NGO's: Non-entities or crucial partners in health

Editorial

As government now takes responsibility for providing health care in areas it previously did not reach, non-governmental and community organisations are having to find a new role to play. Many find themselves out in the cold as foreign funders shift their aid in the direction of government. Yet while government has committed itself to providing for neglected communities, NGOs are finding the reality is very different. Despite government's intentions, it often lacks the capacity to reach these forgotten pockets, and NGOs find themselves having to carry out the same function, but this time without the support of foreign aid.

But the survival of NGOs is not only important as a stop gap measure to tide communities over until government reaches the point where it can provide the promised services. NGOs will always play an irreplaceable role in linking communities and government. NGOs ensure that the voice of impoverished people is heard, and in the turmoil of a changing time, they bring the focus back to communities and put the human factor back into the equasion.

Rather than being just a conduit for aid, the most worthwhile role of NGOs is that of catalysts, inspiring and organising people to take up the task of their own development. But as government needs to reach out to NGOs, NGOs too can take steps to engage government, and to find ways of realigning themselves to a changing environment.

As donor funding is withdrawn, many NGOs are closing, and those that survive will do so through taking a creative approach to raising funds, to forging new partnerships, and to finding a new direction for themselves.

In this issue, NGOs, donors and government share their experiences on the current problems that they are facing and also present a vision of their future relationship, and the ways in which they their goals can be realised.