NGO's in Planning and Development
NGO's in Planning and Development
NGO's in Planning and Development
NGO
A non-governmental organization (NGO) is a citizen-based association that operates
independently of government, usually to deliver resources or serve some social or political
purpose.
History
The term “Non-governmental organization” was first coined in 1945, when the united Nation
(UN) was created and there were 1083 NGO’S. According to the UN any kind of private
organization that is independent from government control can be termed as ‘NGO’. In some
countries the term NGO is applied to an organization that is another country would be called as
NPO (non profit organization).
NGO’s in Planning
Planning
A plan is a blueprint for action.
Planning is the act of determining the organization’s goals and the means for achieving them.
Standing plans are ongoing plans that are used to provide guidance for tasks performed
repeatedly within an organization.
Policy (sexual harassment policy)
i. Broad
ii. based on organizational goals
iii. define boundaries with in which to make decisions
Rules (no smoking in class)
i. Narrow
ii. Define specific action
Procedures ( employee grievances)
i. Define a precise series of steps to attain certain goals
Contingency plans
Plans that define company responses to specific situations, for example emergencies or
unexpected conditions.
NGO’s in Development
Background
NGOs have recently emerged into the development limelight but they are not a recent
phenomenon. They were the earliest form of human organizations.
Long before the governments, people organized themselves into group for mutual protection and
self help.
During the 18th and 17th centuries in particular there has been an explosion in the number of
NGOs and an upsurge for the realistic answers to problem over a king of neglected issues related
to ecological degradation.
Lack of Funds:
NGOs are expressing difficulty in finding sufficient, appropriate and continuous funding for
their work. They find accessing donors as challenging as dealing with their funding conditions.
They perceive there to be certain cartels of individuals and NGOs that control access to donor
funds.
Poor Governance:
Poor Governance was recognized within the sector as a whole, within the NGO Council and
within individual NGOs. Knowledge of good governance varied widely, with some regions
indicating very little understanding of why NGOs are required to have Boards or what their roles
and functions should be. Many other participants explained that it is difficult to achieve good
governance with founders.
Poor Networking:
Poor Networking was identified as a major challenge. It is the cause of duplication of efforts,
conflicting strategies at community level, a lack of learning from experience and an inability of
NGOs to address local structural causes of poverty, deprivation and under-development.
Negative competition for resources also undermines the reputation of the sector and the
effectiveness of NGO activities at community level.
Poor Communications:
NGOs also recognize that there is very poor communication within the sector. The majority of
NGOs have little or no access to reliable email and internet connections, they receive almost no
literature on development issues and are generally out of touch with issues of global, regional
and national importance.
Development Approaches:
Many NGOs are still focusing upon what some refer to the ‘hardware’ approach to development,
i.e. the building of infrastructure and the provision of services. Rather than what some refer to as
the ‘software’ approach of empowering people and local institutions to manage their own affairs.
Political Interference:
In some regions, in particular South Rift and North Eastern, NGO leaders identified the
interference of local politicians and civic leaders as a major hindrance to their work. Where
NGOs are involved in sensitive issues, such as land disputes, local leaders can threaten NGOs
with de-registration.