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.
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