Post #6
To most people around the world, NGOs are known as the groups that provide helpful aid needed in many societies around the world.
NGOs can be described as…
A non-governmental organization (NGO) is a non-profit, citizen-based group that functions independently of government. NGOs, sometimes called civil societies, are organized on community, national and international levels to serve specific social or political purposes, and are cooperative, rather than commercial, in nature (Investopedia, 2018).
Many of these NGOs travel internationally to reach out to thousands of people in many different countries. The aid provided will vary based on the situations at hand, but they work hard to administer the right aid needed. Although most people see these organizations as beneficial, some may disagree on that point.
In Linda Polman’s book, she argues that many NGOs do not always provide the best aid needed in many countries. She thinks that they prolong wars by giving resources and aid to these countries, while also feeding into the issues that they are trying to resolve. The aid given often goes towards some things other than what it is intended for.
I’ve known aid workers who cared for child soldiers and war orphans by day and relaxed by night in the arms of child prostitutes. These bad impressions are further reinforced by the endless conferences, by the top managers who use business-class flights to get around the globe, … Which all helps to explain why a growing number of concerned Western citizens think they can do better and decide to set up their own aid organizations” (Polman, 50).
Polman has concerns with whether the aid provided by NGOs are neutral and truly beneficial. She also talks on the fact that there may be too many NGOs trying to provide aid or that the organizations there are lacking in qualifications to be there. She goes on to bring up the statement that “Aid organizations are businesses dressed up like Mother Teresa” (177), because even with their efforts, many people just view them in this way. They may say they are non-profit, but many know that they have more structure and money behind it all. Journalists have also put this label on them through their stories on the aid campaigns. These journalists are often even funded by an aid organization and sent out to write about the situation at hand (Polman, 177).
In order for the humanitarian aid to be more successful in these countries, the pubic, journalists and governments should start taking more action themselves. They should put more effort into doing their own research and dig deeper into the issues that the aid goes to. After doing this, they should be able to better understand what happens when the aid is provided. Good or bad, they should all know and act on improving the aid where necessary. Any questions or concerns should not be ignored anymore. This is again, to improve the success of any aid given to any country. This may be difficult, but it will be worth it in the end.
I think another thing we can change to improve the humanitarian aid is to eliminate some of the unnecessary NGOs. There are so many that administer a lot of the same aid or are very similar in their purpose. Cutting back on these may give a better label to NGOs and allow them to focus more on the situations they are trying to help. This could also allow them to better cater to the needs of these countries, rather than going into them not knowing what really needs to be done. After reading Polman’s views, I now understand these concerns and can now see that the aid being provided, could also use some help itself to make it truly successful in these countries.
Sources:
Polman, Linda, and Liz Waters. The Crisis Caravan: What’s Wrong with Humanitarian Aid? Picador, 2011.
