NGOs in Soroti

NGO stands for Non Governmental Organisations. The word has become associated with organisations that provide aid to the developing world. They range from charities such as Oxfam up to multi million pound organisations such as the United Nations. There are approximately 400,000 world wide. They have a significant presence in Africa and Uganda is no different.

NGOs, both African and Western support the government in providing the necessities of life. Some Ugandan’s are opposed to the presence of these NGOs and believe they have a negative impact. They believe that the NGOs represent a new type of colonialism (colonialism was the rule of Africa by European countries in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries) and have purposefully prevented the continent from developing. A fellow teacher from a different school stated that academic performance in Uganda is deliberately stunted by NGOs forcing Uganda to lower pupil grades so they don’t challenge the developed world. Another, that the US government purposefully withholds medical supplies to force the government to adopt specific policies. Some of the NGOs do require Uganda to follow particular policies before they give aid, the Dutch government recently withheld its aid to the Ugandan Education Department due to percieved corruption.  

NGOs do a significant job in Uganda. They provide money for water projects through ‘Water Aid’, sponsor children through the ‘Diocese’ or provide drugs for health care through ‘Uganda Cares’. In fact, NGOs play a significant role in maintaining a semblance of living standards in Uganda. In Soroti for example, a third of the schools are run by NGOs, most of the HIV care is provided by ‘Uganda Cares’ and the sheer number of 4x4 vehicles emblazoned with NGO stickers suggest that they provide help with – water, agriculture, roads, health care, schools, HIV awareness, food and counselling to name but a few.

However, many Ugandan’s that I have spoken to worry that a great proportion of Uganda is dependant upon aid from NGOs. There is an immeasurable expectation that aid from the West is a right not a gift. Amy and I have been asked many times by complete strangers for money to either provide their children with school fees or to help set up a business. Of course these people live on the poverty line and would not ask unless they were desperate. However, they are shocked and appalled when we say no. There are many Ugandan’s who are conscious of not adding to the culture of dependency and manage to find an affective way of supporting without hindering self motivation. Halcyon and similar schools seem to have found a good balance in supporting orphaned children through school.

At the heart of it I suppose is the lack of government funds. Uganda is somewhere down around the bottom of the UN development list, 154^th of the 177 countries.  Taxation is minimal and thus expenditure on social provision low. There is no rubbish collection for example. Uganda seems therefore at the moment to be in need of the NGOs to help support the government where their money does not stretch.  

Uganda Cares provides training for HIV treatment as well as drugs and staff. 

 The United Nations provides a wide range of produce.

There are so many 4x4 with NGO labels on. They provide crucial help in many elements of peoples lives