PHA-Exchange> The Nation (Nairobi)/Law needed against errand NGOs

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The Nation, Kenya, 30. August 2004

Law Needed to Check Against Errand NGOs    
Mary Okioma,  Nairobi

Some NGOs owners grow too rich and powerful to worry about transparency and
accountability, which is why a law is needed to regulate their operations
What is it that touches your heart, moves you to tears and sends you
reaching for your purse? In all probability, it is hardly the most deserving
case. For every story that catches your attention, there are countless other
similar or more deserving cases that you will never know about.
Unfortunately, this reality holds true for the thousands of non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) in Kenya with regard to the cases they prioritise and
the donors who give them a generous consideration

Inspired by concern for human rights, religious freedom, poverty
eradication, development and the environment, western governments and
organisations give moral, material and financial support to NGOs and similar
organisations in the less developed countries. As a result, the interests of
some organised groups gain national or even international recognition and
support although their local governments may be disinterested in their
plight or suppressive of their causes.

The West must be with appeals for money

Kenya has thousands of registered NGOs, not to mention thousands of similar
outfits operating under the guise of community based organisations,
associations, foundations, societies, movements, lobby and pressure groups.
All these organisations, together with others from developing countries
around the world look to the West for financial support to fund their
activities. It is therefore quite easy to understand how overwhelmed the
West must be with appeals for money from poor nations.

With so many appeals to choose from and so many "worthy causes" knocking at
their doors, how does a donor organisation decide which groups deserve
support? How do donors establish that some causes are "worthier" than
others?

In order to be seen, felt and finally succeed, many NGOs have perfected the
art of dancing to a donor's tune. They come up with "fashionable" causes and
have learnt when to scream, when to push and when to act blind, deaf and
dumb. They are good strategists. They know how to catch the donor's eye and
which causes to give prominence. They also know the right time to open their
doors and when to say no and avoid commitments that could harm their
reputations or consume large portions of scarce resources.

Most NGOs are initially driven by regard for others as a principle for
action. However, with passage of time, competition from other NGOs and the
need for organizational survival and humanitarian work features less and
less in their decision making and general operations.

A well packaged and timely idea is of utmost importance to any NGO. Besides
being trendy and simple, the idea must match or at least appear to be in
sync with international issues of the moment. This is why almost all NGOs
focus on issues like globalisation or terrorism. This strategy amounts to
winning half of the battle where recognition and funding is concerned.

Due to the alien nature of donor tastes and preferences, many issues of
concern especially in a "Third World" setting are unlikely to be of interest
to them. NGOs must therefore properly select and "dress" an issue before
presentation to a donor.

Failure to reframe obscure local issues, or reframing around an issue whose
time has passed is a recipe for failure. Unfortunately, in the search for
trendy ideas, NGOs often overlook crucial humanitarian issues and
concentrate on less important ones with more likelihood of being funded.

A charismatic leader is an asset to an NGO. Eloquence, energy, purpose and
courage are indispensable assets but in order to succeed internationally,
there are other simple requirements which would not be common among
oppressed or marginalised indigenous groups. Fluency in a foreign language,
especially English, is one of them. 
By any standards, this is a good idea. If, however, their leader does not
understand media and NGO relations or can not articulate herself in perfect
English, she will not attract foreign donor interest.

It is not a coincidence that leaders in many established NGOs are educated
and well-to-do people or that many of them look and behave more like the
western audiences they seek to capture as opposed to the downtrodden people
for whom they speak. NGO leaders unwilling to adapt to donor
conditionalities remain unknown and underfunded. Consequently, many leaders
of successful local NGOs are better known and enjoy more backing among
international organizations than among local poor and indigenous people.

Charismatic leadership which is so essential for NGOs is not necessarily
democratic. Once a leader obtains national or foreign support, his or her
status is usually so boosted that even if he or she strays from the original
goals of the NGO, voices of dissent from within would be of no consequence.
Thus NGOs with hundreds or even thousands of members who are seldom involved
in their day to day running and never consulted in the making of decisions
may have the easiest time in attracting and maintaining national and foreign
backing.

Marketing is so central to an NGO in search of national as well as
international recognition and support that a gifted salesman or woman is a
must have. Even if known only through media images such a leader can
transform an abstract issue into an important life and death matter and
therefore, obtain resources necessary to solve the problem and improving the
NGO image. It follows therefore that the visibility of an NGO may have more
to do with the salesmanship of it's leaders than commitment to it's mission
and vision.

The financial ability of most non-governmental organizations is shaped by
the realities of global politics and donor preferences. Unfortunately, in
the process of maintaining the delicate balance between survival, image, and
dancing to donor's tunes, many NGOs lose sight of their original vision.
Consequently, a number of Kenyan NGOs have been accused of misappropriating
funds to the extent that they fail to deliver on their promises.

In order to correct this unfortunate state of affairs, it is necessary for
the government to put in place laws providing for the monitoring of
operations and accounts of NGOs in the interest of consistency, transparency
and accountability.



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