Humanitarian Aid through Nonprofit Organisations in Syria - Research Paper Example

Humanitarian Aid through Nonprofit Organisations Executive Summary In early 2011, protests demanding the freeing of political prisoners prompted the ongoing crisis in Syria after national security forces used brutal force in responding to the demonstrations that were initially peaceful. Civilians were then subjected to an armed militia sponsored by the state and fighting in conjunction with the security forces. As the crisis escalated over a period of three years, there were delayed initial responses addressing humanitarian needs by the international community yet crimes against humanity were reportedly being committed by the government. As the situation worsened, the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) as well as refugees moving to neighbouring countries grew, totaling over nine million, so did the need for humanitarian aid, mostly shelter, food, toiletries and medical supplies. Essentially, this created the need for charity and aid organisations through which the refugees and IDPs could assess basic needs. However, some of the charity groups started collecting funds from donors and either used it for personal benefits or funding terrorist groups. Therefore, it has become necessary to create a genuine and credible organisation in Saudi Arabia that will work alongside other organisations in the region to channel all the funds and aid received to addressing the humanitarian needs of Syrian citizens. Credibility and using funds for what they are intended for will be the most effective way to justify the existence of the charity and gain the confidence and trust of sponsors. Table of Contents 1. Overview 4 2. The Social Problem and Need 4 3. Vision and Objectives 6 4. Activities and Services necessary to Achieve Objectives 7 5. Suitability of the Nonprofit Charity Organization 8 6. Position of Proposed Organisation Relative to Environment/Stakeholders and Existing Services with Associated Advantages and Disadvantages 9 7. Organisational Structure and Possible Implementation Issues 11 8. Strategy for Financial and Human Resources 12 9. Business Tools 13 10. Conclusion and Recommendations 14 References Humanitarian Aid through Nonprofit Organisations 1. Overview Syria has been experiencing violent wars since 2011 that were sparked by protests calling for the release of political prisoners, political reforms and the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad (Hinnebusch 2012, p. 98). Although the protests were peaceful initially, the government reacted brutally to the protestors, further aggravating the situation and violating human rights. The growing number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees necessitated the creation of charities to address humanitarian needs of the citizens. Shelter, food, toiletries, medical supplies and clean water became and remain urgently needed. However, unscrupulous organisations soon started taking advantage of the strong calls by Islam towards charitable giving, known as zakat, and started enriching themselves. It also became known that terrorist groups were collecting money from corrupt charities and their employees, which in turn tarnished the name of charitable organizations (ICRP 2014, p. 905). In this report, the need of creating a charitable organisation in Saudi Arabia to aid the citizens of Syria will be justified, followed by a presentation of the organisation's vision and specific objectives. The report will further explain the activities and services necessary to achieve the objectives and also present an outline of the strategy that will be used to enlist financial and human resources involved. 2. The Social Problem and Need According to United Nations estimates, over 191, 000 Syrian citizens had been killed by August 2014, with a further 130,000 reported as either missing or captured. It is worth noting that the number of fatalities had more than doubled from June the previous year, a period of only 14 months. The same estimates also show that by April 2014, there were over three million Syrian refugees in neighbouring and other countries plus a further six million IDPs. The United Nations, European Union and Arab League as well as many governments from Western countries condemned the violent response by the Syrian government to the protests while Middle Eastern governments, albeit only initially, supported Assad’s government. However, as the war continued getting out of hand, the Middle Eastern governments shifted to a more moderate approach, urging the Syrian government and protestors to observe human rights (ICNL 2012, p. 1121). The humanitarian situation worsened when rebel forces as well as the government started using the platform of civilian suffering as a technique of war. Specifically, they were accused by United Nations reports of blocking civilians’ access to health services, food, medical supplies and water. Refugees along borders, government forces and also rebels started hijacking and looting trucks delivering humanitarian aid. As this practice still continues, it has the potential to escalate the problem since food and other relief that is looted is used to achieve the control of refugee camps since aid translates into power for those who deliver it. Essentially, this aspect also means that the aid and humanitarian support is distributed unevenly as businessmen are transforming into war profiteers. The general environment is that the United Nations, European Union and Arab League are working towards the larger objective of ending the war, but the humanitarian needs of the civilians must also be addressed with more commitment and extensively. Further, even though there are already existing charities in Saudi Arabia, most have their focus on Palestine and Iraq, which have had longer-standing internal and external conflicts. Apart from the political solution being sought by these bodies, numerous charitable organisations are working towards the cause of humanitarian needs, but the fact that the number of refugees, IDPs and fatalities are growing dictates that more organisations work together. This is not in a manner to duplicate services but rather, improving and enhancing services targeting specific and real goals such as supplementing the provision of aid with basic education in human rights. As more aid falls into the hands of unintended recipients aiming to make profits, there is a growing need to create an organisation that will petition for funds and use them for the intended purpose and also be accountable to the sponsors. 3. Vision and Objectives The charitable organisation proposed will work in accordance with the regulations of the United Nations General assembly, under which the main coordinator of international humanitarian response, the UNOCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), operates. The organisation's primary framework will be informed by the humanitarian situation and provide non-lethal aid to both government forces as well as the protesters. This is with a vision of becoming a truly legitimate charity organisation that aims to minimise and eventually eliminate the negative effects the war has on human lives. The impacts of the unrest that the organisation will target, and also form its core objectives, are deaths, displacement, illness, increasing crime, violation of human rights and threats against minorities and sects. Apart from displacement, deaths form the most devastating impact of the war. This is especially so because children are also not being spared and detainees are being killed systematically and the increasing statistics were used to determine the vision and array of objectives to be pursued. As the war is causing citizens to flee the country, it is hoped that the humanitarian relief delivered to them within their country will reduce the rate at which they are moving out and eventually end it. This is in response to the notion that citizens are not only fleeing the violence but also looking for food and other essential commodities that are being robbed on delivery. The lack of healthcare services and medical supplies as well as the collapse of sanitation has also led to the spreading of infectious diseases that are mainly affecting children. The blocking of services to citizens has also brought about the cutting off of critically needed vaccination, which the organisation will aim to restore. By delivering humanitarian relief to both the government forces and protestors, it is envisioned that the need to loot from delivery trucks in order to gain power will be reduced since both groups will be sufficiently provided for. The long term objective of this particular objective is to reduce the increasing crime rate. The reduction of violation of human rights will also be targeted since criminal networks serving both the government and protestors will be aided equally. 4. Activities and Services necessary to Achieve Objectives The intended activities are founded on the provisions of international best practices that will facilitate the delivery of superior performance and long term, distinctive, positive impacts on the beneficiaries (Bryson 2008, p. 69). The organisation's format, ideas and processes have been informed and developed by the need to suit the environment and requirements of the nonprofit charity organisations in Saudi Arabia. Performance will be evaluated in accordance with the organisation’s vision of becoming a truly legitimate charitable organisation that aims to minimise and eventually eliminate the negative effects the war has on human lives. The fundamental activity towards achieving the organisational objectives will involve creating awareness of its creation by first, approaching individual sponsors and institutions in which the community has confidence such as schools. To achieve the confidence of the individual sponsors and donors whose support will be sought, the strategy of word of mouth and direct meetings will be employed rather than using the media which may be used to perpetrate fraud. Second, activities and services will be categorised into seasonal and active ones and carried out by both employees and volunteers. Active services will be the ongoing daily activities such as delivery and distribution of health interventions, hygiene products and food and water. While most of the existing charitable organisations concentrate on delivering medical equipment to hospitals, the proposed organisation will concentrate on providing shelter and delivering medication and medical personnel to the shelters to Syrians both in and out of Syria. More importantly, this will not target any particular group or either government forces or protestors, but will be meant for any Syrian who is need of humanitarian aid as a result of the war. In this way, no side will have ground to accuse the organisation of being biased or prejudiced. Seasonal activities will be designed in view of the fact that Syria is largely a Muslim country and, essentially, will need to observe various seasonally occurring religious activities. Through the two platforms, the organisation will take upon the extra service of using the partnership with schools to offer shelter and awareness and knowledge in human rights and what the violation of such rights is likely to culminate into. There will be programs designed to solicit and evaluate proposals towards social change, capacity building and economic development of the refugees and IDPs. This will require exploring and advancing partnerships with the Saudi government and bodies such as the UNOCHA as well as other reputable organisations serving the same purpose. 5. Suitability of the Nonprofit Charity Organisation Before the idea of creating the proposed organisation was finalised and geared towards becoming a project, a feasibility study was conducted to establish if other governmental, for-profit or nonprofit organisations were conducting similar work specifically targeted towards the Syrian community. Through a needs analysis, it was established that although other organisations existed and served similar purposes, the need was still largely not met and more efforts, especially collaborative ones, were needed for the sake of the people of Syria (UNGA 2014, p. 264). Since Syria was not targeted by as many as those that targeted other countries with similar problems, it would not exactly be a duplication of existing services, hence the suitability of the proposed charitable organisation. The services that the charity intends to offer, including the creation and development of human rights, are unduplicated and highly responsive to a real need that affects Syrians. The key purpose of the creation of the proposed charitable organisation is to deliver humanitarian aid to Syrians who have been cut off from basic human needs as a result of the war going on in the country. As a nonprofit organisation, the charity is committed through its vision and mission to serve as an instrument of positive social change through democratic involvement and innovation. Further, the organisation envisions an equitable and peaceful Syria through its organisational policy founded on effective, accountable and ethical charity. This aspect ideally makes it a philanthropic society rather than a business seeking to make profits. Basically, the charity is responding to the pleas of Syrians trapped by the negative outcomes of war rather than operating as a war profiteer. This is reflective of the integrity that the organisation’s founding team believes in, stands for and is driven by, which makes it a beneficiary-centred organisation. 6. Position of Proposed Organisation Relative to Environment/Stakeholders and Existing Services with Associated Advantages and Disadvantages Both internal and external assessments were conducted by extensively researching available data through telephone calls, questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. A SWOT analysis of the intended charity organisation reveals strengths that include highly qualified staff members in the management of nonprofit organisations. They are also familiar with the problem being addressed and the needs of the beneficiaries. From this, the organisation will be able to address real problems and still be accountable to individual sponsors and donors. Key stakeholders will include the Syrian beneficiaries (whether inside or outside Syria), donors, the founding team and the Saudi government mainly because of its regulatory role. The Saudi environment will provide for stable working conditions through which the organisation can headquarter and run its operations (Horton 2009, p. 92). Syrian refugees especially in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Pakistan can easily be accessed and served effectively while official data is easily accessible from the headquarters by the relevant stakeholders. The existing services will not necessarily render those of the proposed organisation redundant because so long as the war is still going on, the humanitarian needs have never been fully met. One significant opportunity for development and expansion throughout the Middle East is the willingness of the Saudi community and specifically the Muslims to contribute towards the cause of charity as required by Sharia (KPMG 2012, p. 493). Further, the political, social, economic and technological environments in Saudi Arabia provide opportunities to partner with other institutions in the kingdom so long as legal requirements are met. Through the collaboration with schools, shelter will be provided to the growing number of refugees and the same locations will be used to provide the intended awareness of human rights. This is a long-term investment that will be useful to the refugees by the time their country will be peaceful enough to accommodate them. The key weakness identified is the possibility of high turnover of staff members mainly due to the volatile situation. This weakness is especially likely to originate from staff members who will have to physically get into Syria but is, so far, outweighed by the strengths and opportunities (Landis 2012, p. 84). The advantage of the proposed organisation relative to existing services is the specialised and highly objective services and activities that the founders are offering to undertake. The services are considered highly specialised because even if other players have conducted investigations and established that human rights are grossly violated, none is specifically focused on the responsibility of addressing it and how to prevent it from continuing. The key disadvantage would be possible infiltration by rogue staff members who are also significant stakeholders. This is in the sense that it is known terrorist groups have taken advantage of the generosity of well-wishing sponsors to further their terrorist agendas and they get funded through charity organisations just as do the legitimate beneficiaries (Ziadeh, R 2011, p. 54). Therefore, apart from material aid that can physically be accounted for, there may be no solid way of quantifying other services such as training during audits, which can compromise the legitimacy the organisation promises in its vision. 7. Organisational Structure and Possible Implementation Issues Organised in three functional areas including administration, programs and governance, the organisational structure has been designed to be centred on making plans and decisions, managing knowledge, administrative systems, information technology and technological and physical assets. In accordance with Saudi regulations, the management of the organisation will be overseen by a Board of Directors made up of a maximum number of 11 and minimum of nine members at any one time (Wright 2008, p. 27). This board will be a representation of the highest authority charged with the responsibility of governance and drawing general and specific policies and development of the organisation's growing functions and purpose. Reporting to the board there will be an Executive Director assisted by an Executive Assistant. Also charged with governance responsibilities, the Executive Director will be responsible for the implementation of the decisions of the board as well as the day to day running of the organisation. The next level in the structure is made up of the Program Director, Development Director, Finance/HR Director and Volunteer Director who will all report to the Executive Director. These directors will be responsible for carrying out specific tasks in collaboration with the administrators. Under each of these directors will be administrators, forming a centralised structure: Housing Coordinator, Workforce Coordinator and Public Assistance Coordinator under the Program Director; Development Assistant and Special Events Assistant under the Development Director; Finance Assistant under the Finance/HR Director; and the Volunteer Coordinator under the Volunteer Director. Possible implementation issues include lack of consensus on critical issues from the board especially since it is constituted of members that were elected to represented diverse interests in a bid to maximise democracy. However, this possibility has minimal chances of occurring since all members have been fully involved in the process of strategic planning. Another implementation issue might arise from donors who may want their strategies to overshadow those that the organization has developed for itself, implying that some staff members may have to be rendered redundant. 8. Strategy for Financial and Human Resources Financial resources will be sought from individual sponsors as well as corporate organisations and mainly through word of mouth. At the start, the founding members will do most of the work of soliciting for funds and both employees and volunteers. However, once enough employees and volunteers have been brought on board, those assigned to the Development Director and Volunteer Director will be responsible for most of the soliciting. The organisation will openly declare to interested parties that it will be open to periodic audits that will be published for the sake of accountability. This is strategically designed to gain the confidence of sponsors as well as ensuring that both employees and sponsors recruited will be joining genuinely for the sake of extending humanitarian aid to the beneficiaries (Allison & Kaye 2009, p. 103). 9. Business Tools Two critical business tools that will be employed are technology and human resources management. Technology will mainly be used to interact with both the local community in which the proposed organization will be located and the audience targeted by the humanitarian aid. It is acknowledged that not many of the targeted audience may be in a position to actively engage in social media platforms. However, since the world is watching what is happening in Syria, social media will facilitate the much needed feedback and inform the necessary changes and improvements in service delivery. Technology will also help the tracking and reporting system that will enable the organisation to prioritize and assign matters. Through technology, the organisation will also be able to analyse and quantify specific actions of both staff members and the targeted audience. On its part, a well-structured human resources management will help the internal operations of the organisation and the impacts will reflect on the overall outlook the organisation will impress upon the society. This will be through, for example, recruiting genuinely qualified and talented staff members by strict screening, checking their backgrounds and rewarding exceptional efforts and performance. More importantly, the human resource management will keep issues in check and ensure that staff members do not engage in fraudulent activities that end up financing terrorist groups or work against the organisation’s vision (Allison & Kaye 2009, p. 119). 10. Conclusion and Recommendations Following the 2011 series of events that led to unrest, the problem in Syria and social needs were shown by surveys and statistics obtained from reputable organisations such as the United Nations to be real. Creating the proposed charity organisation is justifiable from the growing number of refugees, IDPs and reported deaths. Further, although other organisations exists, the larger and more capable ones are mainly concerned with seeking a political solution to the unrest while those delivering humanitarian aid are not as focused on Syria as they are on Iraq and Palestine. This leaves room and need for the creation of more charity organizations that will specifically target Syria even if it will require working alongside those already established. From these observations, it is recommended that more charity organisations be created and work in collaboration with each other for the common good of humanity in Syria and the larger Middle East. References Allison, M & Kaye, J 2009, Strategic planning for nonprofit organizations: a practical guide and workbook, Wiley, London. Bryson, J 2008, Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: a guide to strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco. Hinnebusch, R 2012, ‘Syria: from 'Authoritarian Upgrading' to evolution’, International Affairs, vol. 88, no. 1, pp. 95-113. Horton, R 2009, Executive education in Saudi Arabia, Columbia University Press, Columbia International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) 2012, NGO law monitor: Saudi Arabia, Author, Amman. International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect (ICRP) 2014, The crisis in Syria, Author, New York. KPMG 2012, Accounting: Islamic charities and Sharia law, Author, London. Landis, J 2012, ‘The Syrian Uprising of 2011: why the Assad regime is likely to survive to 2013’, Middle East Policy, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 72-84. United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 2014, Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian emergency assistance of the United Nations, Author, New York. Wright, R 2008, Dreams and shadows: the future of the Middle East, Penguin Press, New York. Ziadeh, R 2011, Power and policy in Syria: intelligence services, foreign relations and democracy in the modern Middle East, I. B. Tauris, London. Read More