The Role of NGOs 

Popularly known as NGOs, Non-Governmental Organisations are an integral part of the society Governed by the sole intention of social service and welfare, NGOs have been instrumental in reshaping the society by emancipating the downtrodden by lending a helping hand to the needy. As the name suggests, NGOs are the organisations that do not work under the government. They are voluntary bodies which work for the cause of the mankind. Hence they are independent of any governmental control. They are often called NPOs for they are non-profit organisations.

Funds and subscriptions are the backbones of NGOs since they do not get any money from the government to execute their tasks. Philanthropists donate money, food, or clothes which go for the development and help in the smooth functioning of these organisations. Money received in this way provides the means for organizing welfare activities. Many times celebrities or VIPs become active members of NGOs. They organize events in which they perform before the audience. The money with which people buy the tickets goes for charity. At times NGOs visit educational institutions to collect money or to raise funds that may be used for the development of the society.

NGOs may be classified as Religious and Educational also. Every religious congregation or order is a non-governmental organization in the sense that it is not controlled by any rules and regulations of any ruling government. The congregation of nuns of the well-known social servant, Mother Teresa has been undoubtedly an NGO from the outset. Another type of NGOs that are educational or academic by nature are the Philosophy of Education Society or National Education Association. NGOs like Red Cross Society and Pingalwara are voluntary organizations involved in humanitarian activities. The former is acting in relief works in times of disasters or emergencies and promotes health and care of the vulnerable people and communities. The latter dedicates itself to nurture and support the unfortunate individuals who are “sick, disabled, forlorn, suffering and deserted by mankind’. Besides, some NGOs have stemmed from the sociological field and are involved in supporting widows, handicapped, alcoholics or drug addicts. In the recent times, many NGOs are working for a variety of vital human causes like peace, education, environmental protection, human and consumer rights, child abuse, disarmament, etc.

It is a universally acknowledged fact that the countries where people voluntarily participate in humanitarian tasks through various NGOs have lesser problems and lesser human suffering. While it is hard to predict the total number of NGOs operating in the country due to the lack of systematic records, a great majority of the NGOs are small and three-fourths of all NGOs are run entirely by volunteers or a few part time employees. In spite of the limitations in their size and resources, NGOs in the area of environment, health, education, peace, human and consumer rights and women’s rights provide convincing examples of the power of this sector’s action in social change.

Since the late 1970s, the NGO sector has been playing a steadily increasing and active role in influencing government policies that affect the society. Women’s movement began to take shape gradually shifting emphasis from the critique of gender, inequality to issues like gender discrimination at the work place, unequal wages and domestic labour. NGOs such as SEWA have played dominant roles in women’s economic independence. The introduction of 33% reservation for women in local/village level elections has been made mandatory because of the impact of the NGOs only.

“Narmada Bachao Aandolan” has been the major and most visible endeavour in influencing the environmental policy. The enormous response of NGOs in the aftermath of the 2004, Indian Ocean Tsunami convinced the govt. of India to seek assistance from NGOs which are a great helping hand during any such crisis. The wholehearted support that the NGOs are putting forth for the Tsunami victims in Japan is a proof of the importance of these organisations that cannot be denied at any cost.

In spite of the strengths like strong grass root links, a process-oriented approach to development, cost-effectiveness, long-term commitment to serve the needy and emphasis on sustainability, NGOs have to struggle with limitations like limited financial and management expertise, limited institutional capacity and lack of inter-organizational communication. Some NGOs need to shift from protest and demonstrations to pro-action, India has a large number of NGOs but unfortunately, their role in the society, issues and solutions is little understood and acknowledged by the country’s social scientists due to lack of awareness, interest, and research.