The ever-growing NGO industry
Developing countries like Bangladesh are rife with corruption and poverty, as a result of which the government is often unable to provide public goods efficiently. It is this gap in providing public service goods that non-government organizations (NGOs), which operate independently of government authorities, attempt to fill in.
At the time of independence, Bangladesh fell under the category of the development 'basket case' (as described by Henry Kissinger's state department), i.e. a country that would always depend on aid. Despite such predictions, major development indicators have shown remarkable progress. Girl-child enrolment rates in schools have doubled between 2000 and 2005; while infant mortality rates have fallen from 97 to 37 per thousand between 1990 and 2010, and the life expectancy in Bangladesh is currently 4 years higher than our economically richer neighbor India.
Clearly, we're doing something right. But if the government is still stuck in bureaucratic clout and corruption, who exactly is bringing about these changes? The answer is: NGOs. Today these private sector-led development organizations have flourished in Bangladesh more than in any other country worldwide.
Given the growth of the non-government organizations (in terms of numbers, size and significance as agents of development), Bangladesh is a gold mine of opportunities when it comes to a career in NGOs. Unsurprisingly, young graduates are gravitating towards the ever-growing NGO industry for a fulfilling career.
DEBUNKING THE WAGE MYTH
NGOs are often financed solely by local or foreign aid or charities. Therefore, it is widely perceived that they pay lower wages. This is in fact very far from the truth, since even NGOs run their organizations by keeping sustainability in mind. Their remuneration packages might not exactly be lucrative but most of the time, considering the market, they are still quite competitive.
NGOs such as BRAC in Bangladesh have found ways to bring in revenues to finance a large portion of their expenses and thus are able to pay employees more. Aarong, the chain of stores operated by BRAC hardly needs an introduction. Over 80% of small and big NGOs provide microcredit services, which also help to raise revenues. Given the size and reach of Bangladeshi NGOs such as BRAC, these often pay good salaries.
The myths that this is a place for rich kids have thus been rendered untrue. Young professionals can live a comfortable life with a job in the industry and there is tremendous scope for growth. Moreover, if you are working in the industry, not only will you get paid, you will go home at the end of each day knowing that you've contributed towards making the lives of the underprivileged better. Although wages in NGOs may still remain lower than private industries, young Bangladeshis who are passionate about giving back to the community prefer working in this sector.
THE TALENT SPECTRUM
The great thing about NGOs is that they are open to hiring people from all backgrounds. These organizations operate very much like businesses do. They need accountants, marketing personnel, business development executives and managers like all other businesses. Depending on the organization, a health-based NGO may need health professionals, a housing development NGO might require engineers, NGOs trying to raise awareness on social issues might need PR officers, and NGOs trying to come up with solutions to agricultural issues might need biotechnologists as well.
The larger NGOs depend solely on full-time or part-time salaried staff in terms of program/professional employees. Management employees are split in half between full-time salaried staff and full-time volunteers. Clerical and finance-based jobs in big NGOs are done completely by full-time salaried employees. Smaller NGOs depend slightly more on full-time volunteers in the program or professional category, but hire full-time staff for management, finance and clerical jobs. All in all, there is an abundance of full-time paid jobs and if you have the passion, coupled by strong communication and leadership skills, most non-profits will consider you as a valid prospective employee.
FIND YOUR FIT
The rise of BRAC, a Bangladesh-based NGO that is all of 42 years old, as the largest NGO in the world is reflective of the rise of the non-profit industry as a whole. It goes on to show that NGO jobs entail at least as much if not more potential for growth, as any corporate job. BRAC is arguably the most reputed NGO that a young professional could work at. Other large-scale organizations include Lighthouse, Jaago, Proshikha and Bangladesh Protibondhi Foundation (BPF), just to name a few. Some of these focus on education as the road to development, while others highlight solutions to social issues and contribute to affirmation of human and women's rights as the path to development.
There are also many more smaller, grassroots organizations that focus on smaller regions, i.e. within a certain city or district. These often look to the communities around their target region when recruiting. If you're a Bangladeshi professional, you will inevitably find out about NGOs around you by word-of-mouth.
Today's Bangladeshi youth is not docile; young people are aware of the multitude of problems faced by the country and they are inspired to be agents of change. NGOs provide a platform to have a career while making significant contributions to society; thus making them a highly preferred sector of employment for young Bangladeshi professionals.
Jumana Abuwala is an Intern, Content Writing at GradInsights, the career intelligence service of GradConnect. More articles from the team can be found at
www.grad-insights.com
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