Role of NGOs In World Development - Essay Example

Role of NGOs in world development affiliation Table of contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………......3 Role of NGOs in world development…………………………………..........................................3 CARE NGO……………………………………………………………………………………….5 Achievements of CARE international…………………………………………………………….6 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………...8 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………9 Role of NGOs in world development Introduction The first Non-governmental organization was introduced in the mid nineteenth century after the World War II (DeChaine, 2005, p. 16). The United Nations delimits an NGO as any voluntary body that addresses issues of the public ad has no any aims for earning profits. NGOs can operate both at local and international levels depending on the matter they are handling and how well they are established. NGOs have increasingly become an important tool for global development (Irrera, 2013, p. 76). The primary issues addressed by most NGOS are human rights, education, women rights, economic development, health care, immunization, and care environmental care. However, NGOs have also ventured into other activities such as disaster control and elimination of wrong cultures (DeChaine, 2005, p. 55). This paper will examine the role of NGOs in world development. The paper will expound the operations of CARE and evaluate how well they have been able to achieve their objectives. Role of NGOs in world development The role played by an NGO is dependent on their mission and vision. Different NGOs play different roles in the society. However, the primary aim of all NGOs is to improve certain situations so that the world can be a better place. The activities carried out by all the NGOs integrate in one way or the other and in the end they lead to world development (Srinivas, 2011, retrieved from http://www.gdrc.org/ngo/ngo-roles.html). For example, when one NGO focuses on the provision of education in remote areas and another NGO provides food for students in those schools, they will have both collaborated improving education. This shows that the role played by different NGOs intertwine and lead to general world development Some NGOs focus on improvement of infrastructure to aid development. Infrastructure is a core requirement for development. Infrastructure includes land development, house construction, road construction, solid waste collection among other activities. When an NGO develops a road, it connects the residents of a particular area to the outer world. This facilitates trade and movement, and hence the rate of development is increased. Activities such collection of solid waste improves the living standards of people that is a form of development. Some NGOs have focused on the elimination of slums by building houses for persons living in slums (Srinivas, 2011, retrieved from http://www.gdrc.org/ngo/ngo-roles.html). Waste collection improves the appearance of an area and facilitates maintaining of good health. NGOs such as the OneAcreFund, who mainly operate in African countries, have majored in land development and have helped people start up agribusiness projects. Through such projects, the economy of a country develops and in turn the rate of world development is fastened. Education is the backbone of development. Due to this, most NGOs have majored in facilitation of education in different ways. Well-established NGOs build schools in areas with little or no schools. They also go ahead and employ teachers. Through such activities, the standards of education are improved and other development requirements such as innovation sprout. Some NGOs provide learning facilities such as books that help in the improvement of education. NGOs such as the Children Foundation and the Foundation for Academic Excellence and Access offer scholarships to needy students. With such NGO activities, education standards are improved, and trained labor becomes available. Health is very essential for human existence. Dangerous diseases can wipe out populations. Some people cannot afford medical services and have no one to help them. Due to such conditions, many NGOs have majored in provision of health services. Some provide vaccinations while other provides full medical attention to people. They mostly provide these services to marginalized areas or high-level poverty areas. NGOs such as the international aids society, UNAIDS, and the Kaiser family foundation have majored in control of AIDs in all countries in the world (Teegen, Doh, & Vachani, 2004, p. 470). They provide advice and drugs for the disease. Control of such diseases leads to general world health improvement. Other NGOs such SNEHA which is based in India provide free maternal services to the poor people (Teegen, Doh, & Vachani, 2004, p. 471). Some NGOs focus on the elimination of cultures that have a negative impact on people. They offer training and guidance to people of such communities so that they can drop the cultures, a good example are the NGOs in Africa, that focus on improving girl child education and elimination of female genital mutilation. They educate such societies on the need for girl child education and the dangers of female genital mutilation (Godrej, 2014, p.13). Through such activities, the NGOs propel global development. NGOs are advocates and spokesmen of the poor. They perform researches and influence the government to initiate policies and programs to eradicate poverty. They also help the government in dealing with disasters and emergency issues. The Red Cross is a proper example of a non-governmental organization that operates in all countries and has helped many countries during emergency and disaster occurrences (Boulding, 2014, p.149). CARE NGO The Care NGO is one of the leading humanitarian organizations that deal with the eradication of poverty. It was established in the year 1945 under the name cooperative for American Remittances to Europe (CARE International, 2013, retrieved from http://www.familycareintl.org/en/issues/74). After operating for thirty years in Europe, they changed their missions to offering help globally to poverty stricken areas. They also change their name to CARE international. In 1993, they changed added women empowerment to their mission and have worked towards that mission to date. The NGO is formed by 14 member countries who work together in achieving the mission of the organization (CARE International, 2013, retrieved from http://www.familycareintl.org/en/issues/74). They have participated in many programs that are all aimed at wiping out poverty. According to a report by the CARE international in 2013, the NGO had worked in 87 countries and supported 927 poverty-fighting development and humanitarian aid projects. In the year 2013, they had managed to reach approximately 93 million people and had offered different forms of help. CARE international focuses on serving individual and families from poor communities in all countries in the world. With their global diversity, decades of experience and an extensive range of resources they have been able to make significant achievements in elimination of poverty. To ensure that the world keeps developing, they have ensured that they create economic opportunities for poor people and women in marginalized areas. They have also addressed the issue of women discrimination and helped many women gain the capacity of self-help. The organizations mission is seeking hope, tolerance, social justice, dignity and security to poverty stricken areas. Most works that are done by CARE fall under education improvement, elimination of gender-based violence, purvey of health-care, access to clean water and sanitation, emergency AIDs, and creation of economic opportunities for the poor. Achievements of CARE international Before 1986, many women were dying in pregnancy or during delivery. There was no organization that had come out to offer maternal help to poor women. Through the safe mother imitative, they started reaching women in poverty stricken areas. Their move has helped prevent the death of many women. The organization also trains women on childcare and hence reduces the global mortality rate of children. They Safe-mother project has also supplied medical tools and facilities to improve maternal health of women (CARE international, 2014, retrieved from http://www.care.org/emergencies). They have made a significant impact in Uganda, Mali, and India that were the countries most affected by the problem of maternal deaths, and lack of maternal facilities. Following the southern Sudan political and religion violence, many women were left homeless and with no food (CARE international, 2014, retrieved from http://www.care.org/work/womens-empowerment). Their husbands were killed in the war and hence the women and children were left to suffer. CARE international has offered help to 3.7 million people who were stricken by hunger. The organization has helped women start up their lives again following the disaster in the country. Their support was mainly directed to women, and this has been a significant achievement of their mission. CARE international helped the survivors of the Haiyan typhoon in Philippines. They supplied them with food shelter and other essentials during the disaster (CARE international, 2014, retrieved from http://www.care.org/work/womens-empowerment). They have also helped the residents redevelop by building schools and medical facilities in the highly affected areas. The organization is currently helping the Syrian refugees who ran away from the Syrian conflicts. Most of the refugees are children and women, and they have received numerous help from CARE as they battle to get back to their feet. Since 1948, CARE international has been of great help to the residents of West Bank and Gaza (CARE international, 2014, retrieved from http://www.care.org/emergencies). They have continually provided healthcare, water, and sanitation to the affected people. Besides this, they have also helped women start up agricultural and livelihood programs which benefit them economically. Following the Cyclone in India, many people were left homeless, and poverty levels went very high in the country (CARE international, 2014, retrieved from http://www.care.org/work/womens-empowerment). CARE international extended its help to the people in India and has provided access to electricity, permanent shelter and clean water to over 10 million people. CARE international have been in the forefront in helping people in Chad and Central African Republic (CARE International, 2013, retrieved from http://www.familycareintl.org/en/issues/74). These two areas are subject to civil wars that cause hunger and poverty. CARE international has helped refugees of the Sahel region and has helped solve their food and resources crisis. CARE international is unique from other NGOs since apart from offering relief, they also start up long-term recovery projects. They have partnered with governments and other agencies towards improving the lives of many people. This shows that they have been working closely towards their mission. The limitless help that they have provided to many countries has led to global development Conclusion Non- governmental organizations play an important role in global development. They help people recover from situations that they would have otherwise not been able to recover from (Fisher, 2003, p. 47). The operations of NGOs save a lot of costs to governments and such costs may be directed to other areas of development. The achievements of CARE international are a perfect example of the roles played by NGOs. The organization has shown that NGOs support is imperative to global development. Bibliography Boulding, C. 2014. NGOs. Cambridge University Press: New York. CARE International. 2013. FCI: History of Achievement and Impact. Viewed December 3, 2014 CARE international. 2014, November. Emergency Response | CARE. Viewed December 3, 2014 CARE international. 2014, November. Womens Empowerment | CARE. Viewed December 3, 2014 DeChaine, D. R. 2005. Global humanitarianism: NGOs and the crafting of community. Lexington Books: Lanham, Md Fisher, J. 2003. Nongovernments: NGOs and the political development of the Third World. Kumarian Press: West Hartford, Conn. Godrej, D 2014, NGOs -- do they help? (cover story), New Internationalist, 478, p. 12-15, Master FILE Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 3 December 2014. Irrera, D. 2013. NGOs. Edward Elgar Publishing: New York, NY. Srinivas, H. 2011. Non-governmental Organizations. Viewed December 3, 2014 http://www.gdrc.org/ngo/ngo-roles.html Teegen, H., Doh, J. P., & Vachani, S. 2004. The importance of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in global governance and value creation: An international business research agenda. Journal of International Business Studies, Vol 35 No 6, pp. 463-483. Read More