NGOs role in poverty alleviation urged

NGOs role in poverty alleviation urged

JAKARTA (JP): Authoritarian regimes or dictatorships do not
appear to be conducive to the development of non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), but this condition must not discourage
social workers from helping the poor, a Malaysian social activist
said yesterday.

The treasurer general of the International Council on Social
Welfare (ICSW), Abdullah Malim Baginda, also advised social
activists, however, to be more diplomatic and refrain from taking
a confrontational stance against governments for the sake of
their general populations.

"Confrontations will not benefit anybody, and they may create
problems for the very people NGOs are trying to assist," Baginda
told 330 participants of the council's 26th Asia and Pacific
regional conference in Jakarta.

He warned that the success of an NGO depended greatly on its
relationship with a government because it lacked expertise and
access to information on policy issues relevant to its work.

"A forum for regular NGOs/government dialog, as well as
progressive government policies on the social organizations will
benefit both parties," Baginda said.

The activist also noted how grassroots groups often ignored
efficient management because they only concentrated on their
work.

"NGOs are often forced to confront internal issues such as
management, their dependency on external donors, (lack of)
transparency and their need for professionalism," he said.

According to Baginda, efficient management was important in
generating confidence and acceptance of the government, donors
and the community.

"However, they should not allow others to determine what
should be done," he added.

Education

Also in yesterday's session of the five-day conference, women
activists spoke up for the campaign to eradicate poverty whose
dire effect was often felt by women and children.

Educator Khunying Ambhorn Meesook of the Foundation for
Lifelong Education in Thailand said that education should focus
on children from low-income families in order to help them break
free from poverty.

"If they can lift themselves out of absolute poverty, they
will have the chance to find satisfaction in their lives and in
turn will provide their own children with a fair start," Khunying
said.

She lamented how only a few educational programs were for the
poor and how the current universal curriculum, designed by
educators who inherently had middle-class values, was not
suitable for their needs.

She also expressed regret that children from poor families
entered schools with considerably lower budgets, lower qualified
staff and with less material and equipment than children from
richer families.

Another expert, Helen Disney, concentrated on the role of
women in encouraging social change through the family and
relationships.

Disney, an interim chairperson of The Asia Pacific Forum on
Families, said women were still struggling for acknowledgement of
their status in society.

She cited the director of the World Health Organization in
Europe, Ilona Kickbusch, who said higher educational levels for
women would improve their status.

Resources

Economist and former state minister of environment, Emil
Salim, said that poverty arose from the lack of access to natural
resources. He said the degradation of natural resources in Asia
was the result of development that took place during the last 30
years.

Indonesia is considered a very successful nation in reducing
poverty. The United Nations Development Program will present an
award to President Soeharto next week for his outstanding
commitment to the alleviation of poverty.

Separately, economist Mubyarto said in a seminar held by the
Bogor Institute of Agriculture in Bogor, West Java, that
Indonesia could eradicate absolute poverty by 2005.

"At that time we would have been able to face even the most
severe economic competition from other nations," said the
assistant to State Minister of National Development Planning
Ginandjar Kartasmita on the poverty alleviation program.

The conference on social welfare concludes today. (09/prb/24)