KARACHI: Lack of resources discouraging Lyari CBOs
By Latif Baloch
KARACHI, June 26: Except a few non-government organizations and community-based organizations operating in Lyari Town, majority of them have been rendered ineffective mainly due to financial reasons, a survey shows.
Primarily, the role of these organizations has been limited in social welfare of their respective community ranging from delivery of marriage and funeral services to sports activities.
With the passage of time, these organizations have extended their services from social to educational and health spheres by organizing free coaching centres and reading rooms in their respective communities.
Mostly these organizations have to meet their financial needs either by collective donations or through the financial assistance of some philanthropists.
The traditional role of these organizations remained effective till 60s as long as they received financial support from philanthropists or through government grant-in-aid.
A new trend was witnessed in 1970s with the revival of political activities in the country when the NGOs and CBOs involved themselves in party politics and gave up their traditional social welfare role.
In 1980s, some of these NGOs professing themselves as developmental agencies assumed a new role and launched a few welfare projects in education and health sectors with the financial and technical support of city-based NGOs who have built a strong collaboration with the internationally reputed NGOs.
But these NGOs could not survive for long because of their internal differences and lack of leadership.
Notwithstanding, these organizations have played a major role in highlighting the problems of Karachi’s old settlement. The survey shows approximately more than 500 CBOs and NGOs operate in every locality of Lyari and hardly few of them are now active.
The most commonly delivered services include informal education, traditional funeral and marriage services and sports activities. Besides, these organizations were also instrumental in resolving family disputes.
A large number of these CBOs, which had been active in delivering local services till 1960s, have become inactive due to inadequate financial resources and stoppage of government aids or grants.
Nearly 50 per cent of the oldest CBOs registered in 1960s are still active to some extent. The survival rate for the CBOs registered during the 1970s declines to 33 per cent, but rises again to 66 per cent during 1980s and 74 per cent during 1990s.
These NGOs which have become active for quite some time in education and health fields could not survive longer because of stoppage of funding from donor agencies. Only one NGO could service because it is still receiving funding from donors despite the fact that its performance is not impressive.
During the last two decades, a new trend mainly focusing on development side instead of offering traditional services emerged in the social sector of the locality.
The survey conducted by this scribe shows that the NGOs and CBOs in the locality have been facing five serious problems including water shortage, disposal of waste, unemployment, inadequate educational facilities and drug abuse.
The methods adopted by the CBOs and NGOs to meet their ends include protest, lobbying and monitoring of government’s programmes.
Protest begins when lobbying fails. Occasionally, these protests take the form of letters published in newspapers and statements issued to the Press.
They also articulate their demands through wall-chalking or banners hung across streets accusing the government of neglect.
In solution of local problems, if the CBOs work individually they will often be competing for the same resources which may lead to a reallocation of the fixed resources to those CBOs which are more vocal.
The situation calls for a strong coordination and effective working relations among the representatives of the NGOs and CBOs.
In the year 1996, some NGOs made an attempt to institutionalize some sort of arrangement, but the initiative failed to achieve favourable response.
At present, the picture is gloomy as there seemed to be no effective link between the people and the NGOs. A social worker remarked that shortage of funding and internal disputes have rendered these organizations ineffective.
