Organizational strengths and challenges of Kenyan NGOs serving orphans and vulnerable children: a template analysis

This qualitative study of Kenyan non-governmental organizations (NGOs) identified strengths and challenges associated with service provision to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). From September to December 2006, data were collected by Kenyan research assistants in 34 NGOs in Nairobi and Eldoret. In-depth interviews were used to explore the perceptions of directors and staff in relation to organizational strengths and challenges in serving OVC. Structuration theory and template analysis were used to identify higher-order codes related to strengths and challenges of human agents, organizations and societal forces. Emergent themes and supporting interview quotations are presented to highlight common patterns across organizations, including strengths such as staff commitment, client outcomes, and resourceful communities, as well as challenges such as lack of staff, funding, and parental involvement. Through the analysis we uncover insights about the recursive relationship between micro and macro realities in Kenyan NGOs and the accompanying human and social transformations that result from providing services to OVC.     

Economic empowerment or cash‐dependency for orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya: Evidence from an alternative to cash‐only models

Orphan and vulnerable children (OVC) often have worse educational, developmental, nutritional, and behavioral outcomes than non‐OVC. Much of these disparities come from reduced household earnings due to the loss of parental income. The present study used conditional process analysis to evaluate income and savings among OVC households, using cross‐sectional data from 1,060 OVC in a 3‐year Kenyan empowerment program that combined elements of cash transfer, psychosocial support, and small business entrepreneurship. Higher monthly earnings were significantly associated with program participation in a graded fashion. Approximately one‐third of the association was mediated by material inputs, indicating that a substantial portion may be explained by other unobserved program elements. Eighty‐five percent of increased rates of saving money in the past year were mediated by improved monthly income, cash transferred and improved food consumption. Data analysis highlights the need for multisectoral approaches and the need for more research to understand how to improve household economic stability among OVC. Key Practitioner Message: ? Orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) are at risk of greater poverty, leading to multiple developmental and health challenges; ? Current policy in Kenya to offset costs of caring for OVC utilizes monthly cash transfers to households providing care for OVC; ? The present study found that increases in monthly income in an OVC multisectoral empowerment program were largely due to factors beyond the material inputs.     

The impact of inheritance experiences in orphans and vulnerable children support in Zimbabwe: A caregivers' perspective

Despite the predominant contemporary and traditional coping strategies adopted in Zimbabwe in the past three decades and beyond, challenges and issues related to inheritance continued to affect the livelihood of both orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and their caregivers. This article is a qualitative phenomenological study seeking to examine the perceptions, views, and feelings of the OVC and their caregivers on their lived experiences in OVC care and support in Zimbabwe. The study focusses on the caregivers' perspectives of the impact of the inheritance experiences in OVC care and support within their tribal local rural communities. In‐depth narrative interviews were conducted with 30 caregivers, corroborated with 10 OVC purposively sampled in the Gutu District of Zimbabwe. The results showed that although the caregivers are doing their best in executing their strategies for OVC care and support, the manipulation and misappropriation of the inheritances from deceased parents or grandparents that were meant to benefit the OVCs are still widespread in the rural communities of Zimbabwe. In conclusion, the study recommends the need for an integrated stakeholders' approach in educating the local rural communities about their inheritance rights.     

社会工作团体的整合功能——论NGO介入公共危机管理的价值和途径

NGO作为社会力量的典型代表,在公共危机管理中的角色、地位、功能和内部管理机制等问题已经逐步进入理论研究视野。笔者认为,考虑到多数中国NGO浓厚的官方、半官方色彩和国外NGO的西方背景,在中国本土要建立起政府与NGO之间的危机管理协调机制,可以考虑以社会工作团体为扭结来整合NGO资源。社会工作团体介入公共危机管理可以有效地促成NGO间社会资源、人力资源、文化资源的整合,并推进实现政府与NGO之间合作互动的制度化、规范化。     

Improving Development Ownership Among Vulnerable People: Challenges of NGOs’ Community Empowerment Projects in Bangladesh

This paper exposed the major challenges that the non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) face in improving development ownership among vulnerable people in community empowerment projects in Bangladesh. The finding, based on a qualitative research approach, used multi‐method data collection procedures. Data were collected from two NGOs, Proshika and Practical Action Bangladesh (PAB), working with two vulnerable communities—blacksmiths and goldsmiths. The results showed that NGOs faced a number of challenges, including lack of understanding about the local context, initiatives to localize global development tools, developing partnership, and space for local people in the development processes. The paper argued that, without securing development ownership, the NGOs’ activities toward community empowerment of vulnerable people would not be possible. The findings of the paper would be valuable guidelines for policy makers, development practitioners, NGO workers, and academicians.     

Resource platform,capacity building and social networking: a case study of NPI initiative

From the perspective of ‘state-society relations’, Chinese non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are commonly perceived as having a restrained and limited role in China and being subject to various degrees of government supervision. In recent years the third sector in China has gradually developed its own unique survival strategies. Although grassroots Chinese NGOs have increased rapidly, a majority of them face long-term sustainability, especially during the start-up period. In response to these needs, NPI Initiative is developed, drawing on the commercial concept of business incubators in providing comprehensive support to newly established NGOs. The paper first provides an overview of the current situation of NGO development in China. Second, it introduces NPI Initiative as a matrix organization of several supportive organizations, with a case example to illustrate the role and function of NPI in the incubation of selected Chinese NGOs. Third, it discusses how NPI has been functioning as a ‘bridge’ between government organizations and grassroots NGOs.     

在资源与制度之间：农民工草根NGO的生存策略——以珠三角农民工维权NGO为例

摘要：观察中国民间社会的发展,对草根组织的研究必不可少。近十年来,珠江三角洲严峻的劳权状况和政府、工会的缺位,催生出一批草根性农民工维权NGO。在中国民间非政府组织整体生存环境不佳的大背景下,由于涉及“劳权”、“人权”等的敏感议题,农民工维权NGO的发展举步维艰。面对制度和资源的双重制约,草根NGO为了生存,采取了一系列策略。它们的生存状况与所持的政治意识形态和维权理念密切相关;为了补充合法性资源,草根组织不得不着眼于制度外的道义正当性,以期获得社会的支持以及政府的默认;草根组织试图通过建立顾问委员会、理事会等方式获得知识精英的背书,有的还诉诸与政府官员的个人联系。新近出现的自体制内组建的NGO为研究珠三角农民工维权NGO提供了新素材。     

Development NGOs and the Challenge of Partnership: Changing Relations between North and South

This paper reviews the changing relationships between Northern development NGOs (NNGOs) which are organizations with their roots in industrialized countries, and local southern NGOs (SNGOs) which exist in many aid-recipient countries. It draws on selected experiences from the Bangladesh context. There are three main changes which have taken place. Firstly, many NNGOs in the past decade or so have moved from implementation of development projects towards a partnership approach in which they fund and attempt to work with SNGOs. This has increasingly led to the idea of NGO "capacity-building" as a key objective, but a significant growth in SNGO capacity in a country such as Bangladesh increasingly renders such objectives less meaningful. Secondly, official bilateral or multilateral development donors are increasingly moving towards the direct funding of Southern NGOs rather than the previous model of funding through Northern NGOs in the partnership approach. This leaves many NNGOs in an uncertain position. Thirdly, the need to respond to international emergencies in the post-cold war order has led governments increasingly to fund NNGOs to undertake relief and emergency work on a contractual basis. This trend also potentially raises questions about the viability of their longer-term development work. All three sets of changes are contributing to an uncertain future for NNGOs, which arguably face an "identity crisis", and they will need to adapt carefully to the emergence of new global social policy agendas if they are to continue to be effective.     

Network governance among actors involved in the government’s contracting out of foster care services: A case study in China

The government's contracting out of foster care services in Guangzhou, China, introduced the possibility of partnerships between nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and government-led human services. To understand network governance among actors involved in contracting out foster care services, service funders, service providers, and service users were interviewed. A thematic analysis of interviews combined with a critical review of archival data was conducted. Drawing from the policy network governance analytic framework, we found that network governance conditions in contracting out foster care services were characterized by close interdependence among actors, moderate standardization in work duties, but nonreciprocal patterns of interactions, and low to modest levels of autonomy, along with strong power in the government but limited self-governance among NGOs and foster families. Our findings indicate that network governance was not fully achieved among actors involved in the contracting out of foster care services. Implications for practice and research are discussed.     

Non‐Governmental Organizations' Role for Social Capital and Community Empowerment in Community Development: Experience from Bangladesh

The purpose of this study was to investigate contributions by non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) to social capital and community empowerment that facilitate community development. A multi‐method research approach was conducted, where a number of qualitative data collection methods were employed. Data was collected from two indigenous communities, goldsmith and blacksmith, served by two NGOs—Proshika and Practical Action Bangladesh (PAB). The findings showed that both NGOs played a substantial role in social capital development and community empowerment toward community development. The findings of this study will provide valuable input to the community development field.     

民间组织与现代民族国家之构建——1901-1949年中国工商行业性组织功能探析

在现代民族国家建设中,将从前在国家法律规范之外的会馆、公所、同业公会等民间组织纳入了国家控制的目标,并以辅助官治的名义获得了合法性,在近代中国地方社会治理中发挥了重要作用。然而,这些民间组织并非西方民族国家构建经验中的市民社会,而是中国现代国家构建的产物,与其西方的对应物发挥的功能大相径庭。近代中国精英组织网络在地方社会治理中发挥的功能,必须放在中国向现代民族国家转型的宏观视野下考察。在国家基础结构能力薄弱的背景下,国家采取了利用民间组织渗透和嵌入社会,以弥补国家基础性权力不足的策略。由此,国家实现了将合法性基础扩展到社会精英阶层、增强国家渗透能力、平衡社会动员和政治控制、增进国家绩效合理性、提高国家整合程度等目标。但这种利用民间组织构建国家主权的策略,却有着以下缺陷:政策执行效力不稳固;国家渗透能力和支持基础仅限于精英阶层;妨碍了公民权的形成;降低了民间组织的动员能力。最终,这种国家构建策略在新中国建立后被彻底改造旧的社会组织的策略所取代。     

Internal evaluation: integrating evaluation and social work practice

Internal evaluation involves the use of internal staff to evaluate programs or issues of direct relevance to an organization. The use of internal evaluation has been growing rapidly during the last decade. Nevertheless, there is a serious gap in knowledge about internal evaluation, especially for human service and non-governmental organizations. This paper begins by examining internal evaluation within the discourse of a "new vision" of evaluation that links evaluation closely to management and practice. The paper explores the unique characteristics of internal evaluation, its strengths and weaknesses, the process of internal evaluation, steps in developing internal evaluation capacity, strategies for effective internal evaluation, and positive and negative roles of internal evaluators. It concludes with a look at some recent developments in the evolution of internal evaluation.     

‘We’re Civil Servants’: The Status of Trauma-Informed Care in the Community

ABSTRACT

Trauma-informed care (TIC) in social service organizations means that the organizations operate with the understanding that everyone involved has possibly experienced trauma in their lifetime. This qualitative study examined local service organizations’ usage of the 5 main principles of TIC: safety, trustworthiness, collaboration, empowerment, and choice (as developed by Fallot & Harris, 2006). Ten focus groups (n = 69) and 6 individual interviews (n = 6) with employees from administration through management were interviewed such that almost all facets of each agency were represented. The participants were asked about their agencies’ policies and practices for utilizing the 5 principles of TIC. The results suggest that the vast majority of organizations in this study implemented many of the principles of TIC with clients, though they had not labeled their practices as “trauma-informed.” However, although clients were receiving TIC, some of the principles were neglected as they pertain to staff, such as choice and empowerment. The findings of this study suggest that agencies are unaware of the relevance of TIC as it relates to staff. It is recommended that future research examine whether the use of TIC in agencies prevents “burnout,” high turnover rates, and vicarious traumatization of staff.     

Shards of the old looking glass: restoring the significance of identity in promoting positive outcomes for looked‐after children

There is a driving force within current UK child welfare policies which promotes a strengths led approach to both assessment and care planning for children in need. Social policy emphasizes the importance of tangible outcomes such as education achievement, which have been enshrined in statute. However, other developmental outcomes, such as identity, are subordinated. Notwithstanding the relevance of these more concrete indicators, this paper suggests that this focus has left a gap at theoretical, strategic and operational levels relating to more psychosocial aspects of human growth and development, such as identity. This paper seeks to redress that gap by considering identity as both a process and an outcome. Following a review of the literature on identity development, it presents an analysis of semi‐structured interviews with 13 young people and their social workers. The findings show how young people's identity is shaped by their relationships, can be a protective mechanism, and deferred or put on standby. In the concluding discussion the implications for social work practice are highlighted.     

Social assistance programs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh: Does faith-based approach matters?

This paper aimed to examine the role of faith-based organizations (FBOs) in the distribution of social assistance (SA) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. The paper adopts a qualitative case-study approach to explore the best practices in the distribution of SA by five (5) organizations including FBOs, governmental organizations (GOs), Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), political groups, and private voluntary groups. In this study, 14 beneficiaries of SA were selected by stratified proportionate random sampling method, and five (5) key personnel were selected purposively based on their experiences in the management of SA distribution. The study found that “no-move, no touch” approach followed by FBOs is more likely to establish human rights and social justice and reduce the transmission of diseases. In contrast to the modern idea, which undermines the faith-based charity, the study proved that faith-based charity is gaining attraction as an effective approach combating global pandemic. The findings of this paper will be useful for policymakers, voluntary service workers, GO, and NGO workers to ensure the distribution of SA in a more productive and disciplined way during and after an emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic.     

Transferring HIV/AIDS Related Healthcare from Non‐governmental Organizations to the Public Healthcare System in South Africa: Opportunities and Challenges

Almost two decades after the transition to a post‐apartheid regime, South Africa is still high‐ranking in the incidence of chronic diseases like tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, diabetes and hypertension. This article explores the transition from HIV/AIDS related healthcare offered by internationally supported non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) in rural areas to the inclusion of this healthcare into the public healthcare system. This transition is part of a wider process that represents the exact reverse of healthcare reforms in Western industrialized countries. Instead of a transition from public healthcare to privatized or marketized healthcare, the transition in South Africa is from partly private healthcare to a public healthcare system in which the private commercial health sector as well as all services provided by NGOs will be integrated. In that process, many obstacles obscure intended outcomes, such as equal access to healthcare. Some obstacles are evident in the case studies of two internationally supported NGOs in the field of HIV/AIDS healthcare. We will conclude that governance structures of public and private NGO‐based healthcare are often difficult to integrate; implementation timelines and priorities do not always coincide; and the public healthcare system is still too weak to deliver good quality healthcare in rural areas without continued NGO support.     

Charity Development in China An Overview

While benefiting from the wealth generated by economic reform, China has also faced increasing social and environmental problems. With the restructuring of state enterprises, the previous occupational-based welfare system has been abolished. To decentralize the state's role in social protection while tackling social problems, the Chinese government has tried to experiment with different social measures to diversify welfare financing and provisions. Included in the social experiments are non-governmental organizations and charities. This paper provides a critical analysis of the social context of China since its economic reform, which, we argue, paves the way for the current development of NGOs and charities. This overview of current development of NGOs and charities in China also highlights existing structural problems.     

Alleviating poverty through microfinance: Village banking outcomes in Central America

Our research reports on Brigham Young University (BYU) field studies carried out in Central America to assess the impacts of village banking on indigenous families. We first introduce the growing movement of microfinance institutions (MFIs), organizations that provide small loans as start-up capital for the unemployed poor in Central America. We briefly describe the native nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that allocate their financial resources. Our methods are described and the survey instrument we created is analyzed, as well as the process of data collection. Finally, we report our findings and interpret their conclusions and implications, as well as suggest further studies on poverty alleviation.     

Human Service Organizations: Useful Category or Useless Jargon?

In recent years a growing body of literature has examined the peculiar features of human service organizations and the difficulties which these pose for their administrators. This paper begins by reviewing recent writings on this subject, noting the differing emphases emerging from social welfare and public administration backgrounds respectively. The definition of human service organizations is then reconsidered, suggesting that it is useful to examine their characteristics in terms of two clusters of features: one related to their public source of mandate and resources, and the other related to the nature of the services they provide. A proposed definition based on these two clusters of features makes explicit two characteristics generally assumed in previous definitions of human service organizations; their purpose of meeting socially recognized needs, and the relatively powerless position of their clients. The definition proposed, rather than setting categorical boundaries, provides a model against which the features of a variety of organizations which wholly or partly fit it may be examined. The implications of the identified features of human service organizations for their administration are considered briefly, with particular reference to such problematic issues as the clarification of goals, the rights of consumers and the evaluation of services. It is suggested that the training and development of administrators for human service organizations must be based on an understanding of the particular difficulties and challenges arising from the nature of these organizations.