Chapter


targeted assistance to vulnerable groups. This refers, in principle, to international as well a-
local NGOs, depending on their objectives, experience, and scope of activities.

The important role that NGOs can play in supporting and complementing government efforts
to alleviate poverty and to improve food security derives from the following factors: (World
Bank, 1990):

* Their ability to reach poor communities and remote areas that have few basic resources
 or infrastructure and where government services are limited or ineffective;
* Their lobbying function for the poor and underprivileged;
* Their ability to promote local participation in the design and implementation of public
 programmes by building self-confidence and strengthening the organisational capability
 among low-income groups;
* Their usually low cost of operation due to using simple low cost technologies.
 streamlined services and low operational budgets;
* Their innovativeness and adaptability in identifying local needs, building upon existing
 resources and transferring appropriate technologies developed elsewhere.

In spite of such striking advantages there are, however, also certain limitations of NGO
approaches which should be given due consideration when a stronger NGO involvement is
envisaged:

* There is a limited replicability of many NGO sponsored activities as they are often small
 and localised. In attempting to scale up their operations with support from the public
 sector, some NGOs may lose their innovative quality and may become top-down. non-
 participatory and dependent on further external government support.
* NGO activities may have a limited self-sustainability as they are often conceived as
 being primarily relief-oriented rather than developmental.
* Limited managerial and technical capacities of many NGOs;
* Lack of a broad programming strategy for a region or a sector and poor co-ordination of
 NGOs at different levels;
* Controversial political or religious orientation of some NGOs.

With due attention to these issues, NGO activities should be encouraged and utilised to
advantage in programmes aimed at poverty alleviation and improving food security of
vulnerable groups. An additional valuable feature of an explicit NGO involvement is their
potential to attract (additional) external assistance in support of such programmes.