As a bank worker/employe/officer/administrator,manager, credit disburser, self help groups administrator, I gained good insight into the NGOs and their working patterns.
Many funding insttns do not know how to assess the NGOs and do not know anything about the actual enduse of funds and they are prohibited from contacting certain affected beneficiaries, the aggrieved, the exploited, people. As a report came from BBC the funds
for social service always almost goes into a blackhole, nobody knows where it has ended up. Same story with Tsunami.
Horrible is the tale of the lessfortunate, in whose name and rationcard, and ID , others make money, build quarters, houses, buy cars, and now for their next 4 generations they have made money with Tsunami money. The political fiorces and NGOs play together, cooperate, and coordinate in harmoney. NOt the funding agency and the NGO,!! as desiored. Ultimately, the funding agencies are duped to the most.
They cannot implement programms without these rootlevel ngos. they cannot cut off the relationship. it is a vicious cycle. Of course, there are also times, when you received fumes without fire, ie. rumour about a person who is good without any actual crime have committed by him. this isbecasue, the complainant is an aggrieved person, who did not get some benefit from the NGO person. For these reasons, IT BECOMES ESSENTIAL TO ASSESS THE NGO ITS FUNDS UTILISATION, IMPLEMENTATION, ITS BENEFICIAIRES, ETC
The visiting funding officials are made happy with so many undesirable practices, to woo them into giving funds. It works. WE KNOW IT IS IMPORTANT TO ASSESS OR
RATE AN NGO. BUT IT IS DIFFICULT TO RATE AN NGO. Tjere are some secret indepth tools which will reveal the functioning of the NGO. But it is not easy for an
ordinary person to assess an NGO truly. Some good NGOs do not want funds becasue they are afraid , they will lose their independence in judgement and action. They
are great.
SOME OF THE CRITERIA FOR THE NGO TO BE RATED:
01.whether the bills vouchers used are actually representing the actual expenses made by them. A foreign agency may be happy with the figure of Rs 5 lacs for ground shed of 10×20 sft. Their US Dollar cost may go to RS 10 lacs in US dollars. They do not get certificate from local bankapproved reputedengineers.
In bills NGOs play and get away with money for own. 02. Mere verification of annual accounts, or maintanance is not enof. Many funders seem glum at the sight of well printed documentations spiralled beaufitifully.
03. The beneficiairies are normally a group of people related to each other. funds do not go outside a sect, a commun ity , a parentage, a generation. The funder has to visit with non ngo persons suddently and find out. they should have paid informers to keep control.
04. Rating can be done by senior SW(social workers) or better a committee of persons of a locality, but it should not be binding or committing. A single person or judge can be bought and sold. a committee cannot be.
D parameswaran
dpsfd2004@yahoo.com
MA MCom
journalist, poet, writer, bank manager,
environmentalist. social worker.
sunflowerdance.com
( starting a research instt for environ near western
ghats in the south – there will be a room for
researchers who want to come and do it all alone with
computers etc )