Get Your Facts Straight: A Message to Donor Organizations

Ramazan Bashardost's labelling of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Afghanistan as promoting "economic terrorism" resonates with our modern understanding of "corporatism" albeit with "not-for-profit" actors. There is some truth in these claims.

The former Afghan Planning Minister called for dismantling over 90 per cent of NGOs including international organizations operating in Afghanistan. Mr. Bashardost argued that he spoke on behalf of Afghans who believe that NGOs have squandered millions of dollars that are supposed to build schools, clinics, roads and meet most basic needs.

According to Mr. Bashardost, more than 2,000 NGOs are currently registered with the government receiving about one third of foreign assistance.

The former minister came under fire for making such blunt remarks both from Karzai administration and the NGO community. Bashardost, who holds a PHD in Law from France, subsequently resigned from the ministerial position and is currently a member of the newly inaugurated parliament.

While Mr. Bashardost probably went too far and too fast to bring down what he calls "NGOism" in Afghanistan, his remarks shed some light on the development process in Afghanistan and the role of NGOs.

The important work of NGOs in any conflict-ravaged society is crucial to rebuilding efforts. NGOs bring significant resources, expertise, knowledge and creativity to the whole process.

In the context of Afghanistan, one can simply assess the effectiveness of these organizations during the 25 years of conflict, drought situations and emergency crisis. Today, some organizations are strong advocates of the aspirations of the Afghan people.

However, recent years have seen growing scepticism of the Afghan populations about the activities of NGOs and their impact on the Afghan society. Skyrocketing of living costs and corruption, for instance, are largely blamed on the NGOs.

However, what Mr. Bashardost and many Afghan analysts fail to highlight is the responsibility of the donor agencies in making sure that a transparent and accountable mechanism is in place within all NGOs.

Accountability, transparency, monitoring and evaluation are merely cosmetic, broad and attractive topics for project proposals. Most NGOs keep 8-12 per cent of the foreign aid for their "administrative costs." This covers rents, salaries, equipment costs, transportation costs, etc. The agony is that many NGOs account for these costs ten times from ten different donor organizations.

There is no way for a donor agency to find out if the office rent, for instance, is covered by another donor organization. NGOs divert these funds for different purposes, from personal accounts to selected projects.

Nepotism is at the heart of realities in NGO circles. Many directors are notorious for hiring their relatives, friends and friends of friends. There is an entire cobweb of relationships that involves employee recruitment. You hire my relatives and I will make sure that you get this project, goes the informal tradition. Both the government and the NGOs are plagued with this cancerous hiring procedure.

The incentive program within the NGO community is another area of concern. If you have a high school diploma, understand English, are computer literate and of course have "a connection", you are most likely to find a job with a monthly salary of $400-$2,000 . While definitely a tremendous economic advantage, the irony is that the salaries of many doctors and teachers, for instance, are usually between $50-$150. This itself promotes inequality at various levels of the Afghan society.

It is beyond the scope of this article to elaborate on the effectiveness and problems with the NGO activities in Afghanistan. However, there is one clear message for the donor agencies: get your facts straight before funding an organization.

By the end of 2001, there were only over 500 registered NGOs. How do we explain the emergence of over 2,000 NGOs today?

Development is a continuous, long-term process not a 4-month project with 10% administration costs. Donor agencies must do more than approve the project proposal of a one-man organization whose director is the chief cook and bottle washer. Foreign aid must be needs-based, transparent, measurable and long-term oriented.

The accountability and legitimacy guidelines should be established by the donor agencies not the recipient organizations themselves. This may minimize, although almost never rule out, the chances of corruption and fraud.

Don't be surprised, then, at why little development is taking place on the ground in Afghanistan. People's disenchantment is both because of the government, NGOs as well as an influential actor emphasized here- the donor agencies.

Just a little attention to the accountability and legitimacy elements would make a huge difference in rebuilding Afghanistan.

Children of War: Make it History

25 years of sufferings. That's an entire generation growing up with every day images and realities of war,violence, poverty and deprivation from basic needs of life. It's about time to 'make it history'.

As Afghanistan is taking baby steps towards reconstruction, unprecedented amount of work lies ahead to bring the 'children of war' to the mainstream of a normal and deserved life.

Several times I have been approached by concerned and generous individuals, "I am touched by what your country has gone through, but tell me what I could do as an individual." Due to skepticism about the functioning and legitimacy of several non-governmental organizations, amongst other reasons, I would always have little to offer in response .

This changed when I came across ASCHIANA, meaning "nest" in Dari, a prominent and well-respected non-governmental organization for orphans and street working children.

On a recent visit to Kabul, I recall friends telling me: "There is this organization that gathers street children, beggars and orphans from street, sometimes against their will, and registers them at ASCHIANA. There, they receive food, education, clothing and some support for their families. Why would then they beg on the streets?"

Many local people support such initiatives to the extent that they agree with the 'forceful element' of taking the street kids away from the streets. I must say that I am not 100% sure whether this is the case in reality.

Regardless, I am inviting you to consider sponsoring an Afghan child. You could learn more about the organization through Aschiana's website.

No more children on the streets of Kabul, a city that has over 10,000 widows and thousands of orphans. Initiatives such as Aschiana's child sponsorship programs are worth praising and deserve our collective support.

One child at a time towards the transformation of the Afghan society starting from 'children of war' to 'children of change'.

The time to act for a good cause is now. Are you in?

Why Support Aschiana?

Read one child's story
BBC Story on ASCHIANA
TDH Website, Aschiana's donor agency
UK-based Friends of Aschiana
Sponsor a Child today

Standing Up for Justice And Truth in Afghanistan

Better late than never. The war-riven country has eventually adopted an 'Action Plan for Peace Reconciliation and Justice' at the conclusion of a conference in Kabul .

Hailed as a "significant step", the action plan deserves recognition, at least in rhetoric, for two main reasons.

First, the action plan calls for the removal of perpetrators of war crimes from Karzai's administration. Sadly, many of these power holders, whose hands are stained with the blood of innocent Afghans, are currently sharing desterkhaan with the Afghan and international officials.

Should the vetting of these individuals genuinely be taken as 'top priority' by the Afghan government, the administration would ultimately win the hearts and minds of the entire Afghan population. This is because almost each Afghan family has been affected in one way or the other over the 24 years of sufferings and violence in Afghanistan.

Second, the action plan calls for talking justice about the violence committed by almost everyone, who abused the rights of people: from the pro-communist era to the recent Taleban control of Afghanistan.

If the action plan is implemented as envisaged, it would truly transform the spirit of Afghan society. There are thousands of families seeking justice for the losses and pains they have suffered. This is a much relieving step for a strong nation.

It is clear that an ambitious plan dealing with such topics as truth and justice that encompass a constellation of meanings and interpretations is not an easy task.

An important question rises whether the Afghan government and the international community would be willing to compromise some political instability at the cost of bringing to justice the perpetrators.

In other words, how is the government going to deal with the aftermath of holding these influential officials/individuals responsible for their brutal crimes against the Afghan society?

While some are already dead, many of these individuals enjoy enormous respect, support and backing from their respective communities. Considerable attention should be devoted to the cultural, societal and political complexities of Afghanistan in the process of trying these individuals.

Most important, nowhere within this action plan, as it stands, have I come across the question of crimes commited by external states.

Most of today's Afghan problems could be traced to the external intervention and exploitation. Who is responsible for making Afghanistan one of the most mined countries in the world? Which country is prepared to take responsibility and compensate for the loss of thousands of innocent lives, predominantly children?

Furthermore, serving justice has important security and safety considerations. How could the government make sure that the victims have the courage to come forward and stand for their rights? What practical steps would be in place to mitigate the fear of retaliation and abuse for coming forward and expressing one's voice?

This all means that the formidable process of seeking justice for a war-ravaged society like Afghanistan is an uphill task.

While truly a significant step, we must be aware that this process would not make the dream of thousands of Afghans come true without active government support and the international observation.

Above all, Karzai's administration must be prepared to make some sacrifices- whether political or economic, and maybe both. This is a worthwhile step and at no cost should the Afghan government back away from this historical venture.

Justice served in Afghanistan. That's the next headline we are all looking forward to, eagerly and passionately.

For more information about the Action Plan: Reuters Report