What role do NGOs play in reducing poverty in developing countries Essay

What role do NGOs play in reducing poverty in developing countries - Essay Example Non Governmental Organizations have a long history in improving the lives of the poor and the suffering. In 19th century they played a major role in fighting for rights of women and ran anti slavery movements (Davies, Thomas R. 2008).After the formulation of United Nations in 1945 the term Non Governmental Organization came into existence. These organizations have many roles which include promoting rights of a specific faction of society, promoting basic services like education and health, fighting laws and rules that are against poor or a particular group and helping government fighting diseases. But the most basic role of Non Governmental Organization is poverty alleviation. NGOs can play a major role in reducing poverty by helping people at the micro level. Such organizations have access to people that are in need of help and by helping these people NGOs can reduce poverty at grass root level. Especially in the developing countries NGOs have played a direct role in improving healt h and economic conditions of the people. Issues like lack of health and education are actually a product of poverty therefore the aim of most NGOs in developing countries is to reduce poverty. In this essay we will highlight the role NGOs play in reducing poverty in developing countries. Non Governmental Organizations reduce poverty by promoting rights of poor, providing education and shelter for poor, providing micro financing services and improving health facilities. Fighting for Rights of Poor The most basic way through which NGOs help reduce poverty is by fighting for rights of poor. The main problem in the developing countries is that people are not aware of their rights due to lack of communication technology. NGOs help people realize about their rights as this is the first step in poverty alleviation. Non Governmental Organizations also play a role in voicing concerns of the people to the relevant authorities. They force governmental institutions to take action with regards t o the problems faced by the poor. This is another role they play is easing the suffering of the poor. Sometimes governments are taking steps for example increase in taxes that are in directly harmful to the interest of poor people. NGOs also play a role in fighting such steps of the government and in this way they protect the rights of the people. NGOs fight for the right to food, shelter, education etc in developing countries (Curtis, Marley, & Bakewell, 2005). They also fight against child labour and rights of women. By doing so NGOs create awareness and at the same time improve lives of the poor. The fight for basic rights can therefore be considered as an important role of NGO in reducing poverty of developing countries. Providing Shelter for the Needy The right to shelter is one of the most basic rights of human beings. No one can live a proper life without some sort of shelter. Developing countries face serious problems when it comes to providing housing for their citizens. Ma ny people in the developing world are forced to live on streets because they do not have a home. Non Governmental Organizations help poor people find a shelter in developing countries. It is important to provide shelter because it is one of the basic needs of the people. Providing shelter is one of the steps of poverty reduction in developing countries. Non Governmental Organization provides shelter to children, women and old people. Children who left their homes or are forced to leave their homes are treated by NGOs. Non Governmental Organizations are of many types as mentioned before. Some focus on children only and other provide shelter to people in general. NGOs in developing countries focus on providing secure shelter to female victims of sex trafficking (Tzvetkova, M. 2002). A direct effect of poverty is that people get desperate to find jobs in order to feed their families.