Some aspects of relations between the North and South in the NGO sector

Abstract

This paper analyzes various aspects of relationships between international and “local” or indigenous NGOs. The author begins by sorting out three positions on the spectrum of NGO behavior and attitudes: (i) the welfare approach — one that delivers services to specific groups (e.g., child-sponsorship or famine relief) but in programmatic terms is not particularly concerned with empowerment of local communities; (ii) the developmental approach — one in which the program emphasis is on support of development projects that increase the productive capacity of self-reliance; (iii) the empowerment approach — one that sees poverty as a result of political processes and is committed to enabling or training communities to enter those processes. Though these categories are by no means definitive they allow the author to place in context the constraints faced by northern (international) NGOs in their relationships with southern (local) NGOs. He addresses three major areas in which northern NGOs may help to increase the capacity of southern NGOs to become effective agents of change: manpower; technology, including management and communications systems; administrative linkages, including coordination among NGOs and between NGOs and governments. The paper then discusses the role of northern NGOs as their partners in the South have begun to move from welfare to empowerment. A number of potential ambiguities and risks are indicated. The author concludes that it is perhaps the heterogeneity of the NGO sector and its openness to change that allows it to offer a viable alternative approach to development.