It is astonishing that the number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) registered with the government has crossed 34,000. Informal estimates put the figure at 50,000. This means there is one NGO for every 872 citizens; eight NGOs per VDC. We also have 202 INGOs working in Nepal at present. Reportedly, more organizations are now seeking affiliation with the number of applications at the Social Welfare Council (SWC) reaching 180 a week—that is 720 a month! This should be a matter of concern for the authorities as the state, at present, simply does not have the manpower (and the resources) to keep a tab on their activities. Are these NGOs serving their stated purpose? Are they making real difference at the grassroots, cleaning the environment and advancing the cause of human rights, the goals for which the majority of them come into existence in the first place?
Although the rise in the number of NGOs is not necessarily a prerequisite for inefficient and ineffective service delivery, their vast presence in the country can only be justified, like we said, if there has been significant positive changes in the areas of their involvement. Have they contributed to expanding the scope of education, health and sanitation sectors? Apparently not. The reality is that Nepal is struggling to meet its development goals and targets set for reducing poverty and illiteracy. For instance, experts have already indicated that Nepal might not be able to achieve some of the MDGs by 2015. Had both the government and the NGOs been serious about their goals, would seven million Nepalis still be below the poverty line? It is hard to believe that the 34,000-strong group, with a bit of effort, could not have made a difference in their livelihoods. Instead, the country continues to reel under abject poverty and both rights violations and impunity are on the rise.
Another important aspect is the massive corruption in this sector. It’s an open secret that most NGOs, which cropped up after the restoration of democracy in 1990, got into the ‘business’ only to lure foreign funds in the name of development. Very few followed the code of conduct that the government devised with the help of the NGO Federation. The INGOs, on the other hand, spent massive sums in consultancy work and took back most of the invested amount by hiring people from the relevant countries. The amounts involved are mind-boggling. From mid-April to mid-May alone, SWC signed agreements worth over Rs 8.3 billion with several donor agencies. In this situation, it is important that there is a regulatory mechanism that can both monitor and check misuse of these funds. The NGOs, on their part, would do well to maintain transparency in all their accounts. Better still, if they tried their best to stick to their original commitments. Only then will they be able to gain some credibility in the public eye.
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