NGOs struggle to make impact on poverty

NGOs struggle to make impact on poverty

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

What the government lacks, ideally could be made up by non-
governmental organizations (NGOs).

With regards to poverty eradication, however, even local NGO
workers admitted that they have been unsuccessful in their
efforts to reduce poverty, although their work cannot be said to
be futile.

There are a number of NGOs focusing their activities on
improving the quality of life of the most impoverished people in
society, yet they have not been able to have an impact on the
country's poverty rate, which has now reached a staggering 37
million people out of the total population of 220 million. Some
put the actual figure at up to 50 million people.

Wardah Hafidz of the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), a winner of
the Yap Hiam Thien award for human rights, said that some NGOs
can work effectively while the rest cannot.

"NGOs are part of this ailing society. They are suffering from
a capacity and commitment crisis," she said.

The poor education system, she added, has resulted in an
oversupply of unskilled and unprofessional workers, which has had
an impact on the character of NGOs.

"I have trouble finding professionals. With a lot of
activities and projects to do, each of us then handles multiple
tasks at the same time," Wardah said.

Azas Tigor Nainggolan of the Jakarta Residents Forum (FAKTA)
said that the low capacity of NGO workers makes it difficult for
them to access funds.

"There are actually a number of funding agencies available.
But foreign funding agencies usually only provide funds to local
NGOs with a high profile who can come up with a good proposal,"
he said.

While a good proposal does not exactly reflect what the NGOs
do, it makes small NGOs -- with greater reach at the grassroots
level, but with less capacity -- left with no budget.

"Funding agencies are sometimes like our government. They
don't go to the field and make contacts there," Azas asserted.

Meanwhile, Sandyawan Sumardi, a priest well-known for his work
with poor communities, said local NGOs lack people's empowerment
programs.

The NGOs, he added, are also too naive in perceiving the
problems associated with poverty.

"They create an impression that the public enemy is the
government. They have to see the big picture to see that the
source of the problem is the big business interests," he said.

Sandyawan pointed to a poor area of Bukit Duri in South
Jakarta, where the emerging supermarkets have killed the earnings
of the people running micro businesses.

In terms of city planning where poor people keep being evicted
and are not given space, the government has always surrendered to
the big corporations.

"It's the same with the corruption case at the General
Elections Commission (KPU). KPU members are detained, but the
bigger fish like troubled conglomerates with trillions of rupiah
in debts remain free," Sandyawan said.

Therefore, in an effort to reduce poverty, NGOs must also
target big corporations as the highest power in the society.

"NGOs, for instance, can demand progressive tax for poor
people from entrepreneurs," he said.