The New Nation - Internet Edition

Shahidul Islam

The Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) are visibly absent from helping the millions of cyclone survivors in the storm battered districts of the south and southwestern coasts and in the mainland, although they have enough money and manpower to do so.

Journalists on the ground reported that the cyclone survivors were shocked at the absence of the NGO's (local development agencies) in rescue and relief operations although they brought foreign donations and grants in the name of the poor, the most affected by the severe storm, which shattered 12 districts and struck 34 of the country's 64 districts.

Bangladesh has the highest number of NGO's in the world, according to an estimate 47,182 of them all, operating with the pledge to bring about changes to the lot of the poor men and women. Of them 45,026 are registered with the Ministry of Social Welfare while, 2,156 with the NGO Bureau. Those registered with NGO Bureau are apparently big organisations and receive foreign funds as grants on a regular basis.

Besides, a few hundreds of NGOs are operating under the banner of Islam and receive funds from different Middle Eastern countries. These organisations are neither registered with Social Welfare Ministry nor with the NGO Bureau, while some of them allegedly finance militants and fundamentalist outfits in Bangladesh.

According to informed sources foreign fund receiving NGOs get more than double the amount of money that they obtained through the official channel. All of them have mandatory funds, which they receive on condition that this money would be distributed among the destitute during natural calamities like the one the nation is facing after the cyclone SIDR.

An updated government document shows-foreign grant receiving NGOs received a total of US 211,44,36,800.43 dollars or Tk 14,589,61,39,229.67 till October 31 of the current financial year from 2000-2001 fiscal through the NGO Bureau. The money received by these organisations through unofficial channel during the same period should be double the fund released through the NGO Bureau channel.

According to another report published by a widely read vernacular daily, these NGOs received through unofficial channel US 7,500 crore dollars and US 3,476 crore dollars from 1993 to 2002, which together stands at Tk 1,80,000 crore.

If the foreign fund received by the Grameen Bank, the NGO version of bank, were included then the total amount of money received by the NGOs would inflate even further.

Coalition of Local NGOs (CLNB), an apex body of over 850 non-government organisations, who do not accept foreign donations, claimed that eight major NGOs receive 90 per cent of all foreign funds both officially and unofficially.

Although there is no exact figure of the total workforce engaged in the NGO sector, it is presumed that about 4,50,000 people are involved with 47,182 or more NGOs operating in every nook and corner of the Republic.

Only a handful of NGOs have so far engaged themselves in relief work till the severe cyclone hit the country from November 15 evening to November 16 morning with a wind speed from 185 kmph to 240 kmph and whipping up 15 to 20 feet tidal surge in some areas of the four worst hit districts.

Most of those participating in relief activities are doing a face saving job and trying to have more press coverage than concentrating on the relief they were engaged in, journalists in the affected areas report.

However, some foreign NGOs are doing a commendable job, they added.

According to the official reports of different Government agencies, as of November 23, it is clear that more than 6.7 million people were affected by the cyclone with a confirmed death toll of 3,033 people, with further 1,828 missing and 34,511 injured. Material damage is severe, with over 3,63,346 homes totally and 8,15,628 houses partially destroyed. The Government estimates more than 1.6 million acres of crops were destroyed and over 4,62,815 livestock killed.

Besides, massive damaged was done to household assets, including food stocks.

An economist said the NGOs have to respond to the call of the distressed humanity with utmost sincerity since they receive funds from donors in the name of these people.

Had the NGOs engaged 10 per cent of their workforce in relief work, the number of volunteers from the sector alone would be something around 45,000, he said, adding that the NGO participation in relief activities was near to nil during the two successive floods, which inundated 40 per cent of the country this year.

He posed the question as to when the NGOs would do their chartered duty, if not at this juncture of national calamity.