The role of non-governmental organizations in community development - a case study of Keta and Akatsi Districts in the Volta Region

In Ghana today, there are notable non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and institutions involved in the development, particularly in the rural areas. These include UNICEF, UNESCO, UNDP, and FAO, all agencies of United Nations, World Vision International and Adventist Development and Relief Agency. Most of the activities include food-for-work technical advice, supply of needed materials to rural communities and financial assistance. Other NGOs are involved in health facilities, helping the rural communities to improve upon their water supplies, improvement of health services through the construction of health centres as well as construction of decent places of convenience. Some groups are also engaged in the improvement of social services such as school building, day care centre, community centres and so on. However, NGO-assistance is extended to communities who initiate their own development projects and are ready to contribute in terms of labour and finance. But some communities have not been able to play the role expected of them to attract assistance from NGOs. One cannot fail to mention that in some communities much impact has not been made. Some communities do not regard some projects as their own and once the projects are compleeted, maintenance becomes a problem. This to a large extent depends on a host of factors including strategies adopted by non-governmental organisation, level of community initiative of recipient communities, level of co-ordination among various organisations and evaluation and monitoring techniques.. In the light of the above, one would like to know the strategies being adopted by the NGOs and whether their strategies been conducive to recipient communities. What has been the general attitude of recipient communities towards assistance from non-governmental organizations? The research therefore, sought to study WVI and UNICEF activities in three communities; Gefia in Akatsi District and Asadame and Atiavi in Keta District (FIGURE 3). What then have been the roles of these two NGOs with regard to the effects their activities have on the three project communities? Data was collected through self-administered questionnaire distributed to WVI and UNICEF, and the Chiefs, CDRs and. Assemblymen in the three target communities. A sample size of 150 respondents out of the population of 1376 for Gefia, 180 of 1410 for Asadame and 300 out of 7441 for Atiavi (1990 population projected) were selected. The respondents were then interviewed using simple random technique. The study revealed that at Gefia, the drilling of a borehole has had the greatest impact on the health status of the people; at Asadame, the impact of the Weanimix milling machine was greatest on the awareness the project created among nursing mothers about proper diet intake of their children hitherto not known in the community. Finally, the greatest impact of the KVIP place of convenience at Atiavi was on the physical environment; a solution to the hitherto indiscriminate defaecation in the town. The study also found out that community initiative in the three communities was very high hence the assistance from the NGO in their development programmes. However, some community members, as found out in the study, had not been able to contribute financially towards development projects because an income among the people was generally low. Also assistance from NGOs was mainly in the provision of social services and this did not directly display people’s own effort to generate income and enhance the quality of life. It is therefore, recommended that to strengthen the communities capacity or ability to maintain and sustain community initiative spirit, NGOs should as a matter of priority include income generating activities such as local soap making, piggery and. credit facilities to raise income levels as part of assistance given to the communities. Much attention should also be paid to the mobilization of women so that they can take active part in the community development decision making process. It is concluded that, the role of WVI and UNICEF in assisting the three project communities is enormous and substantial and there is the need to encourage and sustain this phenomenon.

Source: KNUST