NGOs need to think about themselves

A strong storm is blowing over the country. The storm is the report of TIB on "Problems in good governance in the NGO sector: The way forward." High officials of the NGOs do not agree with it. They, however, have their own strong logic for not supporting the report. On the other hand, the workers in the lower positions, many of whom are deprived and exploited by the organisations, are fully at one with the report.
The NGOs have many policies such as gender policy, vehicle policy, human resource policy, child protection policy etc. The list goes on. The lower level staff who work for the organisations from dawn to dusk, often with no benefits except the pay-check at the end of the month, are largely content with report.
Those who work year after year under contractual service agreement and, in many cases, do not get salaries according to the commitment (something I am a victim of, too) are happy with the report.
Research has limitations; one research cannot answer all the questions. TIB has done a great job with the research, though the sample is small. They were able to create a debate among the NGO workers, and it is now the duty of the NGOs to think about their own shortcomings.
Nothing is perfect in the world. Neither a human being nor an organisation can be perfect. Undoubtedly, NGOs are doing the most challenging task. They are working with the poor, uneducated, unaware people in remote areas. Working with these communities is very difficult, and bringing changes among them is not possible overnight.
Many people of the remote areas of Bangladesh now know how to prepare saline, and how to deal with a child when she gets diarrhea. Though the number is small, many pregnant mothers go for ANC, PNC check-up, offer colostrum to their children right after birth, and continue exclusive breast feeding for six months.
If we go to where the NGOs are working to set up latrines, we see that people are changing their habit and using toilets. Open defecation was a curse for the community. It was impossible to walk on the roads for this unhygienic practice. But changes are taking place. Still, people have queries about the NGOs' contributions.
People also say that NGOs are not doing anything for the country. Why do the people ask this? Where is the gap? Why is the miscommunication between NGO and general people as bad as the relation between politics and the common people?
Let's talk about Rehana. She worked for an international research organisation for four years as a contractual employee. She would not get any benefits except the salary. Her contract was renewed every three months. Rehana could not take any leave, and if she did she had to compensate for it on Saturday.
Rehana wants a baby, but thinking of getting pregnant is a nightmare for her as she will not get any maternity leave. If she gets leave without pay, and if she takes leave for two months, she may lose her job as her contract is for three months.
The organisation has a gender policy, and the gender expert gets a huge salary, but many daily wage-earners and CSA holder staff who work in such a poor environment. Is this not misgovernanace? Is this not unfair behaviour towards the staff? Is this not exploitation of labour and taking advantage of unemployment?
I was in the field in Gazipur, working with a woman who was pregnant. She works for an NGO, which is a sister concern of a world famous organisation. She said: "It is very difficult to drive a motorcycle during pregnancy and I am also so huge now." I asked her, why she wasn't using a rickshaw during pregnancy. She replied: "It is not in the policy." My office will pay for motorcycle fuel but not the rickshaw fare."
The list of such cases, and even worse, can go on. Many NGOs supposedly have "gender policy." It would be nice to see its application for a change.
I also want to share another story of a reputed NGO. The NGO is now located on prime real estate in the capital, so we can imagine the price of the land of the office. How did the organisation manage that price for the land? They allegedly took money from the salary of the staff. The staff were forced to pay the money from their salary without any documents.
I conducted many assessments of different NGOs, and I know how they put money in their own pocket. There are lots of people who very frequently talk on television about the rights of the children and women, but if you visit their organisations you will find the discrepancy between their words and practice.
There are lots of organisations, which are one-man show organisations, and the staff works according to the instructions of the "executive director." They work to make the donors happy. They work to pocket the funds.
I cannot define corruption and misgovernance, but I know that those who work to establish the rights of human beings cannot indulge in such malpractices. If we do anything against the rights of a human being, and exploit him in the name of development, then that is also one kind of corruption.
Because NGOs claim that they are humanitarian, non-profitable organisations, which serve the people, they have to be more transparent and accountable towards the community and the country. If we find one NGO which is engaged in any kind of corruption or misgoverance we have to think about it seriously, and we have to take initiatives to stop those misdeeds entirely as we beg money for the sake of helping the poor. We cannot misuse that money.
I cannot say that my organisation is necessarily better than the rest. But why should I be considered compromised for working for an NGO? We have to fight against the compromised organisations, whichever ones they are, to preserve our reputation and to keep ourselves out of the debate.

Sadia Akhter is working as a Research Coordinator with an international NGO.