Don’t push NGOs to scale up the way businesses do
Funders’ requirements have eroded the authenticity and rigour of India’s NGO sector, making them more ‘fake and flaky.’ I described this phenomenon in my last column; in this piece, I will explore one of its aspects in greater detail. Which is the push for scale—the demand by funders for greater numbers, be it in terms of geographical coverage or the count of beneficiaries. Everyone wants more people to benefit— not just funders, but also NGOs, other stakeholders involved and communities.
But too often, these demands for scale are wildly unreal. Usually, this is because of underestimation or ignorance of the fact that social-human interventions do not scale in industrial mode. They must be worked upon person-by-person, context-by-context.
The demand for scale, however, tempts NGOs to do superficial (flaky) work or exaggerate (fake) what they are doing. If that’s the game that will get them money, then they will play it. Particularly because it is easier than doing rigorous work and being honest about the limitations.
Let me emphasize that a significant proportion of NGOs and many funders are not afflicted by these maladies; however, since a large number of funders do act in this fashion, it has a cumulative effect on the NGO sector. In what ways, where, and how does this ‘flake-fake’ problem show up? Here are a few typical scenarios. An NGO runs creches in villages.
It provides very young children good nutrition, lets mothers go to work, most of whom work as labour in fields or at project sites, and ensures that older siblings do not have to skip school to take care of the children. The funder wants more and more villages covered, which is what the NGO does. But they overlook the fact that many of these villages need
. Read more on livemint.com
