WHY DO GRASSROOTS MATTER?

 

WHY DO GRASSROOTS MATTER?

 

By Sachin S Solanki

 

In today’s world where development still remains to percolate down to the lowest of the low sections, no country can truly deliver on its promises without a stable and empowered civil society. Therefore, asustainable network of bodies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is a sine qua nonfor plugging the gaps in the service delivery to the last mile. However, it cannot be undermined that NGOs unlike a ‘for-profit’ institution lack sufficient resources and revenue to fund their services. The issue becomes accentuated when we look at the sections of civil society that work directly at the grassroots level.

 

GRASSROOTS MATTER

 

Grassroots NGOs are located at the critical intersection of a range of institutions that mark our society such as race, caste, religion, community, family and gender to name a few. By their proximity to these institutions at the ground level, they are better aware of the nitty-gritty of local functioning that is often overlooked and underminedby the more centralised and unreachable parts of civil society.A large well-funded NGO undoubtedlyhas a better efficiencyand logistical capacity to deliver on a range of commitments, but it is also found that owing to their very centralised and strait-jacket nature, accessibility and reachability to the final mile is often piecemeal. Per contra, NGOs and civil society organisations working on a localised level amongst people are more effective in organising local participation and promising better outcomes.

 

Furthermore, it has been observed that the motives of civil society are better translated into real outcomes if local communities are involved in the process. Be it through teaching, distribution of sanitary pads or raising funds for a local calamity, grassroots NGOs because of their close-knit size are a perfect platform for people to become the change they wish to see. Grassroots civil society also plays a vital role in accomplishing better standards of living, enhanced skills, and empowerment of youth, women and minorities.

 

Last but not least, localised NGOs are also significant because of their democratic ability to encourage effective communication around key issues, where all viewpoints are heard and deliberated upon. This is in stark contrast to the more centralised and non-localised bodies where, more often than not, a dominant viewpoint with more muscle and money power gets more credit and representation in the decision-making processes.

 

A TALE OF BROKEN FUNDING

 

For civil society, means to access funding are grossly limited. Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR funding forms one of the few channels and hence becomes a major portion of funding for civil society. Other options are localised fundraising and receiving resources through charityor donations. However, over time it has been noticed that CSR funding is often skewed and marred by a range of different biases. Be it the regional bias where funding is targeted to a selectgeography or region, or the bias in favour of a certain sector.

 

A recent study by Ashoka University brings to notice that more than 50% of CSR companies are concentrated in prosperous states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, while states such as Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh receive little. Another issue at play here is the pronounced lack of diversity in terms of sectors receiving funding. A study by Economic Times points to an asymmetrical situation where funding towards certain sectors like education and pollution outweighs other areas like menstruation, gender-based violence and internet disparity. This skewed spending becomes a major obstacle for sections of civil society that are dedicated to a single issue or cause.

 

It is also true that in recent times, big corporates have come up with their own ‘personalized’ civil society and NGOs, thereby diverting their funds to their own bodies. This in turn fuels a self-sustaining and self-serving cycle that excluded grassroots and localised bodies. Another important and undeniable role is played by the citizen themselves, after all a civil society without a society to back it up becomes dysfunctional. It has been found that charity and donations offered by people are either grossly inadequate or often remain largely skewed in favour of someone or something.

 

Gaurav Kashyap, Managing Director at HEEALS, a grassroots Non-Profit/NGO based in Gurgaon shared his experience of the struggle that NGOs and civil society bodies like HEEALS face while accessing funding. “Despite working for 12 years at the grassroots level working in diverse fields such as Health,Education, Environment,Water, Sanitation, Menstrual hygiene,Gender Equality Projects, the CSR funding has never really come through”, he adds. This not only underlines the strain and disadvantages that localised non-profit bodies undergo in search of funds but also seriously undermines the confidence of today’s youth in the efficacy of civil society. Furthermore, it gives rise to poor incentives and massive roadblocks for NGOs and other localised bodies like HEEALS in their objective of going the extra mile in public service delivery.

 

WAY FORWARD

 

So far we have seen that localised NGOs lack the wherewithal to infuse their processes with capital and efficiency. Lack of funding dents their resource mobilization ability and eventually unleashesa perpetuating cycle of inability and deficiency. But, there is a way out of this.

 

Firstly, we have to understand that a robust and self-reliant civil society is not a threat to the security and stability of society but a supporter of it. They play a critical role in bridging the gaps between the Government and the people. A strengthened civil society helps nurture deep linkages between the process of policy-making and the people who have a stake in the making of the policy. So, in a way, it is true that an empowered civil society ensures an empowered citizenry and hence we must do all that it takes to infuse power in the hands of the civil society.

 

Second, civil society too has to come up with fresh, creative and innovative ways to engage with diverse sections of the society and ensuring that they do not become echo chambers of a single ideology or political persuasion. Attempts must be made to stay relevant and close to the issues they seek to redress. For this, a continuous and constructive engagement with all stakeholders is necessary.

 

To conclude, an empowered civil society guarantees the realization of Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of trusteeship, interdependence and bonding between the rich and the underprivileged, where society becomes a complete whole of many connected parts. What is needed is an ecosystem where Government, Non-Government Organisations and the Corporate Sector can come together and join hands in ensuring effective and inclusive service delivery.

 

***

 

About-

 

Sachin S Solanki is a volunteer at HEEALS NGO, Gurgaon, India.