Are NGOs Really A Welfare Unit? By Beenish Abdullah

Are NGOs Really A Welfare Unit?

By: Beenish Abdullah

Among many other beautifully disguised and window dressed deceptions given to Pakistani masses mainly in last decade in the name of social development, NGOs are on the top.

There are many NGOs in Pakistan, apparently working to resolve many issues like advocacy, policy issues, rehabilitation and relief, implementation of development projects and programs, child labor, unemployment, illiteracy, poor health facilities but nearly half of the NGOs are working for women uprising and protecting women’s rights.

It is hard to exactly estimate the number of NGOs in Pakistan but there are about 10,000 to 16,000 registered NGOs in Pakistan. If non registered NGOs are added to registered ones then the estimated number will be between 30,000 to 35,000.

The question is, if such a large number of “dedicated” NGOs are working to vigorously cope up with the social ills and problems of society then why the problems are still at their peak? Why NGOs have become failed to throw away or even reduce the extent of rapidly increasing problems especially when bulk of NGOs are working to overcome each problem?

The answers to these thoughtful questions need to have a deeper insight on the “social work propaganda” of these NGOs.

The first and the root reason behind this is that though NGOs call themselves non profit organizations which actually they are not. It is a bitter reality that all NGO’s efforts are not triggered towards divine goals of developing society but mainly they are motivated by “self interest”.

In fact, many NGOs serve the personal ambitions of exploiting the generosity of foreign donors and the patronage of their own government to become richer using the names of society betterment and community development.

Moreover, Government cannot interfere into the financial affairs of an NGO like receiving and proper utilization of NGOs which increases the probability of exploitation and misuse of funds granted by the foreign donors and agencies.

How funny it seems that in our country 90% of the problems exist due to the dominated feudalism and corrupted bureaucracy and a big number of NGOs are being owned by wives of bureaucrats, industrialists, well designated officers and members of elite class. How suck kind of social workers can work against their own class?

There hardly would be an NGO being run by a farmer or primary school teacher who has seen the problems of life from a comparatively closer view. How these representatives of elite class can work against the problems created by their own class? How the wives of bureaucrats and industrialists can bring their husbands into courts on the blame of exploiting labor, taking bribes, corruption and not properly utilizing the government resources?

But rather a pragmatic approach reveals that to run a NGO is just a time pass activity for these ladies which also give them fame and money.

Their social work remain confined to the extent of organizing workshop, raising calls for charities, arranging musical concerts to collect money for the marriages of poor girls and conducting long walks for women rights.

International NGOs are another joke in Pakistan on the name of community development. In today’s competitive era, which country can be as mad to invest huge amount of money on introducing rural reforms, providing health facilities and educational opportunities in another country.

These international NGOs are actually paralyzing the poor public by giving them aids. The fate of nation can be changed only by capacity building and provision of proper and permanent employment opportunities not by income transfer.

Registration and proper monitoring of NGOs have long been an issue in Pakistan. Hence Government of Pakistan must form committees to review the 12 laws dealing with the registration of NGOs so that NGOs could be properly monitored and a proper check and balance could be maintained on their activities.

Now the need of the hour is that these NGOs must quickly try to reinstate their lost image of a welfare unit. They are required to conduct their own basic research and have their own authenticated data and statistics in contrast with utilizing foreign funds properly.

On the contrary, if they won’t stop making jokes on the name of social welfare then they will be nothing more than billboards in future.

Are NGOs Really A Welfare Unit? By Beenish Abdullah