Non-Governmental Organisations, which include charities, co-operatives, and other community-based Non-Profit Organisations (NPO) are struggling to survive in the post-Covid-19 pandemic era.
In Apartheid South Africa, NGOs delivered services to communities that the government didn’t or would not.
The beneficiaries of NGO benevolence were mostly located in disadvantaged settlements and neglected townships occupied by black people.
When apartheid was defeated and democracy ushered in, hopes were that the NGOs would be “assimilated” into government structures and continue to serve previously disadvantaged communities.
Yes, NGOs are still in the mix, but they are not part of government official structures.
Needless to say, collaboration with the democratically elected government while “remarkable” could be better if NGOs were officially integrated into the effort to improve the lives of ordinary South Africans.
While the work NGOs are doing is still needed, challenges in previously disadvantaged communities are getting bigger.
And yet NGOs, that possess accurate data on the problems, remain outside government structures.
As a director of an NGO Phandulwazi Educational & Development Center – which champions education and skills training in poor communities – I am seized with the question, “where do we go from here?”.
NGOs and NPOs need the government to include their efforts in their official structures so that together they can do more for the needy.
In that regard, Phandulwazi is one of three Cape Town-based development agencies that are working on redefining the working relationship with the government and relooking at the model of funding the NGO sector.
Phandulwazi, Space Academy and Business Exploration Company (PTY) Ltd and Think Twice organisation are calling for support as they embark on a new journey for the NGO sector.
The need for re-organisation was born out of NGO experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The NGO sector was found wanting and overwhelmed by the huge numbers of poor people that needed help.
While funding for NGOs has always been a sticky issue, the problem is unlikely to go away unless a better way of working with the government is found.
Hence the three agencies have put their heads together to find better funding alternatives.
Sharing of information, resources and ideas greatly influences the Collaborative Learning & Development model.
I think the NGO sector can do more.
There is a need to bring new ideas, strategies, and systems to the the table on how poverty and inequality can be eradicated.
In my humble view, NGOs must, firstly, work together in the communities they serve and elsewhere to better address the social ills before they can persuade the government to include them in official structures.
The current NGO funding model and systems are broken and unsustainable.
It is necessary to bring communities, industry sectors, organisations, and institutions together to bounce off ideas, and plan on how to implement agreed projects.
At the moment, the NGO sector in various communities acts in silos and agencies are not necessarily complementing each other’s work in communities.
Structures like Community Development Forum are mired in political squabbles rather than focusing on finding solutions to the problems communities are facing.
These forums, where they exist, do not seek to unite, mobilise, or organise everyone in the community to participate in tackling challenges affecting the community.
Exclusion rather than inclusion characterises the state of affairs regarding NGOs and how they serve communities.
In that regard, Phandulwazi is looking at several projects, programmes and campaigns to collectively – with other NGOs and the government – address the challenges communities face.
Like other NGOs, especially those operating in and around Cape Town, we have a special focus on under-served communities that suffer hardships due to historical and current imbalances.
We are investing in enterprise and skills development and the transfer of skills, information, knowledge, and resources, promoting networking, and participation.
Research shows that in countries like Germany and the Netherlands retired people don’t just sit home and waste away their skills.
Retirees in these countries join co-operatives in their communities where their skills, knowledge, and experience can be used and not lost forever.
Some retirees want to give back to communities that made it possible for them to strive. They do so by imparting their skills and knowledge to young people.
There are countless stories of people who come from humble beginnings and have gone on to build business empires that positively impact millions of people.
At least 400 businesses in Africa have annual revenues of $1 billion or more.
These businesses can easily afford to invest in education and skills training in struggling communities.
Together, we can create sustainable businesses through co-operatives that provide low-skill services such as cleaning, security, and childcare.
As NGOs, we must constantly strive to build our communities every day working hand in hand and seeking to support each from all sectors of our society.
Phandulwazi was formed based on the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy.
Phandulwazi calls on investors, businesses, and industries to partner and helps tackle challenges in poor communities.
Phandulwazi strongly believes that every human being matters, everybody has a story to tell and everybody must be supported to fulfill their God-given purposes.
That is why Phandulwazi encourages people, organisations, institutions, industries, and sectors to engage and interact with us through advice, suggestions, partnerships, donations, proposals, and business plans on how to rebuild our society for the benefit of everybody.
Join us on this journey of re-eventing the NGO business model.
*The author of this article, Thandisizwe Mgudlwa is a director at Phandulwazi. He is an award-winning journalist, and bestselling author of the children’s book, Kiddies World. Mgudlwa has an MBA in Entrepreneurship from the Regenesys Business School.
*The Bulrushes does not necessarily share the views expressed in this article
