Following the earthquake of April 25, I feared, our rural brothers and sisters would be ignored as they have been throughout the modern history of the country. And they have been. A significant rural population still are not getting timely and sufficient assistance.
The players of old–the big bilateral and multilateral development aid agencies, who are partly to blame for the plight of rural Nepalese the last half century–are not reaching them…again. They do have the funds, resources and personnel!
Local not-for-profits–referred to as Non-governmental Organizations (NGO’s)–and other grass-root level organizations, many of whom are heavily invested in their communities AND are on the ground for the long haul, on the other hand, though they make significant impact, don’t receive widespread support.
It’s true, for as long as I can remember, the word on the streets about local NGO’s has been that they are money-making businesses (just like private educational institutions). Pretty soon after the idea of NGO’s started taking traction in the late eighties and early nineties, a race began in the country to get on the development gravy train.
Every savvy and/or well-connected Ram, Shyam and Ghanashyam would get a number of friends together and register one. Wives of influential politicians and bureaucrats would also ride the same train, albeit first class coach. (Apparently, NGO’s in the country number over fourty thousand now!) Is it any wonder local NGO’s have such a bad reputation?!
Regardless, following the earthquake, the youths have been the primary group to come out and shoulder the burden of providing relief. It’s been amazing to see how, as individuals or as part of ad-hoc organizations or established local NGO’s, they have been able to assist fellow Nepalese suffering in the countryside.
When it comes to providing relief to victims and rebuilding Nepal, I believe people around the world should heed Nixon Boumba’s words (in How not to rebuild Nepal) and do the following:
1. Listen to local people.
2. Put money in the hands of local people.
3. Reach the most vulnerable people.
So you want to follow Boumba’s advice and help? The challenge of course is identifying and supporting such youths and/or their NGO’s.
Two years ago, when I returned home to do social work, I realized I could either register my own NGO/Foundation or work for an established one. I decided on the latter and chose to work with my buddy Jayjeev to run COMMITTED.
The reason behind that decision could be useful here.
The reasons for that decision–not exhaustive by any means–were:
- Credibility and integrity of the people who run it:
Jayjeev and his wife gave up their jobs in the US paying thousands of dollars in salary when he decided to return to Nepal to devote all his time to COMMITTED. Had they continued to live in the US, their combined salary would have been more than double COMMITTED’s budget!
(Having turned down a job offer paying thousands of dollars per month, I wasn’t going to join hands with just anyone.)
- Transparency and Accountability:
COMMITTED produced annual reports every single year of its existence. (Click here for a blog post about the details found in the last annual report.)
In addition to containing financial statements, annual reports contain details of completed, ongoing and future projects. These reports are further complemented by YouTube videos and photos shared on social media and elsewhere.
- The Cause:
The kind of work COMMITTED did was exactly the kind of work I wanted to be involved in: education of children of marginalized Nepalese, children of poor families.
There were some other reasons too. Jayjeev had returned home to run COMMITTED for good; he was in Nepal for the long haul. Furthermore, when it came to social work, I also identified with the way he worked, his philosophy and his vision.
(If you would also like to support COMMITTED, click here; we are also involved in relief work.)
But, surely, there must be other similar individuals and/or organizations!
Do you know of any? If so, please give their details in the comment section below. Describe, giving evidence, why they should be supported.
DISCLAIMER
The fact that the names and/or details of an NGO appears below does NOT necessarily mean that I endorse them as well.
If you decide to support them in any way, please do your own homework before doing so.
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References (last updated July 3, 2015)
Development Aid In Nepal
Impunity and Political Accountability in Nepal. An account of the existing socio-political climate in Nepal.
Nepal’s failed development: Nepal is one of the best examples of failed development aid – so why do the donors keep pumping more money in? Written by Tom Bell, the answer to the question turns out to be not very surprising at all.
Submission by Thomas Bell to the International Development Committee enquiry into DFID’s programme in Nepal. Also by Tom Bell.
Democracy in crisis. A very good summary of the current state of affairs of the country and why, for instance, we, as a nation, are struggling to develop.
Where is Nepal aid money going? When even talented, skilled and qualified locals are valued so much less compared to others and in so blatant a manner for everyone to see, what do you expect?!
Disastrous Relief
The forgotten and forsaken. About how, as usual, the rural–and vulnerable–population of Nepal are being ignored.
How not to rebuild Nepal: Lessons from Haiti five years after its earthquake. Just what it says.
Media lessons for Nepal from Haiti: Don’t let outsiders seize control of the narrative. Unfortunately, that’s already happening to some extent.
The problem of donating to disaster relief efforts (and how NGOs can start to solve it). A little old but still relevant.
How the Red Cross Raised Half a Billion Dollars for Haiti and Built Six Homes. How Red Cross let the people of Haiti down. What the Red Cross raised alone is more than the total official monies pledged by various countries until May 27 to support Nepal: it stands at just a little over 300Million. (A Facebook post about Red Cross in Nepal: https://www.facebook.com/sian.pritchardjones/posts/10153383017258245.)
Nepal government accused of trying to cash in on the misery of its own people.
POLITICS BE DAMNED: The Post-Earthquake Unreliability of Nepal’s Government. An open letter to the Government of Nepal from a highly qualified and experienced Nepalese with specific recommendations for how to manage the post-disaster reconstruction of the country.
Nepal’s poorest getting the least earthquake aid, activists warn.
Bureaucracy as usual. How our bureaucracy and people in power have failed the people of Nepal…again.
Remembering to Forget. How Nepalese bureaucracy created an edifice of useless data structure.
What Happened to the Aid? Nepal Earthquake Response Echoes Haiti. A very very detailed and comprehensive write-up describing how disastrous the relief aid from, and managed by, the government of Nepal and big international aid agencies has turned out to be.
The deceptions of disaster relief in Nepal. Just what the title says.
REPORT: A CRITICAL LOOK AT DONATION TRANSPARENCY & EFFECTIVENESS, AFTER THE NEPAL EARTHQUAKE. And it’s not good. COMMITTED participated in the survey and answered all the questions. The report THE FIRST MONTH: EXAMINING THE HUMANITARIAN RELIEF RESPONSE TO THE 2015 NEPAL EARTHQUAKES was published on June 16. If interested, you can find COMMITTED’s responses as well.
The Good News
Nepal’s Aid System Is Broken. So These Lifesavers Hacked It. The youths step up.
Nepal quake: aid finally begins to arrive in remote villages, sent by locals. The title says it all.
A New Generation Takes The Lead In Nepal’s Disaster Relief. Again, the title says it all.
Shaking Up the Status Quo in Nepal. Again, about how the youth of the country responded to the challenge.
