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.