Creation of NGOs, Foundations: Escape route from poverty?

A Social Reflection by Marks Abaiko

The rampant creation of Non Governmental Organisations NGOs and Foundations is not different from that of Churches in Cameroon. Concerning the latter, one can easily understand that its influence stems from the bible which has predicted that during the end time, there will be many Churches and fake prophets.

On the part of NGOs and Foundations, their legal basis is instituted by art 71 in chapter X of the United Nations Charter of 1945. Though this article didn’t mention the rampant creation of NGOs or predicted excess creation of NGOs during the 21st Century, one is in doubt over what could have influenced the rapid influx of NGOs especially in Cameroon.

Marks Abaiko, Secretary General – Association of New Generation Authors (ANGA)

From research, this writer got it clear that the first creators of NGOs and Foundations were persons or families who had either attained Social influence or Financial freedom before creating an institution to give back to the Society. In this regard, people of affluence create NGOs to assist in reducing or eradicating certain diseases, consequences of environmental disorder like climate change, dirtiness or fight for courses like gender inequality and freedom of expression.

Foundations on their part mostly focus on giving back to the society through charity, that is, touching lives by targeting the underprivileged like widows, orphans, handicaps or displaced persons. Due to their busy schedule and the fact that they intend to reach out to many affected people, they recruit volunteers to assist them meet up their objectives of touching lives. Due to their benevolent nature and the number of lives they touched, donors start pumping money to support them to do more.

It is pretty good to opine that the advent of donors have changed the narrative of NGOs and Foundations in Africa in general and Cameroon in particular.

Due to the low employment rate which is causing intense hardship, many persons in Cameroon, youth in particular, after graduation, have taken the creation of NGOs as a safe road to escape poverty. Many with zero percent influence and financial backing engage on the creation of NGOs and Foundations based on the multiple international donors who keep requesting for NGOs to fund.

All they need is to write some objectives, compile some papers, pay a token and register their NGO.

I talked with some and discovered that many were unable to print T-shirts or banners which could showcase their NGO during an occasion that concerned them. They held that, they were facing financial difficulties and couldn’t meet up with those necessary expenditures at the moment. The question is: How can an NGO that has just existed for a month already be complaining of financial difficulty without carrying out a single project that reflects their objectives?

Well, this can only happen when people who cannot be proud of a single meal a day engage in projects to feed the society!

This is to tell you that, majority of them are created with the hope of getting a donation that can change not the society as they purport, but their own lives.

So it’s not necessarily the people but their personal pockets they are fighting for.

What is more vexing is the fact that they keep disturbing friends and people they meet casually with appeals to support their projects, and when you look at the person demanding for support, you discover that the organisation is just starting and they are already demanding financial support for their project.

Worst still is the fact that many, after collecting huge sums of money from individuals, they buy some few items, visit orphanages, widows or handicaps and take pictures while the rest of the money goes to their pocket.

This money is used to cater for their particular needs. This is evident in the fact that there are many people who had little or no impact on the society, created NGO and Foundations, applied for funding which they got and became rich over night. The next thing is, they start traveling from one country to the other, staying in good hotels and will finally abandon their project to settle abroad at the slightest opportunity.

While this may seem un-encouraging to observers like us, to their families, it’s nothing less than winning a lottery, while to other youth, it’s an inspiring action which can only fertilise their interest to do same.

As a consequence, many hungry and unemployed youth have under the influence of hunger caused by the financial hurricane plaguing the country, see the creation of NGOs as an escape route from poverty.

While we appreciate the self sponsored NGOs and Foundations who are fuelling enormous impact in the society with little or no funding, I want to beckon on the government to probe on this issue of NGOs  being created here and there.

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *