Caring for the society
It is important for the society to grow to help individuals lead better lives. This is the focus with which development sector works

By Jyotsna Singh
All of us have heard words like development, progress and growth since our childhood. But if we compare the issues that movies in the 1970s raised, they remain to be the same today also. Jaya Bachchan's movie Piya ka ghar sensitised the public about water crisis, space crunch and commuting problems of the urban areas. Many of us can relate to those woes now too. This raises the question on the very idea of development. Subsequent governments have boasted of high growth rate and now the claim has been made about growth despite economic downturn. But who is that growth aimed at? What is the idea of development? Is it inclusive enough to cater to large underprivileged majority?

These are topical and pertinent questions. Developmental studies try to find answers to these questions. The answers are not easy to come by as such an exercise needs thorough research, field surveys and quantitative analysis. Non governmental organisations, NGOs as they are popularly called, aim at minimising the disparity between the rich and the poor, the privileged and the unprivileged or the under privileged. Social consciousness among the middle classes has increased in the last few years and this has led to proliferation of NGOs in the country.

Defining Non profitable
NGO is defined as a non profit making, voluntary, service-oriented organisation, working for the benefit of the society in general and a target group in particular.

NGO performs a variety of roles in our society and there is hardly any area which is left untouched by the NGOs, be it natural resources, finance, human settlements, social development, culture, education and energy.

Many people believe that NGOs have played an effective role in changing the scenario of the present world. They have become the conscious-keepers of the modern democracy. Such is the impact of some NGOs that even the governments have to follow their suit at times. Green Peace observed the famous “Earth Day”. We do not know if some villages were lit by that act of lakhs of people, what we know is that the popularity of this hour made the government of India to come up with a similar plan where it will request people to put off all lights on the last day of every third month for an hour.

Earlier people had a vague idea about working in NGO but now a sea change has been witnessed in the public’s perception of NGOs.

The NGOs have become thoroughly professional in approach. They are more focused and oriented towards their target areas. If you feel passionately about some issue, you will also require professional approach. If you are serious and committed to the work you are given, then a career in NGO is waiting for you. Candidates willing to work in an NGO should be aware that it is a serious job.

The drivers
Ghazala Khan, who works with Ekatra, a Delhi-based NGO, did her postgraduation in sociology and joined the organisation which works “for the empowerment of women, girls and youth.” Her subject and interest in development sector became the main driving force for her to be with this organisation.

For Osama Manzar, founder and director, Digital Empowerment Foundation, his free time and summer holidays in school became the foundation of his career. He says, “We used to go to my grandparent’s village in Champaran, Bihar near Nepal border. There were huge mango and leechi orchards, the land on which number of farmers used to plough, keep cows, had poultry etc. So, from morning till evening we used to go grazing goats, plucking fruits, talking to the framers, fishing etc. We used to go out neat and clean and came back dirty and soiled. It was not vacation from the weather point of view though as it was very hot all over that time. The village milieu became something very close to my heart. I am running Digital Empowerment Foundation due to this foundation in village setting.”

An insight
The responsibilities in the sector can range from doing a field study, to supervising a project, to visiting agencies asking for projects. Khan explains how an NGO is started and what kind of a journey it undertakes in due course of time. She says, “Ekatra has been working for the past 20 years in several Indian states, for the empowerment of women, girls and youth. The organisation was founded by individuals from varied academic, advocacy, and public policy backgrounds, all of whom are dedicated to the improvement of Indian women and families. Ekatra’s board and staff members include policy planners and activists with academic backgrounds in anthropology, law, human rights, gender studies, economics, sociology, environmental issues and global planning.”

In March 2005, Ekatra set up a regional office in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, with an effort to reach young women of under-privileged sections of the community in Hyderabad.”

She is handling the work the Hyderabad unit of the organisation. “I joined Ekatra in 1997. Presently I am the project director for Hyderabad project . Its programme in the last three years in the Old City of Hyderabad consisted of setting up vocational training centres for young women and adolescent girls in traditional and non-traditional skills, health camps and legal workshops for the community. And to create awareness and sensitisation of school and college students and youth on social issues organising theatre workshops, poster making competitions, poetry writing competitions and also organising event in observance of International Human Rights Day,” explains Khan.

Favourite subjects
We find people from various backgrounds, ranging from pure sciences to arts and humanities, join NGOs. But still there are some specific fields which prepare one better for this sector in case a student wants to plan career well in advance.

“People who are interested in joining this sector should opt for subjects like sociology, anthropology, psychology, community development, health management, NGO management etc. One more thing is essential besides educational qualification ie sensitivity and commitment towards the issue on which you are planning to work,” shares Ghazala.

Sources of funding
One question that is perennial for this field is “Where do you get the money from?” This is more important if one wants to start a new NGO of one’s own. United Nations works a lot in the field of sustainable development. Thus, funds are provided by it for research which NGOs conduct. The government is another important source. Many foreign universities like the Cambridge and Oxford and research organisations like Ford also provide funds on project basis.

All the work is done through projects. The funding authority gives funds project wise. So, one NGO can be receiving funds from many agencies. People are also recruited on the same basis and hence, apart form the top functionaries, most recruits work on contract basis.

Remuneration to recruits also depends on the kind of funding that the organisation can manage. Funding further depends on the level of the group. “The remuneration depends on the type of the organisation ie grassroot community based organisation or national and international organisation. Basically these organisations get funds on project basis and they pay accordingly. Sometimes ideology also works in paying the remuneration,” says Khan.

One can begin with a small group even if it pays less. But that kind of exposure will help in moving to another better placed group. The remuneration will never be great but good enough to sustain oneself, and not to forget, that it comes with the mission to make a difference in the lives of people.