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May
PEACE Prevail in Sierra Leone!
May PEACE Prevail on Earth!
NGO Survey
From:
Prof. Juris Dilevko and Ms. Moya K. Mason
Faculty of Information Studies
University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Email: moya@highermind.org
Attn:
Mr. Kenday Samuel Kamara
President/CEO
The Center for Alternative Development Strategies (CADS) Sierra Leone
/ Global Network
Re: NGO Survey 2001
I wrote you a week ago concerning a survey that I am conducting about non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in "developing" countries such as yours. I work for the Faculty of Information Studies at the University of Toronto (Canada).
This survey is therefore a university-based research project. As you may recall, I am primarily interested in whether you have contact with large international NGOs that are based in "developed" western countries, how your NGO gets along with them, your NGO's use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as the Internet, and whether you feel ICTs have any negative aspects.
The survey will take you about one hour to complete. In addition, if you return a completed survey by May 1, 2001, you will be eligible to win one of three prizes of $100 USD each. I know that this is not a great deal of money, but it may nevertheless help your organization.
In addition, all survey respondents will be sent a completed report of the survey findings. Of course, you are under no obligation to reply to these questions, but I would really appreciate your help. The survey consists of 16 questions and is contained in this e-mail message. Simply press the REPLY button for this e-mail, and then answer each question. Take as much space as you want to answer each question. When you're done, just press SEND.
Alternatively, if you would prefer to answer the questions online, there is a web version located at: http://www.moyak.com/researcher/survey/index.html
and you can write as much as you would like into the text boxes since they are programmed to hold an unlimited amount of information.
Thank you again for your time.
Remember, if you do complete the survey and return it by May 1, 2001, you could win $100 USD for your organization.
Thank you very much for completing the survey! Your help and time is greatly appreciated. Good luck in the draw for the $100 USD.
Very
Sincerely,
Juris Dilevko
Faculty of Information Studies
University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Preliminary Information
A. How many people work on a regular basis for your NGO? Include both paid and unpaid workers. People working for our organization as paid workers are as follows:
Kenday Samuel Kamara - Chief Executive Officer/President
Amadu Koroma - General Coordinator/Legal and Administrative Affairs
Ibrahim Brimawagen - Secretary General/Program Accountant
Phonz AZ Kamara -- Development Officer
Abdul Rahman - Monitoring/Action Officer
James Kamara - Micro Enterprise Coordinator
Ingham B. Carew - Agricultural Officer
Princess H. Amara - Women's Development Coordinator I
Isha Nonoh Deen - Women's Development Coordinator II
B. How much money did your NGO spend on ICT equipment in the past 12 months? When I say ICT equipment, I mean equipment that allowed you to connect and make use of the Internet, World Wide Web, and e-mail.
Our organization spent about $8,800 on ICT equipment to get connected which we consider a tremendous advancement in facilitating NGO work these days. We anticipate spending more provided we have the funds to do exactly that.
C. What specific ICT equipment and resources does your NGO currently use? Please provide as complete a list as you can.
A
Pentium Compaq Presario Laptop with a Modem
A Compaq Desktop Computer
A Visioneer Paperport Scanner 6100
A Sharp UX-2700CM printer
A Canon Printer and Copier
Please continue on to the 16 main questions of the survey. Please write as much detail as you like for the following questions.
Part 1: Your relationship with large international NGOs that are based in "Developed" Western Countries:
Our relationship with large international NGOs in the developed world is not so good. NGOs in the developed world now seem to have little or no faith in NGOs in the third world countries.
Generally, there is a donor fatigue frm the developed world not so much because NGOs in the third world are not efficient in performing their responsibilities, but because NGOs in the developed world are engaged in addressing most of their very luxurious administrative expenses than effectively cooperating with local NGOs in the third world in addressing the needs of the disadvantaged in the communities these local third world NGOs operate.
1. Think back over the past 12 months. About how many times would you say that your NGO has had "significant working contact on a specific issue" with large international NGOs in the past 12 months? How intensive was this contact and how long did it last? This contact may be in-person contact, telephone contact, fax contact, e-mail contact, or any other type of contact between a member of your organization and a large international NGO.
In the past twelve months our NGO has been in contact with over 150 big international NGOs via fax and email but nothing worth referring to came out of these contacts. We had contacted these NGOs to work with us on specific developmental projects relevant to the national development objectives of Sierra Leone. The response from these INGOs is always WE REGRET WE CANNOT BE OF HELP OR WE ARE DEALING DIRECTLY WITH GOVERNMENTS! These are responses we are receiving all the time from INGOs which does not look good.
2. Has your NGO had any negative or frustrating experiences with large international NGOs? If yes, think of one or two specific examples, and give as many details as possible about each example.
Certainly so. There are many frustrating experiences we had had with INGOs. They are not helpful and would scarcely collaborate with third world NGOs to address the deepening needs of communities we seek to help. Like our NGO has the ability, know-how with over ten years experience dealing with local communities promoting unique projects like the CADS Communal Farming System approach where by farm communities in rural areas are encouraged to go into partnership with CADS to cultivate large acreages of land whereby CADS provides the technical know how, the farm tools, and the seeds, and in return the farm communities come up with the farm lands and the labor.
At the end of the crop season, proceeds from these farms are distributed thus: 50 percent to a farm community, 35% to CADS to support its administrative needs and extension programs. The balance 15% is put in a bank account jointly maintained by each community with CADS calculated to pay back loans taken from any sources to support such a project. And if there are no loans to pay the 15% is given back to the farm community meant to be used for as a revolving fund to help farmers with small, small loans to establish micro enterprises especially during non farming season.
This unique project I have sold to many INGOs in the developed world we know they have the money but non had been so kind enough to work with us to more effectively pursue this project.
3. Do you feel that your NGO is sufficiently consulted by large international NGOs on matters of local concern about which your local NGO has special expertise? Again, provide as many details as possible by using specific examples.
International NGOs working in our local communities hardly contact us to obtain first hand information about local needs of communities in order to better address the needs of local communities they are claiming to help for which they are receiving generous contributions for from benevolent citizens from the developed world.
As mentioned earlier most INGOs are more concerned about taking care of their administrative needs than actually addressing the needs of the disadvantaged communities they claim to help. This makes them less interested in paying attention to the deep needs of local communities.
4. Do you think that large international NGOs are more interested in disaster-relief or service provision than in "capacity-building"? If yes, give specific examples of how this has happened in your area.
Certainly large INGOs are more interested in disaster-relief or service provision than capacity building. This we believe is because these large INGOs always take advantage of the of misery of third world countries to raise millions of dollars funds for their INGOs when in fact it is just trickles of these funds actually reach the communities most affected. They are less interested in capacity building that's why they always fail to cooperate with local NGOs in the third world which are not just concerned about disaster-relief but helping local communities to be self-sustainable and stable.
As Graham Hancock reiterated this in his book LORDS OF POVERTY on the power, prestige and corruption of the international aid business, "Each year some sixty billion dollars are spent on foreign aid throughout the world. Whether in donations to charities such as Save the Children, Oxfam, CARE, UNICEF, or the Red Cross, in the form of enormous loans from the World bank, or as direct payments from one government to another, the money is earmarked for the needy, for relief in natural disasters - floods or famines, earthquakes or droughts - and for assistance in the development of nations. "The magnitude of generosity from the world's wealthy nations suggests the possibility of easing, if not eliminating, hunger, misery, and poverty; in truth, however, only a small portion of this sixty billion dollars is translated into direct assistance. Thanks to bureaucratic inefficiency, misguided policies, large executive salaries, political corruption, and the self-perpetuating "overhead" of the administrative agencies, much of this tremendous wealth is frittered away."
This scenario "Graham Hancock's alarming and comprehensive book reveals." "Hancock cuts through the smoke screens and hot air of the "aristocracy of mercy" to provide a critical look at a multinational business that has never been subject to strict accountability."
5. Have large international NGOs helped your organization in any way? That is, have you had any positive experiences with large international NGOs? If yes, think of one or two specific examples of how they have helped your organization.
Well to be sincere and objective enough, yes, at least 2 INGOs have helped our organization. The Kellog Foundation in the United States helped our organization in capacity building when it financed my participation in Salzburg Seminar Session 353 on Sustainable Rural Development Seminar held in Salzburg, Austria in February 1998.
The Margaret Isely Foundation also in the US helped our organization with some funds, about $50,000 between 1996 and 2000 with strings attached - i.e. our NGO must help to promote its weird concept for the establishment world government to replace the United Nations which they claimed had failed the world. It's a utopian idea we have found very difficult to help promote because the couple of years we engaged in promoting their notion of world peace and global economic prosperity through world government had taken us no where, so we thought it's just waste of our time and resources.
6. In general, how would you characterize the work done by large international NGOs? For example, are they helpful, patronizing, indispensable, over-rated? Feel free to write as much as you want.
The work of INGOs is indispensable but needs to be guided to actually address the deep needs of local communities in terms of actually helping these communities to be developmentally sustainable. They should not be seen only to be disaster-relief providers, but MUST whole-heartedly agree to work with local NGOs in the third world to help local communities to be self-sustainable. These INGOs must also reduce their administrative expenses, more so to stop buying expensive vehicles with funds they have raised from the misery of third world countries.
Part 2: The following questions ask about the experience of your NGO with information communication technologies (ICT) such as Internet and e-mail.
7. How would you say that your NGO benefits from using ICTs? List all the main benefits that you can think of, and provide as many specific details as possible.
The ICT is the best thing that has ever happened to CADS Global Network. Through the ICT we are reaching out to many organizations with less expense. The ICT system is so less expensive and very, very effective than all other conventional means of international communications. The ICT has also provided us the opportunity to make our presence in the world wide web through the URL http://www.geocities.com/cadsglobalnet.
8. Has the use of ICTs affected internal working relationships within your NGO? In other words, has it caused any changes in the decision-making process or organizational structure of your NGO? Please describe these changes in as much detail as possible. Mention whether you believe these changes are positive or negative. The ICT has simply made our work less expensive. We are now paying less for communications and we are getting awesome results that is helping our organization grow and much known world wide.
Notwithsanding the very poor cooperation we are getting from INGOs we have not despaired, as we are always hopeful that someday, sometime there will come an INGO with more financial foundation to work with us in our various projects in the communities we are operating in Sierra Leone. Through the ICT we have also resolved to incorporate profit making ventures seeking partnerships in the web as a fundraiser to help support our work. So far we have signed three agreements with businesses in Liverpool, UK for selling computer products for a company in UK for 10% commission that goes to supporting our work. Also signed an agreement with a company in Pakistan to sell tent products also for a 10% commission to CADS. And we continue our search for more lucrative business partnerships in the web we hope will turn out more lucrative and supportive of our work in Sierra Leone.
Browse our URL at http://www.geocities.com/cadsglobalnet for more details.
9. Has the use of ICTs in your organization led to a lowering of staff morale? If yes, please provide as many details as possible.
The use of ICT has just heightened our staff morale. The use of the ICT has even helped most of our staff to be computer literate because it has even now become an obligation for every Sierra Leonean to be literate in computer or basically know how to go into the web and to use the email.
10. Has the introduction of ICTs, especially the Internet, eroded your NGO's use of indigenous and informal communication channels? If yes, give as many details as possible.
No. We are still using informal communication channels because most of our beneficiaries are illiterate, as such we are obligated to them to communicate with them in our usual pattern of communication channel.
11. Has the introduction of ICTs, especially the Internet, caused there to be a neglect of local initiative in the design of development efforts? If yes, give as many details as possible.
The introduction of the internet has not in any way affected local initiatives. Use of the internet as far as CADS Global Network is concerned is to present our NGO to the world , seeking co-operations and business partnerships to better strengthen our NGO in terms of its finances to be able to address its local initiatives more effectively.
12. Do you worry that your NGO relies too much on the Internet and thus gives too much priority to "first-world" solutions for the "third-world"? If yes, give specific examples of how you feel this may be happening.
As just stated in 12, our NGOs reliance on the internet is more of a fundraising effort than affecting the specific objectives of our NGO in terms of alleviating the disadvantages of the rural communities we have pledged to help.
13. Do you think that spending on ICTs by both large international NGOs and local "third-world" NGOs consumes funds that could be more usefully spent in other areas? If yes, give examples of how you feel this may be happening in your area.
Spending on ICT is quite appropriate for both INGO and local third world NGOs. It is not a waste of resources. The waste of resources mostly by INGOs of the developed world is the reckless spending on luxurious vehicles for NGO personnel. There are cheap vehicles INGOs they could buy instead of expensive vehicles to facilitate their work, so that saved funds could be used in other areas that would help alleviate the troubles of communities these INGO pledged to help.
14. Do you think that the introduction of ICTs is in danger of raising class barriers between those who know how to use ICTs and those who do not? If yes, give examples of how you feel this may be happening. Is your NGO doing anything to prevent the erection of such class barriers?
The introduction of ICT as far as we are concerned and from what we have gathered from the country, Sierra Leone, we are active, is not causing any danger in terms of raising class barriers. The good thing is the ICT is just too simple to use. With basic education anyone absolutely can know how to send emails or surf the web.
15. Do you worry that the growth of ICTs, especially the Internet, is contributing to the propagation of the English language and western culture and thus diminishing the importance of other languages and culture? If yes, give specific examples. Is your NGO taking any specific steps to avoid being "colonized" by the English language and western values?
The world wide web is a world of its own that is free and open to all. Surfing the web, going China, France, or German you will find out that there are thousands of sites in Chinese, French or German. So I do not think the internet is contributing in anyway to the propagation of the English Language and western culture. In our case, in Sierra Leone, English is our official language so it does not hurt at all and has not affected our culture in any way because the English language has for long been part of us while our culture and ethnic languages remain intact.
16. Can you think of any other possible negative aspects of ICTs for your NGO? Please be as specific as possible.
We have not figured any negative aspects of ICTs for our NGO. It's simply a win, win situation for our NGO and we passionately rely on the ICT to strengthen our NGO nationally and internationally.
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