The Current State of INGOs

Abstract

Suffering, disease, and famines: these are the stories of humanitarian appeals and one of the primary means by which many people contribute to international development. When the urge to help is ignited, people tend to turn to international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) to make their donations, such as Oxfam, Save the Children, Action Aid, CARE or faith-based organisations such as CAFOD, World Vision or Christian Aid, to name but a few. Such organisations are international ‘charities’ that work in international development and humanitarian relief in most continents where there is extreme poverty, primarily in Africa, Asia and Latin America. While the term non-governmental organisation (NGO) describes a vast range of different types of organisations working on issues of development and humanitarian relief, human rights or the environment, and can refer to a ‘one man in an office’ operation, or to an internationally based organisation such as Oxfam, the focus here is specifically on INGOs working in the field of international development and humanitarian assistance.1