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NGO activities must be transparent

Published : Tuesday, 13 February, 2024 at 12:00 AM  Count : 383
Md Azizur Rahman
Initially, the NGOs limited their work to relief and rehabilitation, but later on, the country expanded towards food self-sufficiency, education, health, sanitation, womens empowerment and establishment of good governance through the development of the countrys infrastructure along with the increase in agricultural production. It can be said that the NGOs of this country have been playing a kind of silent role in the socio-economic development.

Recent data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics shows that currently 87% of employment is generated under informal structures. On the other hand, 13% employment generation is through institutional structures. According to the information obtained from the website of the NGO Affairs Bureau, as of November 23, 2607 domestic and foreign registered NGOs are currently working to improve the fortunes of marginalized and poor people in rural and urban areas of Bangladesh and achieve equitable growth. As the number of NGOs has increased in the last few decades, so has their activity.

In Bangladeshs development mindset, NGOs have undertaken various programs for social and economic development, including advocacy, legal aid, environment and grant programs. In this regard, research on beneficiaries by Bangladesh NGO Foundation (BNF) partner organizations has shown that SDG-1 aims to eradicate poverty in all its forms and SDG-5 aims to achieve gender equality and womens empowerment. In terms of achievements, BNFs observation of 526 beneficiaries from 23 partner organizations shows that NGOs have made unprecedented progress among beneficiaries in poverty alleviation and gender equality.

From the experience of working with NGOs for a long time, several issues have questioned the overall development of NGOs. Some of the notable ones are-

Micro Credit Program: Virtually many institutions are focusing only on microcredit programs with business objectives. Despite the temporary financial development of many families, due to the lack of proper guidance, they cannot use that money in the long term, and the future financial condition is worse than the previous condition and they are burdened with debt. It also causes family breakdown.

Interest Rate: There are many questions and doubts in the public mind about the interest rate of NGOs. Although the Microcredit Regulatory Authority has set a declining 24 percent, many feel it should be lower. Moreover, there are allegations that some NGOs are charging high interest rates without complying with the interest rates set by the government. Due to this, after some time, unable to pay the loan with interest, he started dealing with some NGOs at the same time. As a result, the amount of debt only increases and in many cases the borrower is forced to engage in criminal activities to finance the money.

Not Having a Separate Procurement Policy: One of the areas in which the government of Bangladesh has been successful is the formulation and implementation of government procurement policies. But unfortunately there is no such separate procurement policy in the private sector. As a result, it is a huge obstacle for clean activities of NGOs.

Traditional Activities: NGOs should be involved in the light of the changing situation and current needs rather than being involved in current education, health or traditional activities. In addition to climate change, renewable energy, etc., there is an immense opportunity to work specifically on womens empowerment.

Reluctance of Donor Agencies: Many of the foreign donor agencies are showing disinterest in carrying out development activities as Bangladesh has become a middle-income country. Naturally, there is a risk that foreign aid will drop even further. As a result, this financial crisis will create the risk of losing the employment of skilled manpower.

What are ways to overcome these problems?

Plans should be taken to build capacity through self-financing rather than relying entirely on foreign agency funding. The marginal and underprivileged people should be united in income-generating activities and work for sustainable rural socio-economic development.

On the other hand, the government should ensure transparency and accountability in the NGO sector, taking into consideration the contribution of NGO activities in the country. Along with, I think that the award should be introduced by selecting the best NGO based on the year.

The writer is an Upazila Executive Officer, Kaliganj, Gazipur



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