STUDIES IN PARTICIPATORY DEVELOPMENT No.1
ASSESSMENT OF POPULAR PAR-rICIPA"I'"ION IN THE FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF DEVELOPMENT POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES A CASE STUDY OF NAMIBIA
•
United Nations Economic CommiSSion for Africa Public Administration, Human Resources and SocIal Development D,vISionCONTENTS Page
PREFACE ui
INTRODUCTION 1
II NGOs IN NAMIBIA: A BRIEF DESCRIPTION 4
1 A DIvided Camp 4
2 Number and Size 7
3 Development Activities and Orientation 9
III NEW ROLES FOR NGOs: ADVOCACY
AND GOVERNMENT LINKAGE 18
1 Changing NGO Roles and Attitudes 18 2 NGO's linkages with Government
20
3 NGO/CBO Partaclpatlon In the DeSign
of Development Policies 22
4 NGO/CBO PartiCipation In the
Implementation of Development PolicIes 25 5 LInkages and Alliances Amongst NGOs 26 IV NGO's NEEDS, PROBLEMS AND
LIMITATIONS 29
1 General
29
2
The Bram Dram and Leadership29
3 Follow-through and Implementation 30
4 Budgeting and Accounting 30
5 Technical Capacity Versus Grassroots
Credibility 30
6 Inter NGOs Coordmatlon 31
v
VI
THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF NGOs IN NAMIBIAN DEVELOPMENT
SCOPE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVITIES BY NGOs
NOTES
32
34 36
PREFACE
It IS now eminently clear that popular participation In
development IS an essential prerequIsite of and a cornerstone of human-centred self-reliant and self-sustaining development Without the active Involvement of people and thetr organizations In the development process, Improvements of human Conditions can neither be achieved nor sustained
The African Charter for Popular Participation In Development affirms thiS by calling for an era In which the participation and empowerment of the ordinary men and women are the order of the day I n a rare consensus. the Conference attested to the fact that people's partlclpatton must be at the heart of Afncats development miSSion and VISion and It confirmed that authentic development springs from the collective Imagination, experience and decIsions of people The Charter, and the emerging unanimity. have presented us
With an unparalleled opportunity to unleash the creatIvity and harness the energy of the people for a better future for themselves, their countries and Afnca as a whole
It IS this recognition that prompted the United Nations Economic CommisSion for Africa to take the Initiative to establish a Focal POint for Promotmg Popular Participation In Development to facilitate the Implementation of the Charter, strengthen the role of people's organizations and work with them to formulate and articulate programmes and Inltlattves that would foster widespread participatory action
The Studies In Participatory Development are designed to promote and facilitate the Instutlonahzatlon of participatory processes and enhance people's Involvement In the political,
social and economic lives of their countries and the shanng of expenences, Ideas, concepts, institutional mechanisms and organlzabonaJ forms on partiCipatory development
To ensure that the studies rematn useful, relevant and topical. suggestions of appropriate subjects for IncluSion In the senes as well contributions for publication under the senes are actively encouraged and sought from our readers Comments and feed-back on any of the studies published under the series will also be highly appreCiated Please address correspondence on these and related matters to
The Director
Public Administration, Human Resources and SOCial Development DIVISion
POBox 3001
UN Economic CommiSSion for Afnca AddIS Ababa. Ethiopia
Telefax 251-1-51-44-16
INTRODUCTION
Namibia IS In Its third year of Independence Structures and InstItutions throughout NamIbian society are
.n
transItion and faCing a change of roles Most national non-government organisations (NGOs) - particularly those With strongest links With and legitimacy at grassroots level - are stili wrestling With the need to transform their primary role from nationalist pollttcaJ mobilisation against apartheid and the col Onl at system to development promotion or representation of their constituenCiesBy southern African standards. the Namibian government IS outstandmgly acceSSIble to Input from non- government and popular organisations At the same timet It IS
In the process of transformmg and rebUilding Its own Instltubons While central government structures are to a large extent m placet regional and district systems of administration and service dehvery are not I mplementabonal capacity vanes from ministry to ministry and from region to region Also bemg hammered out at present - In dlffenng ways by dlffenng ministries and departments - IS the extent to which service delivery and the onus for tocal and community level organisation should fall Within government's remit, and to what extent Within the remit of the NGOs
Foreign agencies and NGOs Involved With Namibia are also making the policy tranSition from anti-apartheid solldanty as their primary motlvabon to development as a pnorlty Since 1989. when many began to open offices In Namibia and to have direct contact WIth the local NGOs which they had supported In the past, these relabonshlps also began to change Many foreign NGOs, as well as multilateral and bilateral agencies, emphasise the Importance of NGOs In dellvenng services to people and commUnities structurally disadvantaged by the colonlallnheratance Many also support the democrabsatlon and strengthenmg of CIVil society
This IS In line with the shift In progressive development thinking In the 19705 and 1980s away from top·down, government orientated programme design and Implementation techniques NGOs and community based organisations (CeOs) seemed to represent the best organisational alternative for popularly mobilized development t
However. this approach can conceal a beWIldering multiplicity 01 expectations about NGOs' roles Some examples of such roles are as2
• agents of development.
• community organisers and educators. institution bUilders, SOCial service prOViders, and humamtarlan rehef prOViders.
• political activIsts. human fights protectors. policy watChdogs and lobbYists, and democracy promoters.
• organisational and financial managers,
• technical experts In agncutture, health. etc»
• tnnovators and testers of new Ideas. approaches and technologies.
• fund-raisers and credit prOViders.
• employment creators,
• a counterbalance or alternative to governments In Namibia, the penod of anti-colonial struggle and war
IS recent. and divISions stU remain In the NGO sector, as we see below Counter-balanCing this to a certain extent IS the
fact that because Namibia's population IS small (1 4 mlthon), many of the skilled, educated and experienced Namibian SOCial actiVISts know one another personally, and Informal contact IS continuous However, the legacy of the apartheid era's systematic withholding of general education and specifically management skills from the black m~onty IS stili In effect So too are attitudes of the pre-Independence era which affect NGOs' roles today
Finally. an Issue of terminology In Namibia, the term NGO refers to a range of organisations operating on the national level As well as community and other development- orientated organisations, these Include women's organisations, churches. trade Unions, youth. scholar and student organisations, legal assistance and human rights advocacy organisatIons, adult and other training or educational bodies ProfesSional aSSOCiations, like bUSiness chambers, the Namibia Agricultural Union, the Small Miners' ASSOCiation, the Hawkers' ASSOCiation, are also sometimes Included In diSCUSSion of the NGO sector, espeCially where they are of use or relevance to black NamlblansJ advancement (see AppendiX 2)
Nabonal NGOs usually have affiliated organisations.
branches, projects or
ceos
which they support (financlaJly, orgaOlzatlonally or otherwise) In several Namibian regions CBOs are understood to be district-bound They may Include local church bodies, local farmers' Unions, Income generating proJects, co-operatives for production, marketing or bUYing wholesale, credit Unions, or local service organisations such as pre-school faCIlities 3II NGOS IN NAMIBIA: A BRIEF DESCRIPTION 1. A Divided Camp
Overview
There are deep divIsions between Namibian NGOs, many of them the legacy of the Independence struggle There are also enduring polley differences Some, notably the first and third groups described below. see themselves as people's organisations and espouse a social democratJc model of development Others espouse the free enterprise approach, and In the view of the 'community development' grouping tend to be technocratic and unconsultatlve, Without community level legitimacy
In the 1980s, most local NGOs, Including the majority of churches. focused strongly on community agitation and political mobilisation The aim was public mass action which was meant either to accelerate or to frustrate the struggle for pohtlcallndependence Where hOUSing. labour organrsatlon, or women's nghts, for example, were campaign Issues. the ultimate aim was the national struggle against South Africa So NGOs divided clearly Into political camps, these diVISions are shU Influential today
The NANGOF/Community Development Grouping
The CounCil of Churches In Namibia (CCN), the Namibia National Students' Organrsatlon (NANSO), which represents scholars as well as tertiary students, and the majority of the trade unrons were prominently In SWAPO's camp before Independence In many cases, It was understood that funding for community projects' was In fact a way of paymg salanes to political organisersl and the viability of the projects was not the pOint
The member organisations of the Namibian Non- Government Organisation Forum (NANGOF), an NGO umbrella organisation formed In 1990, Include a number which emerged from thiS dynamiC Most mfluenbal members mclude the Namibia Development Trust (NOT), the Namibia Community Cooperative Alliance (NCCA), NANSO and the National Job Creation Service (NJCS) This IS In spite of the fact that many member organisations of 1i1ls group started or took their present form after 1989 when the political transit on began, slOce many key members had been community or political
actiVISts prior to the settlement
As a result. many NANGOF members are also wrestling with the transition from pohtlcal mobilisation to practJcal Implementation of development work This grouping stresses popular and community partICipation In mcome generating or service projects In communal areas or deprived urban townships
The Pro-Colonial Grouping
Other NGOs actively supported the colOnial power's 'hearts and minds' campaign These were mostly ethnically oriented groups supported by the apartheid 'homeland' authoritIes, and, In the war zone of northern Namibia, by the South Afncan militarY They have generally faded away since Independence, though an organisation called Swords IOto Plough-shares. linked to the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) the official political opposItion party, IS stili acttve
The 'Third Force'
There IS also a group referred to by some NGO cadres as the ~Thlrd Force' prO-independence and nationalist but not SWAPO hnked The Namibian Nationhood Programme Coordinating Committee (NNPCC) which supports a number of
rural and urban proJects, was started In 1983, and IS an example of such a grouping
The Namibian Association of Non Governmental Organizations (NANG OS) was formed In mld-1990, as an umbrella organisation for a number of prOJects, some beheve as a competitive reaction to the formation of NANGOF Non- SWAPO nationalist actiVISts, Including some to the left of the present ruling party's poliCies, were InfluentlaJ here As With NANGOF, popular partiCipation and community level organisation are the strategies favoured by this group
The -Fourth Force'
The 'Fourth Force' IS a group of NGOs formed dUring the 19805 often With the support of corporate funding the ROSSing Foundation, the Institute for Management and Leadership Training (IML T). the Pnvate Sector Foundation. and the U-Do Trust are leadmg examples These aVOided political affiliation, were started by whites, and stressed poliCies Oriented to free enterprise and training
A charactenstlc of the jfourth force' NGOs, despite allegations against them of 'collaborabon', technocratic paternalism and lack of grassroots contact, IS effective administrative and accounting procedures This organisational stability has since Independence led to several of them becoming partner organisations of United Nations or bilateral donor agencies
Other Organisations, Linkages and Problems Though In the past the 'community development' grouping would have nottllng to do With the others. since Independence a number of Informal links have been forged, and feelings run less high than before
In the pre-Independence era. the only women's organlsabons that operated on a national level were those affiliated to the vanous political parties, replicating their diVISions Women's VOice, an organlsabon which emerged from the pro-SWAPO actJvlst grouping, was discouraged by the party and dissolved It IS only since Independence that concerted attempts to set up nationaJ women's organisations have been made, and these contmue to be bedeviled by party- political divISions
A final and crucial process that has placed enormous stram on the NGO sector was the brain-drain of experienced NGO personnel Into government structures after Independence ThiS affected and weakened organisations primarily In the first groupmg named above It was most marked In the case of the trade unions. but many community development orientated organisations suffered On the posItive side, many NGOs have thereby forged excel1ent contacts Wlthtn government
Stnce most CBOs have hnks - financial, orgarusatlonal educational - wrth NGOs In one of these groups (or With IndiVidual churches), they tend to Identify With the ethic espoused by 'their' NGO The Will tend to share Its weaknesses as well Where a support NGO suffers from, say, poor planning and weak admtnlstratlon. or excessive centralization of authOrity, Its related CBOs Will often do so as well
Thus the history of NGOs 10 Namibia IS a highly pohticised one An Important grouptng Within the NGO sector.
NANGOF I Includes personnel highly expenenced In popular mobilisation WIth excellent grassroots links and credibility NGOs In thiS grouping see as one of their main pnonbes the development of their Implementatlonal capacity
2. Number and Size
There has been an explosion In the number of NGOs and caos In Namibia since mdependence A 1989 study of Namibian NGOs" Identrfied
15 Involved In community development.
14 In education and training.
4 In health care,
9 multlsectoral NGOs. mainly churches or church-hnked
The largest was the CCN, which at the time had some 200 staff Most of the rest had staffs ranging from 2 to 20
Since Independence. the number of NGOs tallied depends on the definitions used One recent NGO Dlrectory5 counts 135 NGOs - including foreign NGOs active In the country The most detailed and reliable source seems to be the NatlonaJ Planning Commission's draft list of Development Orgamsatlons In Namibia This lists
6 umbrella NGO co-ordmatmg organisations.
36 national NGOs.
38 training and educational organisations, 18 church and church-related organisations, 18 women's associations (Including political
party-
hnked ones).
15 environmental orgamsatlonsl
22 trade unions, leagues or bUSiness associations
In addition, one hundred forty-one CBOs and prOjects are listed Also named are the Internatlonal NGOs, bilateral government Implementing agencies, and multilateral agencies active In the country
Many of NGOs and CBOs listed are ephemeral or one- person operations, some are large. but as we shall see below, notably In the example of the CeN, the trend among donors IS
to discourage large staffs In NGOs Few of the NANGOF or NANGOs groupings have staffs larger than ten
3 Development Activities and Orientation The NANGOF/Community Development Grouping
The first category of NGOs named above - the NANGOF /communlty development grouping - have as their target constituency the majority of Namlblans who are dispossessed and marginalized
These NGOs themselves tend to be urban-based.
sometimes with branches In outlYing regIonal centres Where they support rural projects - the majority of cases - their staff travel to the target areas on a more or less regular basIs
Levels of unemployment In urban and pen-urban areas are estimated at about 50% The 70% -of black Namlblans who live In rural areas, mostJy In what are today termed communal areas. once the lethnlc homelands' of the apartheid system, Include a majority In villages or outlymg homesteads who are barely able to survive Depending on the region, an estimated half or more of families are female headed For the maJonty m communal areas. 'subSistence' agriculture has broken down, and survival depends on remittances from family members 10
employment or on government pensions paid to the aged This
group of NGOs thus targets the unemployed In urban township areas, and the underemployed, margmallsed or dispossessed
In communal areas
The role of the NANGOF/communlty development grouptng tn retatlons to rural communities usually follows the folloWing sequence
• Activation and diScussion of the potential for setf help proJects,
• Definition of needs. definition of potential proJects, With elected executives or steenng committees I
• Formulation of a prOject budget m consultation With project representatives.
• Submission of a funding budget and rationale to a donor agency t
• Organizing administrative and other necessary training for the project group,
• Follow-up VISitS and problem·solvlng support as possible
The prOjects Initiated by the NANGOF/communlty development NGOs, which mcludes the CCNts communIty development activities. though the CCN IS not a formal member of NANGOF, fall Into three main categones
• Income generating projects, Including bnckmaklng, poultry and bread production, vegetable growing proJects, cooperative bUying or marketing schemes, sewing and weaving craft projects for women
• Educational and training services, Including children's day care centres (pre-school education), and private schools (pnmary and secondary education), Informal business and prolect management tralntng. and awareness raising through cultural programmes
• Credit unions and saving schemes, amongst which the Namibian Credit Union League (NACUL) IS the national NGO most acfJve among community groups mobilizing their savings The NCCA was Instrumental In founding Farmer Inter-League Solldanty Action (FISA). a savings and credit facIlity for local farmer's organisations mainly In southern Namibia
An ongoing factor affecting almost all rural based projects and CBOs 10 Namibia IS that to survive, they almost always need to have a positive relationship With the local power structure thiS IS usually made up of traditional authontles (chiefs and elders) and/or church structures These are often very hierarchical In onentatlon and have played a part 10
constraining the development of participatory, democratic action and structures In some cases, the target beneficlanes of a given project are and were not consulted or encouraged to participate In decIsion-makingS Such programmes were also marked by gender inequality
Thus In general, NGOs that target margtnahsed black communities are now called upon to change from resistance to development agency roJes They are now faCing the challenge of assisting the previously undemocratic, hierarchical, male dominated projects to take on their own development themselves, In commUnities where deep political nfts also stili remain And thiS IS In addition to fundralslng and trymg to meet training needs for admlntstratlve and bookkeeping Skills, markebng, technical training and so forth
However, the NANGOF member NGOs, though the.r umbrella organlsatton IS administratively weak. have the strongest links of formal and Informal cooperation of any Namibian NGO grouping
The 'Third Force': NNPCC and NANGOS Grouping
Though thiS grouping supported the Namibian Independence struggle and shares many of the popular partIcipation techniques for moblhzlng projects espoused by NANGOF. the fact that Its leading figures were not SWAPO members stili affects Interaction between the NGOs and CBOs concerned
The NNPCC IS an umbrella group for a range of projects including rural gardentng, sewing. backyard mechaniC and pre- schoof CBOs Units In central and southern Namibia It runs a pre-school In Khomasda'. one of Windhoek's townships, and the Jacob Morenga Tutonal College, a private secondary school
NANGOS, though founded as an umbrella body, does not appear to have developed strong connectIons or a functioning Identify sInce I'ts Inception An attempt to garn possession of a current list of member organisations met With
failure, though founder member organisations Include the SCience and Mathematics Programme and the Workers' and Peasants' Women·s Association
The 'Fourth Force'
As rndlcated. the groupmgs discussed above regard these NGOs as paternalistic and unconcerned for the need for structural change In Namibia, though their target group for training and credit prOVIsion was black Namlblans, urban and rural Like many other Namibian NGOs, they tend to be male-
I
, I
I
I I
I
•
I
I
dommated They do not have an umbrella organisation, but cooperate WIth each other and organisations In the other groups on particular programmes The Rossing Foundation, for example. IS like the CCN, participating In a UNICEF sponsored Integrated Area·based Programme In Tsandl In northern Namibia ROSSing IS also parbclpabng In a teacher-upgrading programme being run by the MiniStry of Education Old divIsions and enmities are eroding
The ROSSing Foundation has training centres In southern, central and northern Namibia Its main Orientation IS training In agricultural, craft and office skins, It runs teacher upgrading and an Engltsh language programme It also runs seamanship training at the small southern port of Ludentz Once exclusively supported by ROSSing Uramum Ltd I an RTZ Subsidiary. It now receives up to 75% of ItS funding from bilateral agencies, notably the Bntlsh Overseas Development Agency (ODA) ThiS IS an indication of the fact that donor agencies find effectJve administration, Implementation and accounting attractive despite CritiCism of thiS organisation's role before Independence
The Pnvate Sector Foundation speCifically alms to train and prOVide credit for development of Individual enterprise The IMLT prOVides baSIC to advanced administration and management courses The Department of Women's Affairs In the Office of the PreSident used IMLT to run courses for black women would-be entrepreneurs throughout Namibia
A slight exception Within thiS group IS the Namibian Agricultural Umon (NAU), which before Independence catered exclUSively for the needs of white commerCial farmers, and was the umbrella body for their district aSSOCiations Since Independence It has been challenged to deSign programmes taking communal farmers Into conSideration, and IS now deplOYing mobile training Units In communal areas Black farmers' aSSOCiations. many of them newly formed, are
affiliating to the NAU However open to Criticism this body IS
for Its pre-Independence role, It does have access to a broad range of technical and technological expertise
In short, the skills base In NalT'lbla IS so thm that both government and. more reluctantly t the liberation orientated NGO groupings are accepting that the country must deploy what resources It has for development. especially on grassroots level
To conclude not all NGOs tn Namibia belong to the groups defined above. but these categories, as recognised by most NGOs themselves, are a gUide to the range of attitudes and priorities which can be found In the NGO sector here, and which Will affect any attempt to mobilize It
Funding of NGOs
International donor support to local NGOs an the pre- Independence penod was never difficult to obtain, whether from church or other International donor agencies thiS was the era of solidarity. and accountability. In the hteral sense, was never demanded, with the exception of the 'fourth force' NGOs, which were largely corporate funded at thiS time Also representatives of donor agencies, with very few exceptions, could not VISit Namibia
At thiS time, the CCN dominated the nationalist NGO sector, and played a conSiderable role In supporting and articulating local opposItion to South Africa It also supported and ran a large number of community development and local adult and other education programmes Perhaps partly due to the pressures of Its opposltJon role) ItS Internal structures became Increasingly hierarchical and centralized Project accounting and decIsions were increasingly made within the CCN Both In the organisation and Its proJects, managenal skills development was neglected The CCN began to suffer
from bureaucratic bloat, Itself absorbmg increasing proportions of the funds It was supposed to be channelling to community level
When donor agencies began vIsIting or basing 1hemselves In Namibia In the course of 1989/90, their examination of the CCNts books and Its projects led to a widespread, though never publicly announced. conclusion that the CCN In Its present form was not an effective agent of development or channel of resources to the grassroots Funders faded away. and the CCN was forced Into extensive restructuring and retrenchments It, too. lost a number of Its most effective personnel to government
Donor agencies. based m Namibia or abroad, were also makmg the transition from solldanty support to development assistance Many of the International NGOs receive funds from their government development agencies - and many of these In the course of the 1980s were becoming more stringent In
their requirements Notably, the stress shifted from 'process' to 'product' It was not enough for projects or NGOs supported by such agencies to prove they were engagmg directly with the grassroots Income generating projects had to come up with a plan showmg when and how they would mdeed cover thetr costs and generate Income Three-to-five-year donor 'mvestment support periods' were becoming the norm Service.
education or training projects had to begm at least to cover their runmng costs
Some twenty-seven International NGOs are based In Namibia. m addition to 10 UN agencies and about the same number of bilateral Implementing agencies Most aid to Namibian NGOs IS channelled through those organisations With local representation here Privately, many of the International agencies' staffers speak of the 'weak NGO sector' They Ctte problems With Namibian NGOs' Implementing capacity, their ability to mobilise, but not administer, their ability - based on
their social legitimacy - to begin grassroots proJects, but not to follow through the process that would make caos and prOjects viable and selfasustalnlnQ
PrOjects that prove themselves viable and NGOs which deliver the development mobilisation which IS their aim have little problem In ralslOg funds, but aU are subjected to far more Intense scrutinY than In the past
ThiS, of course. IS taking place In the context of the great Increase In the number of Namibian NGOs and CBOs since Independence - which must Imply that the proportion of expenenced NGO personnel (even Without the brain drain Into government) has shrunk relatJve to newcomers to the sector Many Namibian NGOs resent thiS critical scrutmy and the Withdrawal of donors, even old solldanty partners, where accounting or reporting procedures are not met
From the pOint of view of Namibian NGOs, International agencies now based In Namibia are increasingly usurping their grassroots pr01ect Implementing role Agencies do often now fund CBOs or prOjects darect, rather than via a local NGO The Namibian community development NGOs feel that Instead of being treated as partners In development, they are bemg pushed to the background This IS In spite of the fact that at least the community development orientated NGOs do have social legitimacy and special knowledge - varying, admittedly.
from organisation to organisation and region to region
Where funding IS being WIthdrawn from them. Namibian NGOs feel their vulnerabilities at management level are being used as an excuse One local NGO director gives as an example hiS view that Namibian NGOs' requests for support In institution bUilding and locally administered revolVing credit faCIlities are bemg Ignored by funders In favour of Isolated, short-term project funding requests ThiS IS seen as a deliberate attempt to create and maintain dependency
Increasingly, Namibian NGOs feel, foreign NGOs and agencies are trying to dictate development agendas, or are operating according to agendas that are not communicated to Namibian NGOs ThiS indicates that there IS a real need for International agencies to be explicit about their alms and standards In order to achieve greater transparency about agendas
Thus In addition to the diVIsions between natlonaJ NGOs, there are rumblings, as yet seldom publicly articulated, about the relationship between national NGOs and donor agencies at aU levels. where many of the most influential national NGOs feel their autonomy IS being threatened
There are two examples of the strains engendered The first, In 1990. was an effort to set up a unIfied NGO forum, to Include foreign NGOs based In Namibia the Initiative was supported by the CCN, and opposed by the NDT, notwithstanding their Similar political Orientations It collapsed at the first meetmg
In the second example, tn 1991 the UNDP attempted through a foreign consultant to faCilitate the formation of a SIngle organisation of Namibian NGOs ThiS met With
conSiderable resistance. because of the histOrically formed and perceived diVIsions between different types of local NGOs There was also SUsp,cion that UNDP wanted to gUide.
coordmate or gam control of national NGOs' funding actiVities The attempt failed
III NEW ROLES FOR NGOS. ADVOCACY AND GOVERNMENT LINKAGE
1. Changing NGO Roles and Attitudes
With the election of a democratic government at Independence, Namibian NGOs have had to reassess their role The 'community development' group had In the past centred Its strategies on OPPOsition to the colonial government Indeed, so closely was thiS group hnked to In-country SWAPO pohtlcal structures, that setbng up new community-based organisations, even wrthln Its ambit, had been frowned on as potentially 'dividing the struggle' Women's VOice was an example of this conflict, as were the funous debates In the mld- 19808 about the formatIon of. among others. NANSO, and the community organ,sabon Bricks Crltlclzmg SWAPO, even by Implication. was unthinkable. and regarded as giving aid to the enemy
One consequence was outlined by a current Deputy MInister, former Robben Island pnsoner and an key trade union activist In the years before mdependence
"People have a dependency paralysIs In the old days [before Independencej,t was frowned on to act Independently, even If It was not specifically political Now many people want
to
keepon
waIting for leaders
to
decide, they can't deal WIth Independence and taking actionon
their own HEspecially In 1990/92. when the new government was
In the course of formu'atmg broad policy directions and restructuring Its central Institutions, trusted national NGOs were often called on. or saw themselves as duty-bound, to relay grassroots demands and expectations to government They began to act as brokers or condUits to regional or national
government for the local groups wrth which they were In contact
In this process, NGOs In the pro-SWAPO grouping, canvassing on local level for demands, expectations and complaints to report back to government .. often at the request of particular Ministries for Information - found local groups In some cases shocked at the nobon of complaining to or even lobbYing 'their' government
ThiS IS particularly true In northern Namibia, where about 60 per cent of the population lives, and where, as the main war zone. political polarization was particularly acute
Views expressed at a meeting convened by the NOT prOVide an example In 1991 the NDT, set up In 1989 as a condUit for the European Communltts VIctims of Apartheid fund. but led by experienced community actiVISts. organised a large meeting In the Ovambo region of northern Namibia to diSCUSS development priorities and programmes It was attended by NGOs and CBOs, regional government offiCials.
district counCils. and groups Including women and ex- combatants A number of those present were disturbed to hear questions raised as to whether the government was In fact meeting Its promises. and If not, how and whether to mobilise to bring pressure for government action One young man went so far as to say that such lobbYing would amount to 'treason'
Those Involved In NGOs who now see their role as Including CIVIC mobilisation no longer have continuous and close consultation With formal political parties The trade unions In the group federated under the National Umon of Namibian Workers (NUNW) In particular are haVing to redefine their role, which was expliCitly one of leadership In political mobilisation for mdependence Now they find themselves bemg ushered off the national political stage. and are moving
towards developing more conventional trade union structures, focusing on workplace Issues
NANSO, the scholar/student movement, IS also workmg on transforming Its role to one that serves Its constituency dlrectiy From mass demonstrabons challenging the colonial power. It IS now looking to bursary schemes, sex educa:bon, student counselling and such activIties
Thus the more populist and commumty development NGOs have come to see their role as including representation of their constituency groups, including the rural and urban poor
2. NGO's Linkages with Government
The Namibian government has not designated a specific ministry or department as a pOint of contact for NGOs Opinion on the part of government officials as welt as NGO cadres differs on this Some would favour a clearly designated Insbtutlon for Imtlal NGO dealings with government, or at least a mutually agreed code of conduct, that would ensure government-NGO consultation at project or espeoally local Jevel. to prevent duplication of effort It IS not unknown for NGOs or. Indeed. different government departments, Simultaneously to be planning action on a partlcutar Issue In a
given area
Others see the process, currently the commonest, whereby NGOs work to develop and malntam ongomg contacts with line MInistries Involved In particular programmes. as being the most pOSItive and fleXible approach They argue that contact and cooperation With Mmlstrles. according to the nature of the Issue or programme concerned, IS the most practical form of Interactlon, which also prevents the deveropment of restrictive red tape at the central government level This view holds that where NGO ... government links are not formalised, they perhaps work the better for It
At present, NGOs have easy access to government officials This IS the consensus of a number of local NGO leaders Levels of interaction between NGOs and CBOs on the one hand, and government on the othert Include participation In workshops or seminars These are regular events, and often consider Important policy and Implementation Issues
In addrbon. many NGOs have a range of personal contacts With offiCials up to Permanent Secretary and Minister levels Information IS exchanged, In particular about local conditions In outlYing districts, well as on NGO attltudes on various Issues
Further. some Mlmsters or Permanent Secretaries have been nominated as patrons of NGOs For example. the Mlmster of Trade and Industry IS a patron of the Namibia Credit Union League, and the Speaker of the National Assembly IS a patron of Bricks. a community orgamsatlon In Windhoek's township of Katutura
Among other Ministries WIth which local NGOs have contact and In some cases cooperate on programmes are
• The Ministry of Education especially Its teacher upgrading and adult education programmes, NGO and church-run private schools In some Instan ces receive Mlmstry support
• The Ministry of Health and Social Services especially where church or other NGO-run cliniCS and health programmes receive support. and between the CCN's SOCial SelVlces department, which prOVides counselling, and the Ministry's
SOCial workers
• The Department of Women's Affairs In the Office of the PreSident, which has used NGO
training programmes for women, and maintains contact with other women's organisations
• The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development, whose Department of Rural Development In particular has good contacts WIth NGOs, and whose DIvIsion of Cooperatives has extensively consulted NGOs on new legislation on Cooperatives
• The Ministry of Labour and Manpower Development has regular contact with the trade Unions, especially the NUNW The most Important interaction to date has been the NUNW Input mto the new Labour Code, which IS shortly to come IOta effect. but thiS Ministry, as well as the Prime MInister, has also Intervened to mediate labour disputes
• The Ministry of Local Government and Housing, which has received representations from NGOs on behalf of urban squatter groups which the Ministry planned to remove
• The Land and Development Bank IS changing Its rules to allow cheap finance to communal area farmers At least two local NGOs have had fru Itfu I contact WIth It
• The Ministry of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation has some cooperation with NGOs where groups have been resettled on new land, or has taken over resettlement projects started by NGOs which found themselves unable to cope with their scale The Directorate of Rehabilitation works closely With the National Organisation of Disabled People an Namibia
3. NGO/CBO Participation In the Design of Development Policies
Thus one of the great advantages of Namibian government at present IS the accessibility of Its officials NGO cadres are however divided when rt comes to the measunng the Impact of NGO mput on policy development Some see rt as stili lacking, while others claim the facts Indicate positive progress In this regard Some examples are given below
Trade Unions and the National Labour Code Those posItive about the NGO progress In policy formation often cite the Input by trade unions - particularly the NUNW grouping -In the draftang of the National Labour Code This came Into effect at the beginning of November 1992, and
IS Intended to provide a legal framework for relations between employers and employees The unions failed to get a minimum wage mto the Bill, but several of their other recommendations were Incorporated
The New Cooperatives Act
Similarly. the participation of NGOs 10 the draftmg of the envisaged new Cooperatives Act IS given as an example of positive consultation the DIvIsion of Cooperatives within the Ministry of Agriculture inVited NGO representatives of the NANGOF grouping as well as representatIves of the powerful wh Ite marketing cooperatives to a senes of consultative sessions The NANGOF NGOs were inVited because. of their support work with small black rural farmers' cooperative, and ultimately arranged a natlonaJ workshop with these small cooperatives, at which recommendations for the amendment of current cooperative legislation were put forward The draft bill has not yet been published. so the Impact of this mput IS not yet able to be seen
NANsa and the Education Code of Conduct The Namibian National Students' Organization worked together with the MInistry of Education In drawing up a Code of Conduct for schools This document, among other things, tnes to redefine the role of mechanisms such as Parent-Teacher comml'ttees and the perfect system In order to make them more participatory and hence less unpopular The document IS now Ministerial policy, while some schools In Namibia's notoriously authoritarian inherited school hierarchy have Implemented the code, others show localized resistance
The Land Reform Conference
Frustrated cadres cite the Land Reform Conference of June 1991 as an example of 'posItive NGO Input with httle Impact' TIlls conference, based on nationwide representabon aimed to set a popularly acceptable framework for land reform
In Namibia
A number of national NGOs organised district-level workshops In communal areas to ehclt black farmers' views on directions of land reform. and produced position papers for Input to the land Conference Communal areas In'loday's Namibia were the colomal apartheid tribal homelands which were the only areas In which black Namlblans had access to land dunng most of the colonial penod They are consequently overcrowded, while some of the 4000 mainly white owned commerCial farms are seen as potential targets for redlstnbutlon to the previously dispossessed black maJonty
The conference saw views aired by a wide range of Namibian Interest groups, black and white, and produced a set of recommendations for further investigation by the national government Indeed, the Consensus document produced by the Conference speCified In Article 24 that NGOs and Cooperatives can play an Important developmental role In rural
areas. and recommended that their work In cooperatives and agncultural development be recognised, encouraged and promoted, further, that the government should assist all NGOs and cooperatives active In the field of development
A Technical Committee was apPointed to Investigate the Implementation of those parts of the Conference's recommendations applicable to commerCial farmland Thus far there has been no draft legislation and no report to the National Assembly Completion of the Technical Committee's work has been subject to long delay, although Its findmgs are expected to be presented to Cabinet shortly Land hunger IS a burning Issue In Namibia, and followmg the expectations raised by this unprecedented process of nationwide consultation before and dUring the conference, there IS Widespread dissatisfaction at the apparent lack of progress
The Squatter Issue
Namibia IS undergOing IntenSive urbanization, which IS hardly surpnslng given the breakdown of many traditional agricultural systems, exacerbated by the current region-Wide drought
The Ministry of Local Government and HOUSing endorsed the bulldozing of squatter shacks In an area of Katutura, Windhoek's black township NGO groups led protests agaInst this action, and some, notably a Windhoek-based hOUSing cooperatIve, are asslstlng hOUSing development In slte- and-service areas made available by government
4. NGO/CBO Participation in the Implementation of Development Policies
The question of Implementation of poliCies to whose formation NGOs have contributed IS a more vexed one Though poliCies may be adopted, there IS a conSiderable time
lag between adoption and Implementabon, In explanation of which several reasons are advanced
Some government officials explain delays as caused by the 'disloyal second ber cIvil service crops' left over from the prevIous dispensation It IS true that In some areas there has been obstruction on the part of bureaucrats opposed to the present ruling party
Also the machinery of the cIvil service IS under reconstruction, and 10 some cases Implementation capacity on local level IS not yet In place Where scarce skilled personnel are concerned - agricultural extension officers are an example -
they will often opt for service I n the capital or central region rather than In the most needy perlphenes Also the duphcatlon or overlapPing between funcnons of several Ministries In some cases can lead to deadlock
Finally I the government faces financial constraints While committed to broadening the base of SOCial service dehvery and attempting to be responsive to the powerful sense of entitlement of the dispossessed maJority. there IS a limit to the budget deficits the Namibian government can run Without failing IOto the structural adjustment trap On the POSitIve side,
thiS might Induce government to Increase Its partnership With NGOs for policy Implementation on the local level over the next 5-10 years
To summarize while the Namibian government IS an outstandingly approachable one, particularly by Interest groups representmg the dispossessed. proposals accepted In prinCiple do not readily get to the stage of Implementation However, the question whether NGOs possess the ability to analyse public policies In order to offer alternatives demands a POSitive answer The examples give above Indicate the NGOs In
Namibia have little trouble In formulating POSitions on public policy, sometimes In cooperation With one another, and
sometimes an partnership with government departments Further, their mputs on policy Issues are often preceded by canvassing among the polley target group or constituency
5. Linkages and Alliances Amongst NGOs The Issues that used to divide natIonal NGOs have changed and Increasingly tend to facIlitate their networking among one another Some observers. notably foreign NGOs or agencies, are disturbed by the fact that NGOs currentty have two umbrella structures, with many operating outside both of these As indicated above. the formation of a single umbrella body IS not probable at thiS stage, due to Ideological and histOrical diVISions
But there are Informal contacts between organisations
In both groups, and others that are members of neither The situation IS not one of Implacable hostlhty, but of a reluctance at thiS stage to conSider formal organisational links where past expenence IS seen to have been diVIsive thiS Situation also has a pOSItive Side It prOVides fertile ground for debate, experimentation and creative thinking on development Oriented linkages across the boundaries of the two umbrella bodies and with 'fourth force' NGOs Several NANGOF member organlsatJons (notably NOT, NCCA. NANSa and the National Job Creation Service) recently met With the ROSSing Foundation, the I ML T and the Nyae Foundation (an area based NGO supporting a range of programmes m the former 'Bushmanland') to produce an NGO Memorandum on Drought (March 1992)
The document contained their recommendabons on drought rehef aetton, Just as the government was undertaking thiS programme It recommended a balance between cash and food ald. so as not to weaken local producers' markets It also recommended Incentives to local food processors such as mlliers to Import the raw gram themselves, to preserve local
Jobs~ rather than floodmg rural areas with pre-processed Imported food It also recommended preparation for the post- drought sltuatlonr such as ensunng that seeds would be available
The Memorandum was submitted to the Pnme MInister An official letter of response Said that NGOs concerns were respected. otherwise the recommendatJons do not appear to have affected drought relief programmes
An Instance of failure to form a national-level alliance IS
the longstanding struggle of the Federation of Namibian Women to conclude air national level women's groups as affiliates After more than a year of meetings, one of the political parties' women's aSSOCiations could not bnng themselves to accept the system of representatJon proposed, and backed out Nonetheless, In addition to the Department of women's Affairs within the government, natlonal women's NGOs are In increasingly vocal grouping With effective Informal links Most of those which are not affiliated to polrtJcal parbes) however, are geared to canvassing for legal and polrtlcal reform or provldmg counselling and rape crises services rather than undertakmg local development projects The exception here IS
the Young Women's Chnstlan ASSOCiation f(WCA)
IV NGO's NEEDS, PROBLEMS AND LIMITATIONS 1. General
The community development NGOs are, as stated earher, now called upon to change 1rom resistance to development agency roles They are now facing the challenge of aSSisting previously undemocratic, hierarchical, male dominated projects to take on their own development themselves Further, the Increasing stress on project viability and sustalnabllrty places demands to develop and trans1er planning, managerial. admJnlstratJve and marketing Skills, to name a few
The follOWing sections summarize a range of problems Identified by local NGO leaders
2. The Brain Drain and Leadership
Many 01 the skilled and expenenced leadership figures of the NGO sector have moved Into the civil service since Independence, due to better salary and fnnge benefit options within the Government This weakens NGO Implementatlonal capacity and performance, and frequently means that the remaining leadership IS heavily overworked
As a consequence, almost all NGO leadershlp structures are heavily centralized despite populist or democratic approaches to development. In part because the drain of skilled personnel mto government has narrowed their skills base
Given their constant need for consultation Wlth cOmmUnities, other NGOs and with government, NGO cadres find themselves are running from meeting to meeting, or seminar to seminar One NGO director says
''Almost everybody, national government as well as NGOs, are In the process of formulating strategies In a setup where 8xpenence seems to be the most scarce resource The few expenenced NGO leaders are therefore under heavy pressure from all sides II
3. Follow-through and Implementation
There IS a lack of follow up by NGOs In support of projects they were Instrumental In starting In general, Namibian NGOs are skilled at activating and popular mobilisation, while programme design, management and Implementation capacity are more rare An additional factor to bear In mind here IS that while NGOs may diSCUSS such Issues among themselves, several of them expenence outsiders' ralsmg such Issues as unwarranted Interference
4. Budgeting and Accounting
The Inability to provide clear budget outlines and proJectrons IS sometimes cited as an NGO problem Some NGOs, however! respond that the fundmg procedures of donor agencies are needlessly elaborate Lack of vIsibly effective accounting systems seems to be a general problem The 'Fourth force' NGOs, however, are however effective In thiS regard
5. Technical Capacity Versus Grassroots Credibility
Thus the 'community development' NGOs complain that these vIsibly more 'efficient' fourth force NGOs, which can often afford to employ staff With formal academiC quallficabons, are Increasingly selected as Implementmg agencies Within marglnaltsed communities by government, foreign NGOs and multilateral agencies for these reasons Though effective technical and administrative capabilities may be attractive to
outsiders. the community development NGO groups argue that they have more effective ongoing local contacts and networks, plus approaches which favour genuine structural change The Issue here IS partnership and community development approaches, they stress, not competition for fundmg
6. Inter-NGOs Coordination
The DIvISions referred to above, as well as the heavy pressures on leadership figures often result In a lack of coordinated efforts by the NGOs The umbrella structures referred to above stili operate most effectively at a level of Informal contact Stronger formallnter-NGO structures are stili evolVing. and should not be burdened With expectations that they are not yet ready to fulfil
V THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF NGOS IN NAMIBIAN DEVELOPMENT
Having discussed weaknesses and divIsions as well as achievements. Namlblan NGOs are eager to stress that they are potentially able to playa key role In national development policy design and/or Implementation A key pOint to bear In
mrnd IS that thiS IS a sector In transition Inevitably. In the next 5-10 years, some NGOs will decline, split or die Those which are able to solve thelf organisational problems can and Will thnve In a democratic environment which encourages self-help Imbatlves and open policy debate
The very formation of the NGO umbrella bodies, they argue, IS an example of their looking beyond narrow orgamsatJon·bound needs to the potential of the sector Additional pOints stressed by the 'communlty development/NANGOF grouping
• Of all institutions In Namibian society. NGOs are best equipped to mobilise the commUnities for participatory community development because of their close contact With the grassroots
• In general. the administrative machinery of this NGO grouping IS small This allows for effective Implementation of projects and devolution of control to local level, without wastage of resources on large bureaucracies
• Funding IS relattvely easily available to them because of Inter-national donors' negative views concerning over-large African CIvil Services This IS seen as consuming resources at central government level. Instead of bemg directed at grassroots development
• The Namibian government needs some bme to sort out local administrative and service delivery mechanisms - but postponement of addreSSing perceived needs at grassroots level could have dIsastrous poll1lcal and other effects This IS where NGOs' contnbutlon , potentially In partnership With government, could be exemplary
• NGOs and CBOs are definitely the agencies through which effectJve programme delivery IS to be achieved, they feel Training IS needed as a means of strengthening NGO/CBO capacity The weaknesses listed above can be addressed through training on prosect deSign techniques, development programme monitoring, and effective participatory techniques of participatory programme administration
• Finally, foreign agencies and International NGOs should not 'explOit the weaknesses' of local NGOs but rather support their strengthening against the day when foreign agencies cut budgets or Withdraw
VI SCOPE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVITIES BY NGOS The m~onty of NGOs active In environmental and conservation Issues both before and after Independence (See Appendix 2 EnvIronment organisations) have been founded by middle-class whites and have concentrated on policies of Wilderness preservation
The Integrated approach to environmental management, taking Into account the commumtles which actually use and rely on environmental resources. has been Introduced Into Namibia relatively recently
Things are. however. about to change on the environmental orgamsatlon front This IS qUite clear from activities that are being supported by funders such as OXFAM UKI and local NGOs such as NCCA and NOT A National Environmental Conference was held In August 1992 In Rehoboth More than one hundred delegates from rural areas from all over Namibia gathered and expressed concern about their environmental degradation
Communal area representatives. including a number of traditional leaders, who aJlocate land for use, were challenged by facts mdlcatlng that their management of natural resources such as woodlands and livestock rangelands IS operatmg on a short term, unsustcunable basiS visitors from Zimbabwe and Kenya were drawn In Those attending shared In highlighting the Interdependence of development and environment
It must be stressed that thiS IS a first step. and has perhaps laid the foundation for future debate, awareness raising, environmental education and, potentially, the launching of Integrated, holistiC developmental programmes An Inter- NGO task force was apPointed to research and take the Issues raised at the workshop further
Positive feedback, for example, IS expected from the Nyae Farmers· Cooperative Based In the Bushmanland communal area. with the support of the Ministry of Wlldhfe and Tourism, thiS organisation IS working to negotiate a system whereby the local population shares In the profits and employment generated by the trophy hunting concessions licensed by government to operate In the area The hope IS
that a sense of responsibility for sustainable use of wildlife on the part of all groups concerned will evolve
2
3
...
5
8
NOTES
See for example Tim Broadhead NGOs In One Year and Out the Other? In Anne Gordon Drabek, ed Development Alternatives The Challenge for NGOs, World Development. Vol 15 Autumn 1987 This asks whether the NGO-centred development strategy IS more than a passing fashion So far, 11: seems to be endunng Anne Gordon Drabek NGOs Do We Expect Too Much? Progress, Spnng/Summer 1992
See Appendix 2. Section on Local Organisations and Co-ops, which also Indicates -In some but not aJl cases - where these have links to national NGOs
UNDP Base Studies on Financial Economic and Social Aspects for the Independence of Namibia Namibian Non-Governmental Organisations and the.r role after Independence, UNDP 1989
The Namibia Foundation NGO Directory for Namibia, Sponsored by USAID
ThiS was oneof the cnbCisms directed against the CCN.
With results that we shall see below
