By ADARLIA HARAH MAINGA –
NON-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) play a vital role in the shaping and implementation of participatory democracy. Their credibility lies in the responsible and constructive role they play in society.
An NGO is a non-profit group that functions independently of any Government.
NGOs, sometimes called civil societies, are organised on community, national and international levels to serve a social or political goal such as humanitarian causes or the environment.
Some NGOs exist to further political or social goals of their members and the communities they serve.
Examples include improving the state of the natural environment, encouraging the observance of human rights, improving the welfare of the disadvantaged, or representing a corporate agenda.
Zambia is privileged to have numerous Non-government organisations that play a critical role in supplementing government efforts in various development programmes.
These organisations which may either be faith-based, social, ethical or humanitarian purposes serves as an arm that helps the Government to achieve some of its targets and budgets.
Some NGOs help foster peace and security in a country. It is for this reason that Zambia will this year join the rest of the world in commemorating the world Non-governmental organizations( NGO) day which falls on February 27, 2022.
The World NGO Day is a universal concept aimed at celebrating, commemorating and appreciating the role of NGOs in the development process around the world.
On this day, NGOs share their knowledge and experiences in their work while the Government uses the day to restate their policy position in facilitating active participation of NGOs in their respective jurisdictions.
The World NGO day was initiated by the United Nations(UN) in 2017 and more than 100 countries around the world have been participating in the celebrations.
However, Zambia has never participated in celebrating this day.
It is against this background that the Government through the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, working with the Council of NGOs in Zambia and other stakeholders are facilitating the country’s first-ever participation during the World NGOs this year.
To commemorate the NGO day, the Government with its supporting stakeholders have planned activities to take place on this day.
Council of NGOs in Zambia Chairperson MacDonald Chipenzi said that NGOs in the country had contributed positively in both the area of human rights, good governance, accountability and also in the area of service delivery.
Mr Chipenzi noted that the Council was excited that for the first time in history that NGOs in Zambia had partnered with the Government to commemorate the day to reflect on how the organisations had contributed immensely to the development of the country.
He explained that his organisation was constituted as a statutory board of NGOs that was enacted by an Act of Parliament to coordinate the operations of NGOs in Zambia.
“We are excited that for the first time in history, we have decided to partner with the Government to commemorate this day to reflect on how NGOs have contributed immensely to the development of this country,” Mr Chipenzi stated.
The day would help disperse myths by some sections of society who think NGOs were only interested in fighting the Government.
He added that the commemoration will also enlighten the general public that NGOs contribute to the development of this nation.
For Instance, the involvement of NGOs in the electoral process has been visibly seen in the way election results have been accepted by losing candidates in various countries of this world.
“When organisations issue their statements, the political parties that lose either use NGOs as witness when they are petitioning the loss, so they accept the results because an NGO that they think was involved in election monitoring has spoken and has given its position, which position cannot be disputed,” he said.
Mr Chipenzi stated that a number of NGOs such as Action AID, Water Aid, World vision, Transparency Zambia, Plan international, among others, had been around the country involving themselves to complement Government efforts in drilling boreholes, preserving the environment, health and education sector, among others.
He stated that the role of NGOs in supplementing Governments efforts and challenging some of the bad policies of the administration was well documented all over the world.
Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) Executive Director Miriam Mwiinga stated that YWCA, which is the oldest NGO in the country, had been in existence since independence.
Ms Mwiinga said YWCA had contributed a lot towards the development of Zambia.
The organisation is elated to see that Zambia joining the rest of the world in celebrating the international NGO day.
This celebration shows that Zambia is beginning to appreciate the role played by NGOs in the development agenda.
She explained that NGOs played a critical role in supplementing the administration’s efforts in developing the country and provided different services where the Government might not have full presences or have limitations.
“NGOs are able to come in and supplement the efforts of the Government by mobilising resources to assist the communities meet their needs. These organisations have also been critical in ensuring that the Government meets their goals which are set for the National development plans,” she said.
Ms Mwiinga said YWCA contributed towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Seventh National Development Plan and the different plans the Government put in place.
Without NGOs, Governments across the globe would have been facing a lot of difficulties.
Ms Mwiinga said the Government would not have met the set targets in education without having NGOs that play a critical role in providing education in the country.
Currently, the Association is looking at fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and floods the country is experiencing now.
“NGOs provide checks and balances to the Government in a quest to promote transparency and accountability,” Ms Mwiinga said.
By and large, the importance of NGOs in global governance cannot be underestimated.
The civil society will continue to group itself in various ways to find solutions to the problems affecting the world today. – ZANIS