The video is
about the important role of NGOs in development, and the challenges and
limitation of NGOs in the process of development.
NGOs are necessary
in supporting development. NGOs especially civil society is important for development
in democratization and raising the voice for people. For example, the media,
the freedom of press is really important in the process of democratization. The
suppression of media means the suppression of development.
The challenges
of NGOs is that the necessity to define their role. For example, it is not necessary
for NGOs to always give the services. In fact, the government should do the
service for the people. Rather, NGOs should focus more on policy and advocacy.
This should be the role of NGOs in pushing government to do the services for
the people. In addition, NGOs also need to be honest and transparent about
their own structure.
My commentary
This interview is more about international non-governmental organizations. It only focus mainly on the issues of India. However, I think it is crucial for NGOs other where else. For example, when the interview talks about role of NGOs that service should not be done by NGOs, it is importan for other NGOs to take into consideration of their roles. In contrast, he did not really state the limitation of NGOs.
There is a question raised by William F. Fisher regarding the NGOs. Is NGOs doing good? Now, they are operating in varied range of activities, including implementing sustainable development, promoting human rights and social justice, protesting environmental degradation, and pursuing many other objectives ignored to governmental agencies. Of course, we cannot ignore their effort in helping the poor and in raising the issues concerned to the voiceless grass-roots. Not all to the NGOs activists, some NGOs staffs are working in NGOs for earning their living. Large amount of money allocated for helping the poor goes into the operational cost and salary. In some cases, the villagers express the image of NGOs staff as people driving a nice car, wearing a famous trademark branded cloth, and using sophisticated tools such as notebooks and smartphones. This reflects the other side of the NGOs.
ตอบลบThe video is trying to show the importance and challenges of NGOs, yet it doesn't cover different actors and perspectives of NGOs. In this video, NOGs are regarded as groups of units with similar structure, objectives, and procedure. In reality, there are many differences and specialties among NGOs as well as corruptions. I somewhat disagree with what that man's opinion that NGOs should be focusing on advocacy and changing policy and leave to roles of service delivery to the government. I believe that NGOs should focus on their specialties and need to take the roles of service delivery as much as the roles of advocating. The reason is that governments in many countries fail to fulfill their roles as service delivery and people sometimes need to have basic needs, such as food, water, shelter, etc., more than a change in policy (which usually takes a long time to happen).
ตอบลบYes,,I agree with the respondent who said NGOs are important in the development of countries.I think NGOs are helping the people whose voice is not capable to reach to the public or to the government for their needs. It doesn't not necessary for NGOs to give the services and rescue the refugees or poor people from poverty all the time. They have their roles to mobilize and advocate the people and to enforce the government to do the services for the people.
ตอบลบAs the interview is rather short, the man from Oxfam didn't have much chance to cover everything. But yes, I agree with him on the fact that local government should be the one who provides the facilities for its citizens. There are still many things NGOs can offer not only to the citizens but also to the government such as technologies and workshops. We cannot also forget about the facts that NGOs are restricted not only by their donors but also by local government. Being transparent and honest about their projects are also very important.
ตอบลบAs the interview is rather short, the man from Oxfam didn't have much chance to cover everything. But yes, I agree with him on the fact that local government should be the one who provides the facilities for its citizens. There are still many things NGOs can offer not only to the citizens but also to the government such as technologies and workshops. We cannot also forget about the facts that NGOs are restricted not only by their donors but also by local government. Being transparent and honest about their projects are also very important.
ตอบลบIn the past, many development NGOs gained a bad reputation with developing countries because they were seen as arrogant and going into poor countries and telling people how to do things, or doing things for them. They have also been described by some as the modern missionaries, referring to the imperial and colonial times, where things like converting people to Christianity was considered the moral thing to do by European and American missionaries. And even in recent years, some NGOs, aid organizations and development institutions from the “North” have been described sometimes as being tools or part of the objectives of the foreign policy aims of the northern nation from which they come. Sometimes, some NGOs is despite good intentions, they may be doing more harm than good, without realizing it. For example, many food aid groups where, in non-emergency situations, food is delivered from rich countries for either free, or virtually free, end up under-cutting local producers and hence have a negative effect on local farmers and the economy.
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