,
developmental aid and sustainable development. A prominent
example of this is the World Social Forum, which is a rival
convention to the World Economic Forum held annually in January
in Davis, Switzerland. The fifth World Social Forum in Porto
Alleger, Brazil, in January 2005 was attended by representatives
from more than 1,000 NGOs.In terms of environmental issues and
sustainable development, the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 was
the first to show the power of international NGOs, when about
2,400 representatives of NGOs came to play a central role in
deliberations. Some have argued that in forums like these, NGOs
take the place of what should belong to popular movements of
the poor. Whatever the case, NGO transnational networking is
now extensive

Need for ngos in india

The need for NGOs continues to increase in India. One of the reasons for
this is that there are still millions of people in this country are failing to get
even their basic needs met. They do not have proper place to stay or have
other resources to run their day to day life with dignity. There are many
government organized programs but not all of them reach the people as
they should so there is an increasing need for NGOs in India.
To bridge this gap there are many India NGO movements that work to
improve the standard of people's life. Every NGO in India has their own
vision and goal. There are many social welfare programs run by these
NGOs. One of the best goals NGOs in India can have for themselves is to
provide free education in India. This would be the best social service in
India. Sociologists analyzing the Indian society found that one of the main
reasons for poverty in India is the poor literacy rate in some of the Indian
societies. So to alleviate people from their poverty it is essential to provide
quality education to the poor.

One of the main areas that has been receiving the attention of many of the
Indian NGO movements is the slums of Mumbai. Poverty is strikingly visible
in this part of India. Providing slum education is taken as one of the main
missions of many NGOs in India. One such NGO is Tarang. This NGO in
India offers quality education for slum children in Mumbai.
People that are below their poverty line do not have enough money or drive
to think about the other things of life such as education of their children etc.
NGO movements such as Tarang try to conscientize people about the
importance of education in their lives. They do not stop with that, they also
offer highly effective educational programs in Mumbai. Their services are
like just a drop in the ocean but it still makes a lot of difference. At the same
time a lot needs to be done and so we need greater social participation and
we need more NGOs that will take upon themselves education of slum
children in India.
Moreover, it is not enough that only the NGOs work towards the upliftment
of people it is very important that every individual starts working on the
improvement of the literacy rate of the country. They can help the NGOs
such as Tarang to do their job better by providing them with the required
financial support. As they already have a set up contributing to their
schemes will help us pool the resources reaching the needy in a more
systematic and effective way.

10

Functions
Here are some functions of nongovernment organizations:
Most larger nongovernment agencies are involved in aid and relief.
Other nongovernment organizations have a major role in developing
human resources among minorities by
delivering services at the local level
helping community organization
promoting education, and
working for intangible benefits such as cultural self-esteem.
Many are especially strong in addressing issues at the community level
such as adult education
income generation
organization of savings and credit societies
primary health care, or
small-scale agricultural production.
They may work cooperatively with governments
11

Kinds of NGOS
Here are some kinds of nongovernment organizations:
Kinds of organizations
Local
Churches
Cultural associations
Farmers' clubs
Language committees
Savings groups
Women's groups
National
Adult education associations
Churches
Housing associations
Linguistic organizations
Professional groupings
Rural development organizations
Translation organizations
International
Development and aid organizations (CAFOD, OXFAM, Red
Cross, Save the Children, and World Vision)
Federations of associations
Linguistic organizations
Translation organizations
12

Types of NGOs
NGOs can be distinguished into two groups:

Operational and advocacy NGOs.

This may be interpreted as the choice between small-scale change achieved
directly through projects and large-scale change promoted indirectly through
influence on the political system.
Operational NGOs have to mobilize resources, in the form of financial donations,
materials or volunteer labor, in order to sustain their projects and programs. This
process may require quite
complex organization. Finance obtained from grants or contracts, from
governments, foundations or companies, require time and expertise spent on
planning, preparing applications, budgeting, accounting and reporting. Major fundraising events require skills in advertising, media relations and motivating
supporters. Thus, operational NGOs need to possess an efficient headquarters
bureaucracy, in addition to the operational staff in the field.
Advocacy NGOs will carry out much the same functions, but with a different
balance between them. Fund-raising is still necessary, but on a smaller scale and it
can serve the symbolic function of strengthening the donors' identification with the
cause. Persuading people to donate their time is necessary, but, in addition to a
small number of people giving a great deal of time, it is also necessary to be able to
mobilize large numbers for brief periods. External donors may not supplied with
information on an efficient regular basis. Major events will aim to attract favorable
publicity rather than raise funds. Therefore, despite their differences, both
13

operational and advocacy NGOs need to engage events, cultivating the

implementing projects or holding demonstrations serve to differentiate them. In
reality, the distinctions are not as sharp as the labels suggest. Operational NGOs
often move into advocacy when projects regularly face similar problems and the
impact of the projects seems to be insufficient. All the large development and
environment operational NGOs now run some regular campaigns, at least by
supporting campaigning networks. Similarly, advocacy NGOs often feel they
cannot ignore the immediate practical problems of people in their policy domain.
Human rights NGOs and women's NGOs end up having programs to assist the
victims of discrimination and injustice

14

Development, Environment and Human Rights

NGOs
NGOs are organizations that work in many different fields, but the
term is generally associated with those seeking social
transformation and improvements in quality of life. Development
NGOs is the most highly visible sector, and includes both
international and local organizations, as well as those working in
humanitarian emergency sector. Many are associated with
international aid and voluntary donation, but there are also NGOs
that choose not to take funds from donors and try to generate
funding in other ways, such as selling handicrafts or charging for
services.
Environmental NGOs are another sub-sector, and sometimes
overlap with development NGOs. An example is Greenpeace.
(see: List of Environmental NGOs). Just like other NGOs networks,
transnational environmental networks might acquire a variety of
benefits in sharing information with other organizations,
campaigning towards an issue, and exchanging contact
information. Since Transnational environmental NGOs advocate
for different issues like public goods, such as pollution in the air,
deforestation of areas and water issues, it is more difficult for
them to give their campaigns a human face than NGOs
15

campaigning directly for human rights issues.Some of the earliest

forms of transnational environmental NGOs started to appear
after the Second World War with the creation of the International
Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
(IUCN). After the UN was formed in 1945, more environmental
NGO started to emerge in order to address more specific
environmental issues. In 1946, the UN Educational, Scientific, and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was created with the purpose of
advocating and representing scientific issues and collaboration
among environmental NGOs. In 1969, the Scientific Committee on
Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) was funded to increase and
improve collaboration among environmentalists. This
collaboration was later reinforced and stimulated with the
creation of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Program in 1971. In
1972, the UN Conference on the Human Environment in
Stockholm, tried to address the issues on Swedens plead for
international intervention on trans-boundary pollution from other
European industrialized nations.

Transnational environmental NGOs have taken on diverse issues

around the globe, but one of the best-known cases involving the
work of environmental NGOs can be traced back to Brazil during
the 1980s. The United States got involved with deforestation
concerns due to the allegations of environmentalists dictating
deforestation to be a global concern, and after 1977 the U.S.
16

Foreign Assistance Act added an Environmental and Natural

Resources section.

During the early 1980s the Brazilian government created the

Polonoreste developing program, which the World Bank agreed to
finance. The Polonoreste program aimed to urbanized areas of the
Amazon, which were already occupied by local indigenous groups.
Rapid deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon called the attention
and intervention of UNESCO, who utilized its Program on Man and
the Biosphere to advocate against the Polonoreste program, on
the grounds of violating the rights of the indigenous groups living
in the Amazon. In the case of deforestation of the Brazilian
Amazon, the environment NGOs were able to put pressure on the
World Bank to cancel the loans for the Polonoreste program. Due
to the leverage that the U.S. has over the bank, in 1985 the World
Bank suspended the financial aid to the Polonoreste Program. The
work of environmental NGOs in the Brazilian case was successful
because there was a point of leverage that made the targeted
actor vulnerable to international pressure.

Even though NGOs might have common goals relating to

development or environment issues, interests and perspectives
are diverse. A distinction can be made between the interests and
goals among those NGOs located in industrialized countries
often referred to as the states of the Northand NGOs from
17

nations located in developing countriesreferred to as states of

the South. There is sometimes tension between them.

Capacity Building Among NGO'S

Capacity building has fast become a major topic among nonprofits and man
organizations (funders, associations, training centers, consultants, etc.) that
agement support provide services to nonprofits. There are a variety of definitions
for capacity building. Perhaps the most fundamental
definition is "actions that improve nonprofit effectiveness". Some other discussions
about capacity building refer to the concept as actions that enhance a nonprofit's
ability to work towards its mission.
The concept of capacity building in nonprofits is similar to the concept of
organizational development, organizational effectiveness and/or organizational
performance management in for-profits. Capacity building efforts can include a
broad range of approaches,
eg, granting operating funds, granting management development funds, providing
training and development sessions, providing coaching, supporting collaboration
with other nonprofits, etc. Prominent methods of organizational performance
18

management in for-profits are beginning to be mentioned

in discussions about capacity building, as well, for example, the Balanced
Scorecard, principles of organizational change, cultural change, organizational
learning, etc.
Information in this topic of the Library will acquaint you with the concept of
capacity building in nonprofits, including offering you a broad background from
some suggested previous readings, numerous perspectives on capacity building
from numerous articles, and then review of various
common functions in nonprofits (eg, boards, role of CEO, programs, )

Role of NGOs in India

NGOs can and should play the game changer to pro-poor development
through leadership on participatory research, community empowerment
and search for development alternatives.
In a democratic society, it is the state that has the ultimate responsibility
for ushering development to its citizens. In India, through the progressive
interpretation of the Constitution and its laws and policies, the scope of
development has been significantly broadened to include not just economic
progress for citizens, but also promotion of social justice, gender equity,
inclusion, citizens awareness, empowerment and improved quality of life.
To achieve this holistic vision of development, the state requires the
constructive and collaborative engagement of the civil society in its various
developmental activities and programs. Non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) as the operational arm of the civil society therefore have an
important role in the development processes.
19

Indian State and NGOs

In India the state policies have significantly influenced the formation of
NGOs and their activities. The government sponsored and aided
programmes provided financial assistance to NGOs either as grants or as
matching grants to support the implementation of social development
projects. In the Sixth Five Year Plan (1980-1985), the government identified
new areas in which NGOs as new actors could participate in development.
The Seventh Five Year Plan (1985-1990), envisioned a more active role for
NGOs as primary actors in the efforts towards self-reliant communities.
This was in tune with the participatory and empowerment ideologies, which
was gaining currency in the developmental discourse at that time.
Government support and encouragement for NGOs continued in the Eighth
Five-year plan, where a nation-wide network of NGOs was sought to be
created. The Ninth Five-year plan proposed that NGOs should play a role
in development on the public-private partnership model. Also, the
agricultural development policies of the government and its implementation
mechanisms provide scope and space for NGOs. A case in point is the
watershed development program, which has led to the growth of NGOs
working for rural development. This has also been acknowledged in the
Tenth Five-year Plan Document.
Such proactive state support to NGOs has also brought in the element of
reporting and regulations. This is being done through a series of legislative
and administrative measures, which are often considered by NGO workers
as affecting the performance and efficiency of NGOs. However, the
Constitutional provision for right to association ensures that the NGOs
20

enjoy adequate autonomy in terms of their management and governance.

In the words of Prof. Amartya Sen, the relationship between the state and
NGOs is one of cooperative conflict.
With the increasing role of the NGOs in development activities they are
now attracting professionals from various other sectors, and capacities are
being built in support areas such as financial management, resource
mobilization, human resources, leadership development, governance
procedures and practices and institutional development.
At another level NGOs have been addressing the social service issues and
empowerment related advocacy efforts have been increasing. The study
conducted by a New Delhi based NGO concluded that every fifth NGO in
India works on the issues of community and social service. The favourable
disposition of the governments and the political will to involve NGOs is
more pronounced in implementation of the welfare schemes addressing
causes of women and children.
Further, the industrial policies have influenced the formation and relations
between the businesses and NGOs. The Confederation of Indian Industries
(CII), a leading organisation, has been raising the issues of corporate social
responsibility. The emphasis of industrial policies on the promotion and
development of small, cottage and village industries has also lead to the
formation of agencies such as the Khadi and Village Industries
Commission, Small Industries Associations and likes.
The Indian NGOs Scenario
In India, it was the 1970s which saw rapid growth in the formation of
formally registered NGOs and the process continues to this day. Most
NGOs have created their respective thematic, social group and
21

geographical priorities such as poverty alleviation, community health,

education, housing, human rights, child rights, womens rights, natural
resource management, water and sanitation; and to these ends they put to
practice a wide range of strategies and approaches. Primarily, their focus
has been on the search for alternatives to development thinking and
practice; achieved through participatory research, community capacity
building and creation of demonstrable models.
Many NGOs have worked hard to include children with disability in schools,
end caste-based stigma and discrimination, prevent child labour and
promote gender equality resulting in women receiving equal wages for the
same work compared to men. During natural calamities they have played
an active role in relief and rehabilitation efforts, in particular, providing
psycho-social care and support to the disaster affected children, women
and men. NGOs have been instrumental in the formation and capacity
building of farmers and producers cooperatives and womens self-help
groups.
Several NGOs have worked hand in hand with the Government to ensure
that millions of out of school children are enrolled and continue their school
education, thus making the right to education a reality. The leprosy
eradication programme was spearheaded by NGOs and today only residual
leprosy remains in our country. NGOs have implemented the Jeevan Dhara
programme for creation of wells for safe drinking water; promoted
community toilets for total sanitation, and supported the public health
programs on immunisation and for eliminating tuberculosis and malaria.
The much celebrated NREGA, ICDS, ICPS, Nirmal gram, and Swasthya
bima of the government have their roots in the work of many NGOs.
22

NGOs have significantly influenced the development of laws and policies

on several important social and developmental issues such as the right to
information, juvenile justice, ending corporal punishment in schools, antitrafficking, forests and environment, wildlife conservation, women, elderly
people,

people

with

disability,

rehabilitation

and

resettlement

of

development induced displaced people to name a few. Further, NGOs

made their modest attempts to ensure the effective implementation of these
laws and policies by conducting and disseminating findings from
participatory research, budget analysis, public hearings, social audits,
workshops, seminars and conferences.
Summing up, it is now well established that NGOs have an important role
to play in the development processes and that both the state and market
need the collaboration of credible, active, and accountable NGOs. Given
their connect with the grassroots realities, NGOs can and should play the
game

changer

participatory

to

pro-poor

research,

development

community

through

empowerment

leadership

and

search

on
for

development alternatives.

23

Range of NGO Activities

NGOs can have an active role in the following areas:

Community Health Promotion and Education
o Contraception and Intimacy Education
o General Hygiene
o Waste Disposal
o Water Usage
o Vaccinations
o Youth Counseling Services
Emerging health crises
o HIV/AIDS education and support
o Hepatitis B education
o Drug Addiction recovery
o Community Social Problems
o Juvenile crimes
o Runaway girls
o Street Children
24

 Environmental
o Sustainable water and energy consumption education
o Keeping mountains and forests clean
Economic
o Microenterprises and Micro-loans
o Skill training (Computers, technician training, Catering services, clothing and
textile, etc.)
o Product promotion and distribution (Bazaars etc.)
Environmental
o Sustainable water and energy consumption education
o Keeping mountains and forests clean
Economic
o Microenterprises and Micro-loans
o Skill training (Computers, technician training, Catering services, clothing
and textile, etc.)
o Product promotion and distribution (Bazaars etc.)
o Cooperative creation
o Financial consulting
o Cooperative creation
o Financial consulting

25

Role Of NGO'S IN Sustainable Development

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have played a major role

in pushing for sustainable development at the international level.
Campaigning groups have been key drivers of inter-governmental
negotiations, ranging from the regulation of hazardous wastes to
a global ban on land mines and the elimination of slavery.
But NGOs are not only focusing their energies on governments
and inter-governmental processes. With the retreat of the state
from a number of public functions and regulatory activities, NGOs
have begun to fix their sights on powerful corporations - many of
26

which can rival entire nations in terms of their resources and

influence.
Aided by advances in information and communications
technology, NGOs have helped to focus attention on the social
and environmental externalities of business activity. Multinational
brands have been acutely susceptible to pressure from activists
and from NGOs eager to challenge a company's labour,
environmental or human rights record. Even those businesses
that do not specialize in highly visible branded goods are feeling
the pressure, as campaigners develop techniques to target
downstream customers and shareholders.
Such a stakeholder approach takes into account the effects of
business activity - not just on shareholders, but on customers,
employees, communities and other interested groups.
There are many visible manifestations of this shift. One has been
the devotion of energy and resources by companies to
environmental and social affairs. Companies are taking
responsibility for their externalities and reporting on the impact of
their activities on a range of stakeholders.
Much of the credit for creating these trends can be taken by
NGOs. But how should the business world react to NGOs in the
future? Should companies batten down the hatches and gird
themselves against attacks from hostile critics? Or should they
hold out hope that NGOs can sometimes be helpful partners?
27

Although it is often assumed that NGOs are charities or enjoy nonprofit status, some NGOs are profit-making organizations such as
cooperatives or groups which lobby on behalf of profit-driven
interests. For example, the World Trade Organization's definition
of NGOs is broad enough to include industry lobby groups such as
the Association of Swiss Bankers and the International Chamber of
Commerce.
Even then, the NGO community remains a diverse constellation.
Some groups may pursue a single policy objective - for example
access to AIDS drugs in developing countries or press freedom.
Others will pursue more sweeping policy goals such as poverty
eradication or human rights protection.
However, one characteristic these diverse organizations share is
that their non-profit status means they are not hindered by shortterm financial objectives. Accordingly, they are able to devote
themselves to issues which occur across longer time horizons,
such as climate change, malaria prevention or a global ban on
landmines.

28

Role Of NGO'S In Education :

29

Non-governmental organizations working in education in India

are professional resource centers and innovators able to reach
children who are educationally disadvantaged. The Indian
government could improve the effectiveness of primary education
by increasing its collaboration with such organizations.NGOs
extend education to underprivileged children in India and develop
innovations that improve the quality of primary education. In this
study of six NGOs working with school-age children in India,
Jagannathan shows the potential benefits of a government-NGO
alliance to achieve universal primary education. The author
emphasizes several areas in which collaboration can be
particularly fruitful.Targeting underserved children
The government could support the efforts of NGOs to bring outof-school children into schools through timely supply of teachers,
classroom space, and other resources. Targeted action is needed
to reach different types of out-of-school childrenthose who work,
those who live in slums, those on the street, those who are
members of tribes or of migrant families, and those who live in
places without schools.
To encourage young, first-generation learners to stay in school
requires a supportive and nurturing environment. To help make
learning interesting and worthwhile for such children, teachers in
government schools could receive special training in new
methods developed by NGOs.Enhancing quality
Improving the quality of education requires working closely with
key agents of change, such as teachers, school heads, school
management committees, and village education committees.
To develop a cadre of trainers for primary school teachers,
teacher training institutes would do well to evaluate and learn
from NGO models for teacher training.
30

 Teachers need a range of knowledge and skills to teach

underprivileged children effectively. Here again, NGO models
would be a useful tool for teacher training institutes.
NGOs and the government could collaborate in developing
appropriate and flexible learning assessment tools, in line with
innovative teaching and learning methods.
But without safeguards, large-scale replication by the
government of such NGO innovations as the alternative school
and the voluntary teacher could lower the quality of
education.Government-NGO links
The government and NGOs will need to share a common vision
on how to achieve universal primary education if India is to reach
this goal

Role Of NGO'S In Women Development

31

NGOs, moreover, recognize that gender inequalities in many

different sectors that are not readily identified as concerned with
health can have an adverse effects on womens health eg

Non-involvement of women in decision-making on resource

allocation for the health sector results in decisions being taken by

men who may not take into account the kinds of health services
that only women will need. High maternal and infant mortality
rates in particular can be attributed to the lack, or defective
distribution of, resources in the health sector;

Discrimination against girl children (a) before birth through pre-

natal sex selection; (b) at birth through infanticide and (c) during
32

childhood through neglect and son preference, compounded by

their unfair share of food and of domestic chores, can lead to
anaemia, malnutrition and stunting of growth;

Widespread and largely unreported prevalence of violence

against women, including psychological and sexual abuse can

cause lasting damage to their health and is not infrequently fatal;

Womens bodies are far more susceptible to infection by

sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) including HIV/AIDS, and the

risk of infection is compounded by their inability to insist upon
safe sex. The associated complications include infertility and even
death.

Unfair share of family income received by women and girls,

together with their reduced opportunities for education and

training, and consequential inability to obtain gainful
employment, may force them to resort to commercial sex, and
increased exposure to risk of contracting STDs or HIV/AIDS;

Early arranged marriages, a practice over which the girls

concerned have little or no control, can lead to too early and

unspaced pregnancies with associated health risks;

Cultural practices which preclude womens rights to make their

own decisions, such as female genital mutilation and widow

inheritance can have a serious and long term effects on their
health.

33

Benefits of NGO
An NGO is a non-governmental organization that is driven and taskoriented by individuals with one common interest. NGOs are usually
structured around specific issues like health, human rights or environment.
An NGO provides expertise and analysis and thus assists in monitoring
international agreements.

Provide important local action

NGOs are very important since they offer an organization for local
communication, action and also distributing resources when there are no
existing local organizations. An NGO provides a mechanism that could
possibly work where the government has failed. It supports grass roots
initiatives as well as recognizing and responding to the realities of the local
people.

Cheaper to implement
NGOs are actual non-profit organizations, various projects can be
achieved without having to use the government money. This is because
there are many private donors who support the NGOs and this means that
there will never be a lack of resources.
NGOs provide a good alternative to creating mass access structures.
These mass access structures are extremely cumbersome, unreliable and
costly.

Better communication
34

NGOs have the capability of communicating at all levels. This means that
they can easily interact with the local people and relay their messages to
top levels of the government.

An NGO Approach to Solving Community Problems

35

 When an NGO approaches solving a problem, they can pursue the following
structure:
What exactly is the problem?
What is causing the problem?
Who are the persons/organizations responsible (for e.g. it could be a particular
department of the government/an industry)?
What are the consequences going to be? Assess magnitude, quality and
prevalence.
What are the alternatives/possible solutions?
How much would they cost? Is it better to invest the money in other projects?
Talk to people in the community to hear different views that will enable a
holistic

view of the issue.

Talk to people who are in-charge and hear their side of the issue. Tell them
about the problems that you see.
You may be able to work towards solving problems together if you do not see
yourself ties.
Connect with people to increase awareness
Ask older, influential or respected people in the community to address public
gatherings.
Use the media (newspapers and the internet) to generate interest,
communicate the facts and discuss options.
Write polite, succinct articles for magazines and newspapers identifying the
issues.
Include people from diverse backgrounds, so that your organization is not
36

linked with any particular political party or religious sect.

For fund raising purposes, let people know why funds are needed and how
they will be used. Transparent and detailed accounts are imperative to build trust.
Link up with other NGOs to maximize the effect of the effort.

Conclusion
37

NGOs are organisations within the civil society that work on the not-forprofit approach in the space which exists between the family (household),
market and state. It is made up of several types of formal voluntary
organisations, where people based on community, neighbourhood,
workplace and other connections form their association to participate in
actions for their own collective interests or for larger social good. Those
NGOs which are working at the global arena, across several countries are
termed as international NGOs. Many NGOs have worked hard to include
children

with

disability

in

schools,

end

caste-based

stigma

and

discrimination, prevent child labour and promote gender equality resulting

in women receiving equal wages for the same work compared to men.
Thus NGOs and their activities focusing
particularly on education, health and general awareness of woman and
children.

Refrences
^ Anheier et al., "Global Civil Society 2001", 2001
38

^ "Hobbled NGOs wary of Medvedev". Chicago Tribune. May 7, 2008.

^ "India: More NGOs, than schools and health centres". OneWorld.net. July
7, 2010. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
^ "First official estimate: An NGO for every 400 people in India". The Indian
Express. July 7, 2010.
^ a b c d e f g h Willetts, Peter. "What is a Non-Governmental
Organization?". UNESCO Encyclopaedia of Life Support Systems. City
University London. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
^ Iriye, Akira (2004). Global community : the role of international
organizations in the making of the contemporary world (1. paperback print.
ed.). Berkeley, Calif. [u.a.]: Univ. of California Press.
^ inspad.org
^

Keck

and

Sikkink.

"Environmental

Advocacy

Networks".

Books.google.com. Retrieved 2011-12-20.

^ McCormick, John. "The Role of Environmental NGOs in International
Regimes". Books.google.com. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
^ a b World Bank Criteria defining NGO[dead link]
^

100

LSE.ac.uk, Mukasa, Sarah. Are expatriate staff necessary in

international development NGOs? A case study of an international NGO in

Uganda. Publication of the Centre for Civil Society at London School of
Economics. 2002, p. 1113.

39