NGOs Have Been More a Part of the Problem - Essay Example

Through representation of poverty in particular ways, NGOs have been more a part of the problem than a part of the solution Professor: Course: Date: Introduction Intervening with the intention to help another exhibits one’s concern to his or her fellow human being, hence show humanity. This is because there hardly anyone globally can claim he or she is self sufficient to the extent does not entail another’s person helping him or her. However, to the current NGOs though to an extent helping the needy, what numerous do not know is that they have turned to be the problem and hindrance to the paucity predicament they intend to eradicate. This is evident from their actions ranging from depiction of the needy through the media to solicit help towards boosting own underlying activities whose core goal is to realize own selfish interests (Coulter, 1989). In the media, image representation not only via virtual means but also with the aid of TV ad artists has selectively utilized those disturbing pieces meant to compel uninformed potential donors part with own money (Coulter, 1989). These depictions fail entirely in relaying the exact situation in the developing states whereby through the media end up blindfolding donors in yielding to support their “humanitarian” antics. Therefore, this study seeks to relay information on how NGOs despite somehow helping grossly have ended up being problem in their destined respective regions. The formation of many NGOs mainly happens with a certain perspective in mind most of which aim at ending poverty in world at large rather than concentrating in a particular region in the world. While their initial intentions are noble, they end up creating a greater problem in the efforts to curb poverty than helping. This is mainly because they do not clearly elucidate goals of their campaign thus they end up not achieving what they had initially intended (Harrison, 2010). Like in the case of the coalition consisting of various NGOs forming a campaign dubbed “Making Poverty History” (MPH) in 2003, their focus was on the G8 summit which was to happen in 2005. Their original purpose was to end poverty globally rather than concentrating on a particular segment especially Africa which already had been a matter of discussion for several years (Harrison, 2010, p. 393). The minimal use of images in illustrating poverty conditions diminished their efforts since there was no clear representation of what the true condition of poverty was. Their resolution not to specifically use Africa in their main agenda to end poverty blurred the significance of imagery representation. Therefore, instead of them otherwise choosing an image representation elsewhere they left a vacuum that led to a weak presentation of their agenda (Harrison, 2010, p. 395). Many NGOs are gaining a lot of popularity especially among various world organizations like the world health organization, and because of this, they are widely forming coalitions (Fisher, 1997). They assume the development role but many critiques see this as a mere political move. Many politicians often engage in the campaign activities of these NGOs diverting the core agenda of their formation into their own. A clear demonstration of this was when Blair and Brown considered including the MPH campaign into their political strategies as the election period was fast approaching (Harrison, 2010, p.401). Hence, turn NGOs to be merely political puppets for politicians who further their own political endeavors in disguise of supporting them. These sentiments are further echoed by Fisher (1997, p. 444) who asserts that according to some critics, the good act of NGOs is always a political motivation who alters some concepts of development to suit their own needs. These NGOs further aggravates the problem by forming alliances that are complex in nature, which brings on board diverse views of poverty eradication. This causes a deviation from the original purpose because each member of the coalition contributes differently on the issue diverting the concentration from the poor to the structural aspects of the coalition (Harrison, 2010). MPH operations were minor compared to the decisions of coordination team (CT). The CT constituted senior staff from each member NGOs whose operations specified that image representation of the poverty was the role of individual firm (Harrison, 2010, p. 400). This in turn created a very weak representation of the poverty levels globally, hence did not depict the serious nature of the situation that required serious considerations. Additionally, NGOs view local regimes in developing states as incapable of solving the poverty issue and instead of indulging with them to come out with positive results; they exclude them in most of their operations. This is because they consider themselves as the only perpetuators of development and are mostly in disagreement with governments’ efforts (Fisher, 1997, p. 446). This therefore impedes any attempts by these regimes to make a positive impact in poverty eradication. Through the omissions of particular information to suit their fundraising campaigns, NGOs creates a perception in the minds of citizens of the developed states that the developing are helpless and cannot survive without the help of the west (VSO, 2002). This nature of stereotypes can only diminish from the minds of these people only if these NGOs divulge all the necessary information about the poverty in developing states without omitting some. NGOs mostly divert their attention to other matters other than from the main reason for their formation. Because these NGOs are non-profit making organizations, they rely on funds from donors and that being so, they indulge in operations that only entice the donors. They mostly depict women and children as the martyrs of poverty even in the scenes where they not just to gain funds (Coulter, 1989). Majority of these NGOs portray poverty as an unsalvageable condition in the sense that they fail to acknowledge the contributions of the local regimes in the process. This makes other states develop a sense of pity instead of genuinely understanding the root causes of the hunger hence creating an unclear road map on how to solve the problem definitely (Coulter, 1989). This is despite the fact that they operate in conjunction with the host government to solve the menace. According to Coulter (1989), when NGOs portray nations engulfed with poverty in a manner that they are helpless, the situation does not only affect the people living in that nation but also those that originate from those nations and resides elsewhere. They propagate racism indirectly because some citizens of developed nations view those as not equal to them though they reside in the same nations. NGOs through their mode of operations indirectly divide nations in terms of their abilities to provide for their nationals. The idea of cash generation has become the core interests of these NGOs instead of the interests of those beneficiaries in the third world who are the main reason for their existence (Coulter, 1989). This is quite evident in the left side image that depicts a squalid child soliciting uninformed donors to give for it is showing love to humanity. Based on this image, it seems the NGOs are in the mission to strip the entire world of poverty without evening relaying projects they have embarked on to accomplish their missions. It is if they have the will but direction is lacking on how to start and realize what they are after. This deplorable depiction of poverty as in Fig 1 closely aligns with McKendrick, Sinclair, Irwin, ODonnell, Scott and Dobbie (2008) sentiments regarding the preference of how editors and journalists behave to be moved into airing any aid advert. Their core intention encompasses airing what is newsworthy but not anything lesser than fancy or catchy to the viewers. Hence, end up prompting numerous aid agencies doctoring what they entail aired and will in turn solicit more to give. Consequently, this prompts numerous house media not only in UK but also globally airing similar thing but doctored in such a way it is diverse due to agencies intending to influence respective editors into airing their content (McKendrick, Sinclair, Irwin, ODonnell, Scott and Dobbie, 2008). This ought not to be the case but blatantly relay instead projects what these agencies are undertaking as well as what respective states’ regimes contribution. Since, it is unfathomable for one just result to helping without seeing what are the efforts of the helped in disentangling themselves from poverty. Figure 1: [Squalid Child] 1989. [Image online] Available at: [Accessed 18Th March 2015]. NGOs are becoming the promoters of inequalities and poverty contrary to their formation agendas, which is to eradicate poverty and other development agendas. This is illustrated by the continuous ways in which they continue to defame developing countries especially Africa through improper imagery of children with malnutrition in order to elicit public generosity towards their course (Smith &Yanacopolo, 2004, p. 657). This therefore leaves many wondering of the essence of their formation if their intended good of making right where things have gone wrong has vanished. Many of these organizations exist as solicitors of fundraising campaign and volunteers of campaigns. This is with the sole of serving own interests while disguising themselves as the helpers of poor in order to obtain support from donors. The elaborate use of photography to represent a real situation cannot entirely be reliable to depict the actual situation and often is subject to manipulation to denote the message that the user wants (Bleiker & kay, 2007, p. 143). This is because a photograph is not a real person and often results from a particular context in which the photographer sets and therefore photographs as used by many NGOs are not entirely reliable. The NGOs additionally expands the problem when they fail to separate their overall mandate but concentrate on a segment of the problem. According to Harrison (2010), though the NGOs could control the involvement of other external parties like celebrities and politicians they allowed them to shift the focus of their campaign from a global poverty view to concentrate solely on Africa. This was so as long as they did not violate coalition’s interests despite the fact that the move was contrary to their initial agenda. According to Smith and Yanacopulos (2004), depiction or relaying of any piece of information to the intended views normally determines how they will receive the information. Therefore, media houses together with aid agencies ought to devise appropriate ways that will not only incline on the paucity side of the needy but also developments in progress. Since, it is this will enable the globe know its extent of effort to render to the developing states in their quest to ensure progression in their respective regions. Giving an example of the 9/11, Smith and Yanacopulos (2004) contend how mode of relaying the information yielded to unending, heated and differing debates. Hence, giving the entire scenario and motives behind false meaning, which tarnishes even efforts from the Middle East by natives who are against what ensued during that fateful day. Similarly, this is also evident with aid agencies in developing states to the extent even when whites encounter people from those relayed regions in developing states wonder they still have money as evident in Shahidul’s (2007) study. This is due to the perception the media has instilled in the minds of those who have never been in these states and have to donate religiously in their quest to extend a humanitarian hand to deal with either hunger or disheartening incidents (Clark, 2004). Hence, implying it is only Africans and those from other developing states who suffer more so from hunger due to inability to have the right resources whereas ironically these states are the ones rich in minerals. Evident in Figs 2, 3 and 4 one wonders whether whites are the only who are human enough to care for the unable (Dogra & Cohen, 2012). This is evident even when journalists are relaying information concerning the plight of the needy whereby they cannot even express themselves without helped to do so, which is quite ironical and demeaning (Shahidul, 2007). Fig 4 depicts a journalist standing on a heap of garbage while photographing the scavenging poor who are so desperate to eat what he is standing on (Dogra & Cohen, 2012). This could be an isolated case but the journalist have ended up insinuating as if the entire developing states are like that, which is untrue. Hence, bringing out the issue of racism, which ought to be the case because any donor state ought to act in such a way her goal is to make the recipient to be self sufficient. This encompasses the recipient parting with certain aid fraction, which together with the one from the donor will enhance development and within a shorter period be on its feet. However, this has not been the case because once the recipient gains the necessary stability the aid agencies will be redundant. Therefore, it is for this reason numerous have continued to relay deplorable and squalid situations to seek more help whereas in reality are realizing own interests (Shahidul, 2007). Mainly, this depicts an image of the developing regions being unable to manage their predicaments due to helplessness that prompts then solicit aid from their neo colonial masters (Rideout, 2011). Figure 2: [A social worker holding a young child]. 2012. [Image online] Available at: [Accessed 18Th March 2015] Figure 3: [White Social workers in Kenya]. 2012. [Image online] Available at: [Accessed 18Th March 2015] Figure 4: [Book Cover showing a Journalist photographing the poor while scavenging food from a garbage site]. 2012. [Online] Available at: < https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=JqvLm-ZRuP4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Representations+of+global+poverty:+aid,+development+and+international+NGOs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8QIJVaOwOaTY7AbqrYEg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Representations%20of%20global%20poverty%3A%20aid%2C%20development%20and%20international%20NGOs&f=false > References Bleiker, R and Kay, A., 2007, Representing HIV/AIDS in Africa: Pluralist Photography and Local Empowerment. International Studies Quarterly 51 (1), pp.139-163 Clark, D. J. (2004). The production of a contemporary famine image: the image economy, indigenous photographers and the case of Mekanic Philipos, Journal of International Development 16, pp.693-704 Rideout, L. (2011), Representations of the Third World in NGO advertising: practicalities, colonial discourse and western understandings of development, Journal of African Media Studies 3, 1, pp.25-41 Coulter, P. 1989. Pretty As A Picture. [Online] New Internationalist, Available at: [Accessed 18Th March 2015] Dogra, N., & Cohen, S. (2012). Representations of global poverty: aid, development and international NGOs. London, I.B. Tauris. Fisher, W., 1997, Doing Good: The Politics and Antipolitics of NGO Practices, Annual Review of Anthropology, 26, pp.439-464 Harrison, G., 2010, The Africanisation of Poverty: a retrospective on make poverty history, African Affairs 109 (436), pp.391-408 McKendrick, J. H., Sinclair, S., Irwin, A., ODonnell, H., Scott, G. & Dobbie, L. (2008). The Media, Poverty and Public Opinion in the UK, Joseph Rowntree Foundation. [Online] Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Available at: [Accessed 18Th March 2015] Shahidul A. (2007). The visual representation of developing countries by developmental agencies and the western media, Policy and Practice 5, pp.59-65. Smith, M. & Yanacopulos, H. 2004. The public faces of development: an introduction, Journal of International Development, 16, pp.657-664. VSO, 2002, The Live Aid Legacy: the developing world through British eyes a research report [Pdf] VSO, London. Available at: [Accessed 18Th March 2015] Read More