NGO Initiatives Research Articles

The Extent of Participation and Empowerment of Rural Women in Lac Cultivation in Koderma District of Jharkhand, India

Lac cultivation in Koderma District, Jharkhand, offers a unique pathway for empowering rural women, serving as a significant source of income and socio-economic upliftment. This review examines the depth of women’s participation in various stages of lac production, from inoculation to processing, and how their involvement translates into empowerment. Despite facing challenges like gender discrimination, limited access to resources, and market constraints, women in Koderma have demonstrated resilience and adaptability. Lac cultivation has provided them with financial independence and enhanced social recognition and decision-making power within their households and communities. Initiatives by the government and NGOs have played a critical role in facilitating this shift, offering training, market access, and financial support to enable women to break socio-cultural barriers. However, for sustained empowerment, addressing the existing gaps in technology access, market linkage, and equitable resource distribution is essential. This article aims to explore lac cultivation's role in empowering rural women in Koderma District, Jharkhand, by examining their participation in the production process and its impact on their socio-economic upliftment (Pal G., 2011). It aims to highlight women's challenges, the contributions of government and NGO initiatives, and the need for improved policies, technology, and market access to ensure sustained empowerment and equitable participation in the lac industry.

The Scenario of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) & Increased Women’s Empowerment in Bangladesh

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) remains a significant issue in Bangladesh, despite the recent strides in women’s empowerment. This study investigates whether the empowerment of women plays a role in reducing IPV, while also examining the influence of a patriarchal social structure on this dynamic. Utilizing qualitative research methods, this analysis draws primarily on secondary data sources, including journal articles, prior studies, news reports, and editorials. Process tracing, a storytelling-based analytical tool, is employed to explore the patterns and relationships involved. The findings suggest that while women's empowerment serves as a mitigating factor in reducing IPV, the entrenched patriarchal nature of male dominance initially triggers resistance to both empowerment and IPV reduction efforts. Nonetheless, the study argues that this resistance can be overcome through concerted efforts, involving government and NGO initiatives that focus on effective law enforcement, supportive policies, and the creation of a safe and respectful environment for women. These collaborative approaches offer promising pathways for addressing IPV in Bangladesh.

Cuba’s first motus tower for tracking migrant land birds

Cuba’s first motus tower for tracking migrant land birds Keith Hobson, Professor and Research Scientist at Environment and Climate Change Canada and Western University, discusses updates in the expansion of tracking migratory birds in Central and South America, and the Caribbean. The conservation of migratory birds requires basic knowledge of connectivity between population-specific breeding, wintering, and stopover sites. This recognition has encouraged several government and NGO initiatives since many migratory species cross international borders during their annual travels. While the task is immensely difficult, an array of new tools is now available to track even small birds (~10g) using both intrinsic (e.g. stable isotope or genetic markers) and extrinsic (e.g. attached electronic devices) methods.

CONTRIBUTION OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS’ EDUCATION SUBSIDY ON GIRLS’ SCHOOLING: A CASE OF DREAMS PROJECT IN ALEGO USONGA SUB COUNTY, SIAYA COUNTY, KENYA

Education is a basic human right and therefore ought to be equally accessible to both boys and girls. However, gender disparity persists in Kenya despite the state's attempts to offer free primary and subsidized secondary education. This has opened up the education sector to NGOs to scale up service delivery, particularly to those under-served by the government system like girls in Alego Usonga Sub County. The study examines the impact of NGOs on girls' education in Alego Usonga Sub County, Siaya County, Kenya, highlighting various dimensions of support provided by these organizations. It explores how NGOs' interventions, including school fees payment, provision of personal needs, school uniforms, and mentorship, influence girls' access to and retention in education. The research, guided by principles of Liberal Feminism (Wollstonecraft, Mill) and Radical Feminism (Atkinson), employs a mixed-method research design incorporating both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Through interviews, focus groups, and key informant discussions, data was gathered to assess the effectiveness of NGO initiatives. Key findings indicate that NGO support with school fees significantly reduces financial barriers for girls, thereby preventing dropout and promoting continuous schooling. Additionally, the provision of essential personal items and school uniforms by NGOs enhances girls' attendance and fosters a conducive learning environment. Mentorship programs emerged as pivotal, positively impacting girls' confidence and academic performance. Recommendations emphasize the importance of timely NGO support at the beginning of terms to avoid disruptions, coordination between NGOs and the government to ensure consistent provision of resources, and the introduction of mentorship programs in schools for both genders. Ultimately, the study underscores the critical role of NGOs in complementing government efforts to achieve educational equity. By addressing barriers to education through targeted interventions, NGOs contribute significantly to advancing gender equality and promoting inclusive education practices in marginalized communities like Alego Usonga

Unveiling the Veil: Exploring the Origin, Effects, and Coping Strategies of Menstrual Stigma

Menstruation, also referred to as the period, faces pervasive stigmatization globally despite being a natural female biological process. This stigma, rooted in historical gender inequalities and fueled by misconceptions, holds significant implications. This study investigates period stigma comprehensively, exploring its origins, impacts, and potential solutions. The stigma originates from patriarchal structures and gender inequality, reinforcing harmful biases and impeding womens career growth, exemplified by the glass ceiling effect. The resulting psychological toll on women is considerable. Efforts to combat period stigma include policy interventions, feminist movements, and NGO initiatives like United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund. This paper enhances understanding of the stigma and its consequences, proposing practical strategies to counteract it. However, limitations include the lack of qualitative and quantitative methods due to data constraints and insufficient historical sources, impacting the portrayal of its inception. In conclusion, this study illuminates the enduring complexity of period stigma, raising awareness about its harm. Synthesizing existing literature provides valuable insights into its origins, consequences, and coping mechanisms.

Sustainability in NGO Programming: A Case Study of Working Equid Welfare Organizations

The sustainability of NGO initiatives has become a criterion by which to judge the success of programming. This study explores the conditions needed in order to achieve sustainable change by focusing on a sector that has recently experienced this shift towards more sustainable, interdisciplinary programming: that of working equid (animal welfare) NGOs. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 32 NGO staff working for 8 different animal welfare NGOs across 13 countries were conducted. These interviews covered potential barriers and avenues to success in producing sustainable working animal welfare improvements. Thematic analysis revealed consistent themes across contexts and NGOs. Approaches perceived as creating sustainable outcomes were ones that tailored initiatives to local contexts, focused on changing human behaviour, worked with key community contacts, built capacity in local infrastructure, combined approaches, and had comprehensive exit strategies. Barriers to sustainability included lack of continuity, short funding cycles and unpredictable external factors. Consideration of these conditions for designing effective future initiatives is recommended across the wider not-for-profit sector.

Digital technology adoption for modern slavery risk mitigation in supply chains: An institutional perspective

Tens of millions of people worldwide – at a minimum – are victims of modern slavery (MS), including various forms of human trafficking, forced labor, and child labor. In the current digitization era, digital technology may be used to recruit or control MS victims, but it also has the potential to mitigate MS risks in supply chains. However, although scholars have increasingly focused on this social issue, the critical role of digital technology in MS risk mitigation remains unclear. This research aims to identify which digital technologies are adopted by focal firms to mitigate MS risks and explore how institutional changes affect technology adoption. We conducted a qualitative secondary data analysis by performing content analysis on MS statements for financial years from 2017 to 2021 issued by the top 50 firms selected from the Fortune Global 500 list. According to our coding results, we identified seven types of digital technology adopted by focal firms and key actors involved in digital technology adoption in the MS context to form an MS risk mitigation ecosystem. Based on the socio-technical perspective and institutional theory, we further proposed a conceptual framework to link the institutional pressures to digital technology adoption. We found that normative pressures from NGOs tend to promote high-complexity technology, whereas coercive pressures from governments tend to tolerate low-complexity technology. Mimetic pressures from competitors tend to promote low-complexity technology adoption. In this context, firms respond to government regulations more positively than to NGO initiatives. This paper is the first to explore digital technology adoption as a way of mitigating MS risks and to propose a conceptual framework to inspire managers, policy makers and other stakeholders.

The role of non-governmental organizations in Turkish-Armenian relations

The article will examine Turkish-Armenian relationp. In relations between the two countries, the results of the work of non-governmental organizations and NGO initiatives will be evaluated. The position of Turkiye between the two countries and the actions of Armenia in this direction are considered. Relations between Turkiye and Armenia have stalled in the past due to the Karabakh conflict and accusations of the Armenian Genocide. Turkiye continued to pursue a policy mainly supporting Azerbaijan in the Caucasup. The consequences of the negative events of the historical past in relation to Armenia continue to this day. Turkiye condemned Armenia in the Karabakh conflict and demanded that the Karabakh lands be returned to Azerbaijan. The unpleasant events of the past, which caused the cooling of bilateral relations, have not yet found an unambiguous solution. The closure of borders has also isolated relations between the two countriep. It was only through positive economic initiatives by NGOs that improvements were noted. Win-win NGO initiatives support the building of relationships that provide both good neighborliness and profit for both countriep. NGO initiatives, with their ups and downs, have sometimes produced good resultp. In general, the importance of the role of the neighboring country of Armenia in Turkiye’s foreign policy is debatable, but in order to continue the principle of good neighborliness, it would be beneficial to support the Armenian initiatives of NGOp. Thus, this would ensure the return of bilateral relations to normal.

A STUDY OF THE AFGHAN CARPET INDUSTRY AND THE NEED FOR AFGHANISTAN'S GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

This paper intends to provide a roadmap to facilitate the implementation of a key set of actions that can help remove principal constraints that are inhibiting the growth of the carpet sector in Afghanistan. This paper aims to increase private sector participation in solving problems, on one hand, and mobilize available sources of support from donor-funded projects, NGO initiatives, and GIRoA (Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) agencies, on the other, to provide a systematic, and coordinated approach to promote the carpet sector in Afghanistan. This paper lists the key initiatives and actions that stakeholders believe are necessary to encourage the growth of this sector. As well as providing the foundation for creating intricate implementation plans and procedures for achieving the goals set forth in this paper, it also provides information on resources that can be mobilized to address these issues, secure stakeholder support to engage in methodical efforts to remove obstacles and address these problems. It also provides a means of coordinating the efforts and resources of carpet sector stakeholders – including GIRoA (Government Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) ministries, donor-funded programs, business associations, and companies -- to implement projects and development initiatives to solve the principal problems that are inhibiting the growth of the carpet sector.

Does Corporate Hypocrisy Predict When Firms Will Shirk Remedy Responses For Human Rights Abuses?

Following an overview of literature on corporate human rights abuse and remedy, we employ a qualitative comparative analysis approach based on the logic of fuzzy sets (fsQCA) (Crilly et al., 2012; Fiss, 2007; Ragin, 2008), to explore varying configurations of talk, decisions, activist NGO initiatives, and state involvement that may lead to additional action steps toward remedy for corporate human rights abuses. Our findings show that aspirational talk alone is not sufficient to lead to action, contrary to recent theorizing within organized hypocrisy scholarship (Christensen, et. al., 2020). Without NGO pressure, corporate hypocrisy prevails when it comes to human rights remedy: Firms that engage in human rights talk are no more likely to take action toward remedy than indifferent firms who do not engage with human rights. But with NGO involvement, firms’ human rights talk seems to provide leverage to pressure firms to take consistent action. When it comes to human rights abuse, firms that make empty promises should be prepared to match their talk with action because organized hypocrisy provides a trigger for NGOs to effectively apply pressure for remedy.

Quo Vadis, Crowdsourcing and Online Collaborative Translation?

Online collaborative translation experienced a meteoric rise in the e first decade of the 20th century thanks to the affordances provided by the Web 2.0. Two distinct models emerged, solicited and unsolicited models. In the first one a company or institutions request the help of volunteer or participants with translation tasks. In unsolicited models, fans, activists or different collectives self-organize to start a translation initiative. These practices quickly attracted the attention of the Language Industry after large corporations implemented crowdsourcing models (Google, Facebook or Twitter). Translation providers and tech companies explored collaborative initiatives in a context of exciting possibilities for growth, while it quickly became a serious cause for concern for professional translators and professional associations such as the International Federation of Translators (FIT) or the American Translators’ Association (ATA). As a rapidly growing phenomenon, Translation Studies scholars were quickly drawn to research this emerging set of phenomena. Initially, the main issues that appeared on Translation Studies literature were related to motivation, epistemological/ conceptual research, ethics, translator visibility, or the description of existing initiatives. The second decade of the 20th century saw the consolidation of these activities through technological developments and innovative workflows and the expansion to non-profit ventures, while new technology-driven models based on collaborative micro-task approaches emerged, such as “paid crowdsourcing”. By 2020, the number of providers offering translations crowdsourcing has been dramatically reduced. Many start-ups have been absorbed or have disappeared, while non-for-profit models of translation collaboration, such as educational, NGO or activist initiatives continue to grow. This paper offers a critical analysis of the evolution of translation collaboration on the web and potential future directions, as well as a review of existing research trends within Translation Studies. The paper ends with an exploration of potential future research trends and directions in this ever-changing area driven by technological innovation.

Bridging social capital theory and practice: Evidence from community-managed water treatment plants in Honduras

Since social capital permeated the conceptualization of “community” in the early 1990s, evidence has mounted as to its significance for water and sanitation projects. But understanding how to apply knowledge of social capital towards sustainable development has lagged far behind. To address this gap, we combined insights from household surveys, semi-structured interviews, performance evaluations, and extensive field observations into comparative case narratives of six community-managed drinking water treatment plants built through an NGO initiative in Honduras. The aim was to not only measure social capital but to use those measurements as a framework to understand how social capital affected each project. Our findings suggest that social capital amplified or hindered plant performance through three key mediating mechanisms: Resource mobilization; resilience to change and conflict; and participation and communication. Plant performance, in turn, influenced community social capital by affecting the relationship between the NGO and community and community residents' trust in the project. These mechanisms constitute a feedback loop by which relative levels of social capital and water system operation are mutually reinforcing. Drawing on our results, we propose four accessible proxies and four initial strategies practitioners can use to operationalize social capital scholarship and identify and disrupt negative patterns during the project cycle. We encourage additional translational research to leverage the ever-growing knowledge of social capital into improved outcomes in practice.

‘Devious silence’: Refugee art, memory activism, and the unspeakability of loss among Syrians in Turkey

ABSTRACT In the past few years, and especially since the start of the ‘refugee crisis’, a number of research, NGO, and policy initiatives have channelled resources to representing refugees through artistic endeavours. The underlying assumption in such projects is that art offers refugees a significant avenue to tell their story and acquire a ‘voice’ that is otherwise restricted in contexts of limited rights. In this article we aim to complicate some of the straight-forward assumptions underlying the connections between art and the representation of displacement and loss through ethnographic research conducted with professional Syrian artists in Istanbul. With an emphasis on ‘refugee art’, such artistic projects force artists to conform and identify with this category, silencing more complex processes of identification and subjectivity, communal historical continuities and personal loss, as well as artistic aspirations and expressions. The article demonstrates that the aestheticisation of displacement and loss produces an ‘unspeakability’ (Weller, Robert. 2017. “Salvaging Silence: Exile, Death, and the Anthropology of the Unknowable.” Anthropology of this Century 19 [Online publication]. Accessed June 6, 2019. http://aotcpress.com/articles/salvaging-silence/) of personal experience and trauma, and, in some cases, a permanent withdrawal from artistic production. As much as artists experience this as a form of imposed silencing, they also articulate their withdrawal as a tactic of agentive creativity. We, therefore, argue that unlike in the modern art practices described by Sontag (1983 [1982]. “The Aesthetics of Silence.” In A Susan Sontag Reader, 187–188. Harmondsworth: Penguin), this ‘permanent silence’ is not an elitist, individualistic and dehistoricizing strategy. This context of conflict and protracted displacement reveals multifarious silences that are both results of unequal politics of representation but also tactics of reclaiming identity and artistic integrity, and of maintaining continuities between past, present and future.

Feasibility of NGO Initiatives in SME, Rural Benefits and Challenges: A Case Study in Cumilla, Bangladesh

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the NGO initiatives to accelerate the SME sectors. The current study also analyze the rural benefits and challenges based on NGO initiatives in SME sectors. This study conducts a questionnaire and interview survey to investigate the current objective. The quantitative study demonstrates that there is a greater chance to expand the SME sector by using the local resources and capital accumulations. Educations, women empowerment, health and sanitation, employment creations and self-employment increase than a previous decade by increasing NGO initiatives in the study area. The contributions of this study spontaneous gets on to the scope and feasibility of NGO’s initiative to develop the SME sector in Bangladesh.

Unofficial Storytelling as Middle Ground Between Transitional Truth-Telling and Forgetting: A New Approach to Dealing With the Past in Postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina

Is transitional truth-telling more beneficial to reconciliation than remaining silent about past crimes? The aim of this article is to contribute to the debate by exploring the impact of “My Story,” an NGO initiative that uses multiethnic storytelling by victims of the Bosnian war to promote reconciliation. We report field observations and the results obtained from interviews with young Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs. Empathy, as a reported outcome of the storytelling, seems to enable deeper reflection and attitude change. Respondents reported reduced prejudice, competitive victimhood and blaming, and increased interest in information about the outgroup, increased interest in peace activism, a change of emotions toward the outgroup and feeling guilt for the misdeeds of their ingroup. We conclude that this storytelling initiative is beneficial and worth spreading internationally. It deconstructs many of the same factors that prevent reconciliation that truth commissions aim to deconstruct, while improving interethnic attitudes and enabling to look toward the future, as forgetting does.

Unofficial Storytelling as Middle Ground Between Transitional Truth-Telling and Forgetting: A New Approach to Dealing With the Past in Postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina

Is transitional truth-telling more beneficial to reconciliation than remaining silent about past crimes? The aim of this article is to contribute to the debate by exploring the impact of “My Story,” an NGO initiative that uses multiethnic storytelling by victims of the Bosnian war to promote reconciliation. We report field observations and the results obtained from interviews with young Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs. Empathy, as a reported outcome of the storytelling, seems to enable deeper reflection and attitude change. Respondents reported reduced prejudice, competitive victimhood and blaming, and increased interest in information about the outgroup, increased interest in peace activism, a change of emotions toward the outgroup and feeling guilt for the misdeeds of their ingroup. We conclude that this storytelling initiative is beneficial and worth spreading internationally. It deconstructs many of the same factors that prevent reconciliation that truth commissions aim to deconstruct, while improving interethnic attitudes and enabling to look toward the future, as forgetting does.

Agroecology and restoration ecology: fertile ground for Mexican peasant territoriality?

ABSTRACTAgroecological transformation must often take place in degraded landscapes. Thus, ecological restoration and related fields may extend agroecology’s reach. At the same time, agroecological practice may enhance ecological functions, contributing to ecosystem recovery in rural landscapes. The long-term impact of these initiatives will depend upon how they mesh with peasant territoriality; the relationship between land and people in its socioeconomic, political-institutional and symbolic-cultural dimensions. We analyzed agroecological and restoration/recuperation initiatives originating from government and non-governmental organizations with direct government support, and from peasant protagonism. We examined official records of initiatives in both categories, conducted in-depth interviews with public officials, and surveyed 47 small peasants associated with organic and agroecological markets. Government and government-linked NGO initiatives operate according to a neoliberal vision of sustainable-development that privileges generation of financial capital, also they have decreased their support for agroecology, and have little or no engagement with restoration/recuperation in terms of ecological or social complexity. By contrast, we identify a strong tendency in peasant agroecology that incorporates restoration/recuperation to achieve greater ecological and cultural complexity. The synergies that arise between agroecology and ecological recovery contribute to the construction of peasant territoriality, and are particularly evident in initiatives driven by indigenous organizations.

Urban approaches to human rights: tracking networks of engagement in Amsterdam’s debate on irregular migration

This paper discusses local engagements with human rights norms in Amsterdam, in the context of responses to irregular migration. Specifically, the article studies the local government’s development of a human rights agenda and reflects how this aligns with or contradicts (1) the local government’s program for irregular migrants and (2) NGO initiatives in the realm of human rights and irregular migrants. In 2016 the municipality of Amsterdam launched an “Amsterdam Human Rights Agenda” and (irregular) migration is not mentioned, while the local government does have a progressive program for irregular migrants. Simultaneously, several NGOs contest the municipality for their approach towards irregular migrants, at times using human rights language. Analysis of stakeholder interviews, city council meetings and policy documents reveal the conflicting approaches that urban actors have towards human rights. The language of rights gives weight to claims of NGOs, precisely because of its legal dimension. Contrastingly, in the human rights agenda the municipality mainly refers to rights in their moral sense and refrains from legal language. Concrete issues that are already on the political agenda become labelled as human rights problems. Therefore, this article deliberates whether this undermines the possible strength of human rights as an urban governance framework.

Ecological Economics and Opening up of Megaproject Appraisal: Lessons From Megaproject Scholarship and Topics for a Research Programme

Ecological economics has paid little attention to the assessment and evaluation of megaprojects – large, complex infrastructure projects often delivered via public-private partnerships, which entail deep uncertainties, considerable economic and political stakes, and significant impacts on society. Megaprojects proliferate, despite their problematic relation with sustainability. Developing approaches and methods for the appraisal of megaprojects therefore constitutes a major task for ecological economics. To provide a basis for an ecological economics approach to megaproject appraisal, this article first reviews the ‘mainstream’ and ‘alternative’ strands of megaproject appraisal literatures. It then explores the possible contributions to megaproject appraisal from two ideal-typical branches of ecological economics: ‘institutionalist deliberationism’ and the environmental justice approach. Both can help to ‘open up’ megaproject appraisal 1) beyond the ‘iron triangle’ of project appraisal criteria employed by the mainstream megaproject scholarship; 2) to a broader range of appraisal perspectives; and 3) towards ‘informal’ appraisal, i.e. the wider sociopolitical discourse including media interventions and NGO initiatives. Conclusions suggest four areas of further work: 1) integrating formal and informal appraisal; 2) role of appraisal and the appraiser in megaproject governance; 3) role of deliberation in the face of power asymmetries; and 4) the possibility of sustainable megaprojects.

Political Quotas, NGO Initiatives and Dalits’ Human Rights in Rural India

Political Quotas, NGO Initiatives and Dalits’ Human Rights in Rural India