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VOLUME 4 NO.1 debate
REFLECTING ON ORGANISATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT
FEBRUARY 1997
Does T h e S h a d o w lurk
The Shadow
in your organisation?
WARNING SIGNS: if you recognise any of these symptoms, turn to page 3.
Also in this issue: q Donors: should their concern go beyond giving money? – page 5
q The view from outside: A critical look at South African
development approaches – page 8
q Under the spotlight: Olive’s annual review – page 10
q ODelia on NGOs and the new LRA – page 14
q Civil society in Cambodia – page 16
editorial
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O R G A N I S AT I O N
DEVELOPMENT service • the environment in which the organisation works.
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• theory, which is an integral part to understanding
Editorial the environment as well as the organisations in
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closer look at development, organisational and
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• the organisation and various aspects of
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the people, the purpose and the issues of power,
February 97 OD debate Page Two
shadows
What does OD practice
have to do with shadows?
An OD Event hosted by the Community Development Resource Association (CDRA) in November 1996
addressed the theme: Shadows - exploring the boundaries of our practice. The workshop was facilitated
by Mario van Boeschoten, an English consultant with some 30 years’ experience. STEPHEN HEYNS,
a freelance writer, editor and researcher, asked him about the relevance of the ‘shadow’ for OD practice.
What is the shadow? with huge insecurities find the greatest guidance
from working with their core values. These arise
When we relate the shadow to the self, it is that from working with light and shadow. The
part of ourselves that is unseen. It is living in shadow lies between light and dark, it is the
us, but is not penetrated by consciousness. It colour in the situation.
influences our orientation, our behaviour
and how we feel about ourselves. Carl Jung, What do you mean by “working
whose strong personal experience of the
shadow is described in his biography, did
with light and shadow”?
not just put an emphasis on the darkness of An example of this is when people become
the shadow, on the bad things, the things we aware that destructive power battles are
are frightened of, things we feel guilty about, being played out in an organisation and they
things about which we feel shame. This is one resist rattling the skeletons in the cupboard
part. But there is more: our dreams live in the because it makes them feel frightened and
shadow. They are a rich source for telling us uncomfortable. Power struggles can be about
what is really going on. fundamental values that have not been faced -
this is the dark side. The light side has to do with
What is the relevance for OD the fact that people do engage in battles
Mario van Boeschoten
practitioners? over fundamental values. Recognising this
can become a great source of making
As was said at the OD Event, the shadow is not the these values emerge. The shadow is what you as a
problem – ignoring or not working with the shadow is the consultant can see the organisation is not facing up to. This
problem. If we don’t work with it we are missing the may need real confronting, backed up by love. Your
opportunity to get in touch with ourselves and our feelings. approach here is crucial. Make sure you do not get mixed
As OD practitioners our main tool is ourselves. We have to up in what is going on. Remain aware that the people are
take our own development seriously, continuously working real behind the mask of the shadow that grew in the
with it and being in touch with ourselves so that unseen organisational situation.
things do not interfere with our ability to see things as they
really are. The better the relationship we establish with our How do you know if you are getting mixed up
own shadow, the less likely we are to project parts of
ourselves onto the organisations we work with. It is for this
in what is going on in an organisation?
reason that therapists are obliged to go into therapy If you are aware that something is going on but you can’t
themselves. The need to work on our own development quite put your finger on it, ask yourself to what extent
must be our top priority. this is you and how much of it is them. When you do a
diagnosis and all you see is what is “out there”, you are
Is the shadow a tool which can be used in either ignoring your own limitations or are entering into
practice? territory where you have particular hang ups. If your
client is violating things which are dear to you, check
Work with the shadow is not a tool, it is an approach to whether your own shadow may be distorting the picture
life. It is also not just about self-knowledge. Organisations you see for your own comfort. Any consultant should
and groups of people also have their own shadow, their have a regular speaking partner, as a mentor or as a
secret life, the part that is not talked about but which colleague, to discuss doubts, worries, stitches which may
nevertheless plays a big part in the organisation’s health. have been dropped and any uncomfortable feelings about
Greater self-knowledge increases the area of creative things to really get to the bottom of things.
freedom available to us. The more the “baggage” we carry
has been penetrated by consciousness, the less of a What are signs of the shadow in an
negative effect it has on us. The shadow is also a treasure organisation?
box - our strongest imagination and deepest source of
inspiration lives there. It is the same with organisations. Some of the signs are:
When they look away from their secret lives they miss • a strong denial of certain problems
working with that part of them that develops new faculties • people not talking to each other
and capacities. The central principle is that there is always • people being very happy at work while the
a light behind the shadow - there are ideals and sources of organisation is going down the plughole
inspiration behind even the biggest organisational shadow • people carrying on with what they are doing although
when you really work with what is there. Organisations they have lost sight of why they are doing it
February 97 OD debate Page Three
shadows
• a short-term approach to things consultants have with coping with any
• organisational issues which are talked form of rejection - something we all have
about informally but are not dealt with to face. If you have not learnt why you are
through formal channels. so vulnerable to this hurt, this really is a
shadow; and as long as you do not
Which skills are required to work understand it there is nothing you can do
with the organisational shadow? about it. Consultants must be careful not
to allow the intimate discussions they have
Objective observation is one. A consultant exercises in their work lead to other, inappropriate
Characterisation is another - not just
looking at the picture, but identifying the a lot of secret power intimacies. Consultants also like to deny
the existence of any competitiveness when
striking features of the situation. This is and is very influential. they are working with others, but this is an
not the same as analysing, which is
looking at the bits and adding them up, it Ask yourself what need
illusion. As is the case with any helping
profession, consultants must acknowledge
looks at how the bits fit and the nature of in you this serves so they are satisfying personal needs when
the totality. Once you have done the
characterisation, take it back to your that you have no helping and assisting a client. You must be
aware of your own needs for engaging with
speaking partner or to your client. Their illusions about what a client. A consultant exercises a lot of
feedback can help you pick up your biases
and what you may be avoiding.
you are doing or why. secret power and is very influential. Ask
yourself what need in you this serves so
Characterisation should have the
that you have no illusions about what you
character of a loving mirror, not a cold one.
are doing or why.
It should be truthful, without denial, but with the
intention of showing real interest and sensitivity. It
should never, ever be flattering. Any consultant who
Further reading
flatters a client has no integrity. Zweig, Connie and Abrams, Jeremiah (editors). 1995.
Meeting the shadow: the hidden power of the dark side of
What are the shadows of consultancy? human nature. New York: Putnam (65 essays written by
Consultants are a bit like actors, they can be very Robert Bly, Edward Whitmont, Marie-Louise von Franz, Adolf
narcissistic. When they talk to each other they like to Guggenbuhl-Craig, George Fuerstein, Carl Jung, Scott Peck,
blame their failures on their clients. The idea that Sam Keene, Nathaniel Brandon and others)
consultants have of themselves as “bearers of the light” For a good introduction to the concept:
who “transform society” carries with it the implicit idea Johnson, Robert. 1993. Owning your own shadow: under-
that others are living in greater darkness. Along with standing the dark side of the psyche. San Francisco: Harper
being bearers of light comes the great difficulty that
ngo legislation
New legislation for the
not-for-profit sector
The process for the drafting of legislation regarding the not-for-profit sector, under the leadership of the Department
of Welfare, is currently underway. Here the DEPARTMENT OF WELFARE provides a brief update.
he process will be consultative, aiming at presenting further discussion will be discussed by means of focus
T draft legislation to Parliament by the middle of June group discussions.
1997. The extensive debates and work done by the sector Approximately 20 000 to 50 000 organisations will be
over more than three years will be taken into account as affected by this legislation and it will aim at minimum
work proceeds. government control, but with the necessary checks and
A Technical Reference Team (TRT) has been balances in place to ensure accountability.
appointed. The names of its members were made public The policy will strive towards creating an enabling
at a Press Conference held by the Minister of Welfare, environment within which the sector can function
Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi on 15 January 1997. It must be through legislation which is user-friendly and in line with
stressed that these members do not represent the new Constitution.
constituencies, but were chosen for their expertise and Inputs are welcome and may be forwarded to:
skills regarding the issues. Directorate Non-Governmental Organisations
The task of the TRT will be mainly to consider burning Department of Welfare
issues, e.g. whether registration is necessary, minimum P/Bag X901, Pretoria 0001
requirements for registration, accountability, tax and Tel: 012 3220826
other benefits, sanctions, self-regulation. Issues that need Fax: 012 3203854
February 97 OD debate Page Four
funding
Adding Value:
What role for Northern NGOs? 1
JAMES TAYLOR from CDRA2 recently spent time with
INTRAC (International NGO Training and Research Centre), based in the UK.
During this time he was engaged in trying to understand more about the realities of the European donor NGO.
was surprised to find that the general and more value) to the transfer of money from
I sometimes strong sense of insecurity
common amongst Southern NGOS
(related to an inability to clearly and
the North to the South and which no
government could achieve?” Donors
seem to be asking what else they can
succinctly measure and prove their do other than funding.
‘value added’ to others), was also All too often I heard members of
evident amongst their Northern donor organisations saying,
counterparts. It interests me with great feeling, that “we
greatly that Northern NGOs, don’t just want to be funders,
like NGOs in the South, are or conduits of money”. I did
feeling the pressure to prove not understand them to be
that they are ‘adding value’. saying that they felt they
Northern NGOs (NNGOs) were already disbursing
seemed to feel threatened funds as professionally and
by the European govern- developmentally as
ments’ demands (indepen- possible and now needed to
dently and collectively) to diversify into other
know what value, as supplementary services.
intermediary donor NGOs, Their response and the
they were adding to the emotion behind it reminded
funding process. Why should me more of a common, and
the bi-laterals not bypass them understandable, NGO sector
and instead engage directly in aversion to anything that is too
funding relationships with closely related to capitalism.
recipients in the South? Such Their ultimate fear is to be seen
pressure is being brought to bear as the bankers of the development
for a number of reasons to do with sector, the implication being that it
the politics and history of different is not through the transfer of money
regions and the changing roles that development really takes
Although it can be likened to the “lifeblood” of an
of donors, NGOs and place, but through other
organisation, funding alone cannot sustain it - it is a
development aid. However, “capacity building” processes.
what specifically interests me question of how the money is given. This undervaluing of the role
is the NGOs’ response to it. of appropriately and
“You’re absolutely right, we are not adding sufficient developmentally disbursed funds in the development
value, we need to look for and engage in additional process - by the very agencies whose primary role it is -
activities which add more value…” This characterises very undermines the very existence of NNGOs involved in
crudely a common NNGO response. The question that funding.
underlies much of the search for “adding more value” is To disburse funds developmentally attention must be
articulated as “how do we contribute towards building the focused on how (and how much) money is given and also a
capacity of our partner organisations?” The answer to the concern for the capacity of the recipient organisation. If
question incorporates a wide array of responses from in- donor NGOs do not understand and appreciate this
depth explorations of the meaning and concept of relationship, it is correct that they should feel threatened.
partnership, to the provision of training courses and From the work of the CDRA over the years we have seen the
consultancy services by donor agencies. What I found dramatic positive impact that committed developmental
alarming is that all the good and critical thinking that has donors can have, and the opposite effect of those who see
resulted from the perceived threat seems to be leading themselves simply as conduits of funds. What hope is there
away from the core purpose of donor organisations - which if donors don’t sufficiently appreciate the vital role that
I understand to be funding. No one seems to be asking funding plays in the development of recipient organisations.
“what is it in the way we fund that adds value (or could add I have often likened funding to the “life blood” of an
1
This article was first published in on trac (the newsletter of INTRAC) No. 5 in October 1996.
2
CDRA (Community Development Resource Association) is a Cape Town-based OD organisation. This month (February 1997) CDRA is running
a course “Capacity Building through Donor Practice” for donor leadership and field officers operating in Southern Africa.
February 97 OD debate Page Five
funding
organisation. Alone it cannot sustain the life of an directly to the development and capacity of organisations.
organisation, but without it survival is not possible. The ability to accurately diagnose funding needs
Healthy organisations depend on the effective and developmentally, and the ability and flexibility to respond
efficient functioning of many “organs”, but too much or to them appropriately is not easily come by, and not often
too little blood in the system is life threatening, as is blood encountered. It demands both an understanding of how
of the wrong “type”. organisations develop, which requires study and
Whilst there is clearly a need for many different experience, diagnosis skills and an ability to build trusting
services in order to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness relationships. Even if the diagnostic ability exists, the
of recipient NGOs, it is funding that has the ability to policies and procedures of funders and those who fund
destroy recipient organisations with such ease, or provide them often make differentiation of the way in which funds
the basis from which they grow and develop. Donors are disbursed almost impossible. Unless donors take
should first ensure that their core activity of funding seriously their ability to fund developmentally, and
builds capacity, before they diversify and move into other develop confidence in its value, they will always remain
activities. vulnerable and insecure of their specific role. Government
In order to achieve this there are two fundamental agencies might have a chance of becoming reasonable
abilities that donors need to have incorporated as part of conduits of funds, but are fundamentally unsuited to
their essential practice. The first is the knowledge and being able to provide differentiated and developmental
ability to understand the phases of organisational funding.
development, to diagnose the particular needs that For me it is clear; donors can best impact on the
organisations have at any point in their development, and capacity of their recipient organisations not through being
how those needs change over time. The second is the ability all things to all recipients but by taking seriously their
of donors to differentiate their funding response in order to core responsibility of providing funds developmentally.
meet the specific developmental needs of their recipients as There is no other means I can imagine by which they can
they evolve and change. In this way they will be contributing contribute more to the building of capacity.
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February 97 OD debate Page Six
draft document
The South African National NGO Coalition presented a draft document
for discussion in its newsletter NGO Matters. It will be discussed
at the Coalition’s Assembly from 16-18 April 1997. These are some excerpts:
Covenant on South African
Development
“...[The Coalition recognises] that development 5. South African NGOs have the right to
is a comprehensive economic, social, cultural assert immunity and neutrality from
and political process, which aims at the operations and encounters of warring
attainment of a better quality of life for the factions.
people and the protection and conservation of
6. South African NGOs have the right to
the environment that is based on the active,
unhampered operations in delivering
free and meaningful participation of the people
relief goods and services to communities
in development and on the fair distribution of
affected by natural disasters [and those
the benefits resulting from there...
caused by humans] including armed
“We, South African Non-governmental conflict situations.
Organisations (NGOs) therefore, proclaim this
7. South African NGOs have the right to
covenant on South African Development to
free and unhampered access to
unite us in a common effort to promote, protect
information.
and assert the right to development of the
people. We do so fully aware of the compelling
need for the South African government to We, the undersigned South African
guarantee the free and unobstructed exercise NGOs, bind ourselves to the following
by NGOs of their right to undertake responsibilities and obligations
development work...”
1. Protect and enhance the integrity,
autonomy and independence of People’s
Rights, responsibilities and obligations Organisations (POs).
of development NGOs
2. Respect and enhance the culture and
We believe that South African NGOs should be allowed
traditions of the community and
to exercise the following rights in the pursuit of their
creatively build up indigenous structures.
work:
3. Provide access to all forms of
1. South African NGOs have the right to
information.
assert their legitimate role as equal
partners in development. 4. Help create democratic and participative
leadership in the community.
2. South African NGOs have the right to
propose and implement alternative 5. Institute the necessary mechanisms such
development strategies and that we share our own perspective
programmes. without the danger of imposition or
manipulation.
3. South African NGOs have the right to
remain autonomous from the government 6. Respect the dynamics of communities
and from any other organisation, political and enhance local initiatives.
or otherwise.
7. Enhance community empowerment by
4. South African NGOs have the right to encouraging greater self-reliance in
equal access to funding and other terms of resourcing, organisational and
resources, both local and foreign, programme management and by
without compromising their principles or facilitating linkages and co-operation
their autonomy. among POs and communities.
February 97 OD debate Page Seven
development
JOCHEN LOHMEIER, an “outsider”, reflects on the South African development arena and asks,
“What development
approaches are being
used by South African NGOs?”
Jochen is a German/European, 47 years old, a geographer, an economist. He earns his living as a manager, a facilitator
and a consultant. He has worked and lived in (and out of) Africa - and parts of Asia - for the past 20 years; six of these
in Tanzania. Since 1994 he has conducted courses in four provinces of South Africa on:
❐ objectives oriented project planning,
❐ communication and facilitation,
❐ regional rural development,
❐ comprehensive project management techniques, and
❐ design of development interventions.
Here, he has worked with some 350 participants, ranging from NGO managers and staff to funders to government officials.
Training is in whether such has happened or not, I came across two
interesting responses: First resistance, and then
n South Africa, with the history of deprivation for the
I majority and international isolation for the country as
a whole, training is in high demand. Especially
international experts meet a sponge-like receptiveness for
helplessness. Figures, numbers and statistics are fairly
alien to development players outside of the university
environment. My sense is that there is a real need for
development players to grapple with the nasty, difficult
education, training and new ideas. For a person such as business of figures, formulae and calculations. In Asia, my
myself this is motivating, astounding and worryingly experience has been that similar groups would work
uncritical at the same time. I want to feed back this through a thousand items of data with ease and familiarity.
polarity to you through the following: This has not been my experience in South Africa.
Politics Obsession with organisation
In South Africa, unlike many other countries, you do not Development practice has (regrettably) always had
have to stress that development has a political component. fashions. A recent fashion in South Africa has been OD. If
With the history of struggle for power, calls for solidarity there is a problem to be solved, there must be an
and the legitimacy of rebellion, South African development organisation to do it. A forum is proposed as the solution
actors are not only familiar with the politics, they often to all problems of participation. In too many cases,
interpret the development process politically. My experience building capacity means “organisations” need to be
in other countries has been that it takes great effort to developed. In my view this is fallacious. People have
convince funtionaries that development is not merely a always organised themselves for survival, but for their
technical issue. It has been inspiring to experience the own chosen improvements. They know how to do this.
dedication of the South African development actors, to What makes OD so fashionable?
learn about their strategies and to recognise the charisma of Forums, organisations, NGOs and government
individual personalities in the new development arena. agencies are charged with alleviating pressing problems,
However, people have come to our courses because they yet complaints of non-delivery and failed development
need new capabilities, which relate to professional prevail. Support agencies are under pressure and
management, to negotiating power arrangements and to implementation is in demand. For me there are two
functioning effectively in bureaucracies. The old qualities of issues here: the problem and the solution. Organisations
activism and these new demands create a useful tension. need a common purpose, vision and values. It is not
enough for an organisation to have a problem to tackle.
Figure phobia It is one thing to identify the problem that needs to be
South Africa has its own political jargon. In addition, tackled. It is another to identify an innovative, locally
development actors are faced with the international adjusted, economically viable, ecologically sustainable,
development jargon, which was not always part of their organisationally implementable solution. It seems to me
past vocabulary. However, it is picked up with alacrity: that little effort goes into “scouting” for solutions that take
“sustainability, PRA, participation, poverty-orientation, account of specific groups’ needs, that mediate different
capacity building, empowerment,…” There is no question interests and that are realistic and achievable. I think it is
that the principles and theoretical positions that lie helpful to free up energy to focus on opportunities rather
behind these terms are of substantial importance. than only problems. It allows one to unlock existing
However, in asking participants on our courses to make potential rather than parrot partial or foreign models
these practical, to attempt to quantify them, to declare which need not be inappropriate to South Africa.
their assumptions, to be specific about how one assesses OD is not about building a strong organisation that
February 97 OD debate Page Eight
development
tackles problems - perhaps OD is about creating “law and order”? It has been interesting to observe how
organisational forms with people who respond creatively strong a desire there is for structure and order. Is the
and energetically to such problems and identify solutions internalised segregation and suppression from the old
that truly do make a difference to people’s lives. South Africa surviving in a new form?
I am deeply aware of the danger of instruments and
“Culture” challenges tools which suggest logical rigidity and strictness, and
Although familiar with the racial and gender divides in conjure up unfounded clarity. This is even more worrying
South Africa’s history, the concept of a rainbow nation has if facilitators who lead participants through the
yet to be seen in day to day reality. At a recent training application of such tools are unaware of such a danger.
programme around gender sensitivity, we suggested a role
play which included men and women in a pub comfortably The professional…
enjoying themselves, but with the gender roles reversed. Professionals are needed to develop and accompany the
This proposal met with extraordinary resistance from the process. Development is about power too. It is not enough
men and disappointment from the women. The suggestion for professionals only to be politically aware. A facilitator
was rejected, indicating that the boundaries were still very in development needs to be an advocate, a “scout” with an
fixed. A challenge to professional facilitators is to explore own stance to power questions. This requires the self-
processes to enable people to venture across these confidence to acknowledge the complexity of the terrain;
boundaries. and to bring to it the creativity and stamina to work out
solutions with the people affected and all parties
A “tool” has more than one use concerned. Hence, training…
Our courses work with various development tools or
instruments which aim to distinguish which specific NGOs and training
responses particular target groups might benefit from. We Again, training is in high demand in South Africa.
speak of these as “self-targeting measures” which are Demand creates offers of courses, but not necessarily
designed to empower, not all (which is a South African quality. There seems to be a tendency, particularly
obsession), but specific groups (e.g. rural women, amongst NGOs, to hurry from undergoing a course this
unemployed youth, retrenched workers, disabled month to directly offering training in the same thing next
children), as they all have different needs. Therefore, by month without applying the learning and building one’s
the development arena response needs to be quite own experience effectively. Is this shying away from the
specific to these needs. A hammer is not bad because you responsibility of really doing it rather than the safer
can bang it on someone’s head. I am interested in what I option of training others to do it?
experience to be a block to these kinds of instruments. I
think it is underpinned by a resistance to division and Conclusion
segregation, which has an historical background. According to process (however this may be understood), I
However, to distinguish difference in order to ensure chose to be descriptive
inclusivity, I believe, is an important concept, but only. The figure that
apparently new to many South Africans. emerges from this just
provokes me to say
Applying a method to myself, “Isn’t it
The logical framework (or ZOPP) approach is interesting.”
becoming increasingly well-known in South
Africa. It can be a healthy debate in
both academic and development circles
around the ZOPP approach. It can be
viewed as a strict, rigid way of planning
ina situation where one needs
something more open and discursive
to deal with the complexities of
particular communities.
However, my view is that the
application of ZOPP can be
very open, innovative and even
playful. It has been interesting
to see how, in South Africa,
many people choose its
more orderly appli-
cation. Is this also a
consequence of
the apartheid
h i s t o r y
loaded
with
February 97 OD debate Page Nine
review
Olive’s Review -
OD challenges to an OD organisation
In November and December 1996, Olive underwent its third annual review -
after another year of hard work, growth and development. For the first time, the review
was conducted by a team of two people - David Harding1 and Edgar Pieterse2. This article summarises
the key points that emerged from the review that might be of interest to Olive’s clients and other organisations.
he feedback is set within an overall fairly positive Strengths
T assessment of Olive, its effectiveness and presence. The
review team endorsed that an organisation such as
Olive (an OD organisation that works on issues within
During the process, Olive received consistently high and
positive marks from all the people interviewed. This is a
summary of Olive’s strengths:
other NGOs) has to be able to look hard at its own
practice. It has to set a particularly high standard in its • Olive is a highly professional organisation to work
own organisational life. The review team expressed with. It delivers on what it says it will do, within the
confidence that Olive would constructively respond to a time frame agreed upon.
straightforward exposition of issues. • The quality of Olive’s delivery work is high, compared
to experiences with other support organisations and
individuals that clients have used.
• Olive is very sensitive to the needs and processes of
The brief to the reviewers: clients, which allows them to adapt and change
❐ to assess the role Olive has played and its possible interventions as required.
future role over the next 3 years. • Olive is good at explaining to clients the limitations of
a particular intervention and communicating the
❐ to consider the views of funders, clients and collegial importance of a holistic approach to OD work.
organisations to assess Olive’s services in terms of • Olive has been very good at developing certain
relevance, quality and availability. methods beyond their limited and/or inappropriate
framework to ‘fit’ better the needs of the South African
❐ to consider staff, Board and user views to assess Olive’s
NGO context (in particular ZOPP).
levels of competence, effectiveness and efficiency in • Olive is a ‘thinking’ and imaginative organisation and
conducting its work. offers a whole range of opportunities to other NGOs to
❐ to assess the extent to which the suggestions from the learn and share new ideas and initiatives.
• Olive is a friendly organisation to work with, sensitive
1995 review have been taken up or not and reasons for
and sympathetic to clients and their needs.
this. • Olive produces unique and high quality publications,
❐ to comment on Olive’s sustainability strategies. filling a gap that no-one else is meeting.
• Olive’s internal administrative and resource systems
❐ to recommend any changes or shifts to improve Olive’s are well designed and show signs of a systematic drive
positioning, its work and its impact. to improve and innovate.
• The administrative team provide good support and
1
David Harding is a UK-based consultant with some 23-years experience in the areas of OD and management skills development for the
non-profit sector, socio-economic policy and programme, and local economic and community development - all within a range of national
contexts. He may be contacted at: 3 West End Lane, Merton Nr, Bicester, Oxon Ox6 ONG, UK; e-mail: HARDINGDC@aol.com
2
Edgar Pieterse works from Cape Town as an independent development consultant. He is attached to The School for Public & Development
Management (Wits) in a part-time capacity and has research interest themes such as “Globalisation and Cities”; “Race and the City” and
“Urban Governance, Culture and Development”. Contact details: Tel: 021-4184173; e-mail: mirged@global.co.za
Meet the Olive staff
Davine Thaw Shireen Ragunan Essa Al-Seppe Desré Wright Simanga Sithebe
OD & T Team Finance Team OD & T Team Communications Team OD & T Team
February 97 OD debate Page Ten
review
service to both other staff and to external clients.
}
}
External clients find Olive a good organisation to deal
Internal
with at this level. Internal aspects, that
• Olive is financially healthy. Its financial side is well Financial support the
management organisational
managed - there is good ‘financial discipline’ - and external
management delivery
financial reporting is good quality, regular and Olive’s
respected by donor bodies. 4-person
But of course there are always challenges…
The challenges can be contextualised with two
statements:
management
team
Management
of learning
and
Management
of the delivery
of Olive
services and
} Development
and delivery
side
1. Olive is moving from its ‘pioneering’ (informal or
development in strategic
initial) phase into a more formal phase. Factors of
direction
size, complexity and a broadening of the professional
publications
distribution of
Development &
OD practitioners
Development of:
related services
Olive’s OD and
base of Olive may now be placing in question the
effectiveness of the combination of a strongly
informal system and a strong personal leadership.
This has implications for a number of areas:
a. management and leadership structures (formal and
informal) within Olive.
The review team’s view is that Olive will need to
explicitly review its management systems and
procedures to develop more awareness of how it b. policies and systems.
operates at present and to look openly at options Closely linked with formalising the management
available. A more dispersed management function structure within Olive is the need to clarify and formalise
should be looked at and a sharing of leadership certain systems and policies, such as payment policies,
functions. This could be done by tightening the role of internal management and HR systems.
the board and increasing the responsibilities of other
functions in the organisation. c. the board’s role.
The reviewers felt that the board needs to be more
engaged and active in policy level discussions. There is
Spreading responsiblities
}
BOARD a continuous need to strengthen the board, but the
review team suggested a more adventurous policy in
recruiting new members by accepting the need to
develop members from a less experienced base.
DIRECTOR Up to the present, the Board has expressed their
confidence in both the director and staff to manage the
organisation effectively. It has been a fairly “hands off”
way of working.
The reviewers felt that in the future, Olive will need the
OTHER STAFF FUNCTIONS
full and active support of the board in policy issues
around future direction, re-thinking management
As a learning organisation, Olive staff have already started styles and structures and deepening capacity around
working with this point in particular. The“management key work areas. They should also provide a sounding
model” that we are thinking around is depicted in the board, and be a source of experience in strategic level
diagram (top right). thinking.
It will involve a four-person management team, which
means, although we retain the position of director 2. After three years of hard and, we believe, creative
(delivery, strategic issues), much of the responsibility is and exploratory work, it is time to reflect upon and
moved to other team members. An interesting aspect is consolidate what we know and can do. This has
that the changes are happening according to Olive’s implications for:
specific needs - not according to any text book model. For a. organisational culture.
example, Olive places great emphasis on personal and Any organisation is marked by a distinctive culture
organisational learning and development, thus this that is continuously shaped and moulded by the people
position is given management prominence. who make up the organisation, external and internal
Cathy van de Ruit Kenneth Msomi Printha Pillay Michael Randel Nonkosi Mangxangaza
Communications Team Maintenance Team Finance Team OD & T Team Admin Team
February 97 OD debate Page Eleven
review
events and the organisation’s structures and systems. 2. Olive will deepen its focus on the organisational
Olive needs to increase its awareness of what the aspects, rather than the programme side of
dominant culture in the organisation is. This can be organisations.
addressed if the organisation grows increasingly 3. Olive will give serious consideration to issues of
reflective, self conscious and open about its own consolidating and strengthening what it has done in
identity. the past 3 years and guarding against growth that is
b. Olive’s practitioners too rapid.
Issues of diversity and difference are frequently
encountered within organisations. This means that the Focus for the next three years:
delivery team in Olive has to be totally comfortable and 1. to increase the quality of our delivery. This we see as a
skilled in dealing with these issues in the field. constant aim.
c. Olive’s own practice. 2. to focus on developing an OD course for leaders in
In its internal learning work Olive needs to give more organisations to bring more people into the field.
time and space to work on issues arising from its own 3. to ensure that OD debate reflects more of Olive’s
practice. This should provide a stronger and sharper practice and experience.
basis for building experience, reflective capacity and 4. to deepen and consolidate the development programme
good practice. and to ensure that we develop quality practitioners.
d. our theoretical approach and framework.
Olive needs to deepen its understanding of issues in
development and broaden its understanding of Having been through our third review process,
approaches to development in order to be able to what have we learnt?
continue to respond to the complexity and specificity of
the development realities it will have to engage with. a. Reviews are necessary - they are not just an interesting
option.
e. projecting our image clearly. b. External eyes on busy organisations are invaluable. Two
Olive needs to develop clear information to give clients, pairs of eyes are even better.
potential clients and associates a good picture of what it c. It is hard to be challenged, but it is good to be reminded
has to offer and who works in the organisation around
of the importance of setting time aside for reflection so
key issues.
that we can learn from our history and experience.
Clients often don’t get a clear sense of the whole range
d. Reflection is about learning what to let go of and what
of work that is done by Olive, or know who else to talk
to if “their” contact is not in the office. to retain.
e. If staff found that the opportunity to talk to a reviewer
In other words, Olive will soon be producing a brochure for an hour was useful, does this confirm the importance
on who we are and what we do - see press for details! But of a talking partner or mentor?
to start the ball rolling, we have included photos of staff to f. It is important to involve the entire organisation in the
attach faces to the Olive name. process.
Future direction:
1. Olive will continue to target mainly NGOs in its On the basis of our review, we have learnt a great deal for our
‘delivery’ work, although our publications are targeted own future practice. See the April edition of OD debate for
at all organisations that deal with organisational our reflection on and understanding of what makes for a
change and development. good review and what doesn’t.
Loretta van Schalkwyk Nomvula Mdunge Pearl Redman Andra Hellberg-Phillips
OD & T Team Admin & Maintenance Teams Admin Team Communications Team
Jean works Carol-Ann
on a will be
contract leaving Olive
basis. soon but will
probably be
back within
a year.
Jean Westmore-Suesse Warren Banks Carol-Ann Foulis
OD &T Team Admin & Communications Teams OD & T Team
February 97 OD debate Page Twelve
coalition list
List of NGO Coalitions in Eastern and Southern Africa
1. MWENGO (Mwelekeo wa NGO) - (postal) P.O.Box 11224 Exec. Director)
Reflection and Development Centre for Kampala, Uganda Address (physical): 16 Samora Machel
NGOs in East and Southern Africa Telephone No: +256-(0)41-530575 or (postal): P.O.Box CY 250
Contact Person: Ezra Mbongori 531150 Causeway
(Exec. Director) Fax No: +256-(0)41-531236 Harare, Zimbabwe
Address (postal): P.O.Box HG817 e-mail: deniva@infoma.com Telephone No: +263-(0)4-708761
Highlands Fax No: +263-(0)4-794973
4. KENYA
Harare, Zimbabwe
The National Council of NGOs 8. MOZAMBIQUE
Telephone No: +263-(0)4-721469
Contact Person: Murtaza Jaffer LINK NGO Forum (an Association of
Fax No: +263-(0)4-738310
(Chief Exec. Officer) NGOs in Mozambique)
e-mail: mwengo@mango.zw
Address (physical): House No 3, Contact Person: Guy Mullin
2. LESOTHO Chania Avenue (Co-ordinator)
Lesotho Council for NGOs (postal): P.O.Box 48278 Address (physical): Rua Mariano
Contact Person: Mathulo Mokati Nairobi, Kenya Machado 56,
(Human Resource Telephone No: +254-(0)2-560877 or B.Central
Dev.Officer) 562312 or 562323 (postal): C.P. 2187, Maputo,
Address (physical): 544 Hoohlo Ext., Fax No: +254-(0)2-568445 Mozambique
along Kingsway Telephone No: +258-(0)1-424100
5. BOTSWANA
(postal): Private Bag A445 Fax No: +258-(0)1-423377
Botswana Council of NGOs
Maseru 100, e-mail: forum@link.uem.mz
Contact Person: Vivian Mazunga
Lesotho
(Admin Assistant) 9. SOUTH AFRICA (Country code: +27)
Telephone No: +266-317205
Address (physical): Plot 508, Ext. 4 a. South African National NGO
Fax No: +266-310412
Gaborone, Coalition
2. SWAZILAND Botswana Contact Person: Kumi Naidoo
Co-ordinating Assembly of NGOs (postal): Private Bag 00418 (Executive
(CANGO) Gaborone, Director)
Contact Person: Dumisile Shabangu Botswana Address (physical): 4 Melridge
(Director) Telephone No: +267-311319 56 Stiemens Street
Address (physical): Mandlenkosi Fax No: +267-311319 Braamfontein,
Ecumenical Centre 2017, South Africa
142 Esser Street 6. NAMIBIA
(postal): P.O.Box 31471
(postal): P.O.Box 3084 Namibian Non-governmental
Braamfontein,
Manzini, Swaziland Organisation Forum (NANGOF)
2017, South Africa
Telephone No: +268-52511 or 53587 Contact Person: Naftali Uirab
Telephone No: 011-4037746
Fax No: +268-53587 (Chairperson)
Fax No: 011-4038703
Address (physical): Axali Doeseb Street
3. UGANDA e-mail: ngocoal@sn.apc.org
18 Windhoek West
Development Network of Indigenous (postal): P.O.Box 7043 b. Private Agencies Collaborating
Voluntary Associations (DENIVA) Khomasdal, Together (PACT)
Contact Person: Prof. Jassy B. Namibia Contact Person: Yvette Henley (Co-
Kwesinga Telephone No: +264-(0)61-239469 ordinator)
(Exec. Secretary) Fax No: +264-(0)61-239471 Address (postal): P.O.Box 32286
Address (physical): 490 off Mkerere Rd Braamfontein,
Kagugube Zone 7. ZIMBABWE 2017, South Africa
Block 9 (near Law National Association of NGOs (NANGO) Telephone No: 011-4033010/1/2
Dev. Center) Contact Person: Jonah Mudewhe (Acting Fax No: 011-4031104
International NGO Coalitions/Councils
1. International Council of Voluntary Switzerland 4. United Nations Association in
Agencies (ICVA) Telephone No: +41-(0)22-7988400 Canada - Vancouver Branch
Contact Person: Rudolph Von Fax No: +41-(0)22-7887366 Address (physical): 101-1956 Broadway
Bernuth (Executive e-mail: ngls@unctad.org Vancouver, BC
Director) (postal): VEJ 1Z2
3. Co-ordinating Committee for
Address (physical): 13 rue Gautier Vancouver, Canada
International Voluntary Service
1201 Geneva Telephone No: +1 (0)604 732-0448
(CCIVS)
(postal): C.P. 216 Fax No: +1 (0)604 736- 8963
Contact Person: Nigel Watt
1211 Geneva 21
(Director) 5. International Organisation
Switzerland
Address (physical): Maison de I’Unesco Development Association (IODA)
Telephone No: +41-(0)22-908 0770
1 rue Miollis Contact Person: Sherrie Wood
Fax No: +41-(0)22-738-9904
75015 Paris, France (Secretary)
2. United Nations Non-governmental (postal): 75732 Paris, Address (postal): P O Box 40323
Liaison Service (NGLS) Cedex 15, Providence, RI
Contact Person: Tony Hill France 02940, USA
(Co-ordinator) Telephone No: +3- (0)1-45682731/2 Telephone No: +1 (0)401 351-6931
Address (postal): Palais des Nations Fax No: +33-(0)1-42730521 Fax No: as above
CH-1211 Geneva 10 e-mail: ccivs@zcc.net e-mail: IODA212016@AOL.com
February 97 OD debate Page Thirteen
odelia
defensible reasons for stating that (in terms of ageism
Dear Odelia or gender charges).
We are a small NGO with 22 • Selecting people to attend the interview. Because the
people working for the new Act does not define applicants, this term may
organisation - 6 staff members include anyone who has sent in an application for a job.
are on a fixed 2 year contract Even at this very early stage, it is therefore crucial that
one does not unfairly discriminate. Selection criteria for
and the rest are regarded as
choosing the first round of applicants should ideally be
“permanent” (if people in NGOs determined prior to the receipt of any applications if one
can ever regard themselves as wants to prove non-discrimination.
“permanent”!). We heard that • Conducting the selection interviews. You need to be
the new Labour Relations Act was passed in November careful about the kinds of questions you ask during the
last year and were wondering if this will affect us in any interview. Asking a woman how many children she has
way. Surely NGOs don’t need to worry about such things? and who will look after them, is a big “no-no”! In
If we are wrong, what is it that we need to know so that gathering information from job applicants, the employer
we don’t get into trouble? should continually check “why do I need to know this?”
• Reference checking. As with selection interviews, the
Curiously yours questions posed in reference checks need to be
N.O. Rules carefully considered. Asking for a referee’s opinion is
of little use unless they can provide some verification
for what they say.
Dear N.O. Rules
❷ The second important area for NGOs is the area of
I’m afraid there are a couple of things about the new unfair dismissals. In terms of the new LRA, a dismissal
Labour Relations Act (LRA) that you do need to know. For would automatically be regarded as unfair, if the reason
one, if you look at who is covered by the new Act, you will for the dismissal:
find that it includes all employees and people seeking • is based on discrimination against the staff member
employment, including domestic workers, farm workers, on grounds of race, gender, sex, age, marital status,
teachers and lecturers, public sector workers and the family responsibility, political opinion, etc.
South African Police Services. • is participation in a strike.
These inclusions differ from the previous Act and • is because a staff member is pregnant or intends
eliminate confusion that previously reigned about who was, falling pregnant.
or was not, covered by the Act. In particular, the fact that • is because a staff member takes action against the
persons seeking employment are also covered by the law has employer or exercises any right conferred by the Act.
a number of significant implications for NGOs (but more of • is because the staff member refuses to do the work of
that later). The only people who are excluded from the Act striking staff.
are members of the South African National Defence Force,
Furthermore, a dismissal is unfair if the employer fails
South African Secret Service and the National Intelligence
to provide a fair reason for the dismissal (substantive
Agency. So, unless Defence, Secret Service and Intelligence
fairness) or if a fair procedure is not followed (procedural
have found their way into the independent sector, in all
fairness) during the disciplinary inquiry.
likelihood your staff members fall within the group of
There are some guidelines which you might want to
people covered by the Act. For this reason, you need to
keep in mind to ensure that you fulfil the requirements of
concern yourself with understanding some of its key
procedural fairness:
elements. It is also worthwhile to note that much of what is
contained in the Constitution and Bill of Rights is repeated 1. The accused staff member is entitled to representation or
or expanded upon in the new LRA. All these documents are assistance from a fellow staff member or shop steward.
closely linked. 2. The staff member must be informed of the charge or
allegation which is being laid against him/her.
❶ Firstly, let’s return to the definition of “employee”. The
3. The staff member must be given notice of the inquiry in
new LRA includes potential job applicants in the
order to prepare a response to the charges.
definition of employee, so organisations need to be very
4. The staff member is required to be present at the
careful about how they go about recruiting new staff
disciplinary inquiry.
members. If any of the recruitment procedure is deemed
5. The “accused” has the right to call witnesses.
to be discriminatory, job applicants can institute legal
6. An impartial chair must head up the inquiry.
action against the organisation.
7. The staff member has the right to challenge the evidence.
Consideration needs to be given to the following issues:
8. The staff member has the right to appeal through the
• Advertising the vacancy. Positions need to be statutory or organisational dispute procedure.
advertised widely within the organisation as well as
So, next time you are conducting a disciplinary inquiry,
outside. The medium that is chosen to communicate
make sure you follow these guidelines to prevent your
the vacancy should not unfairly disadvantage one
organisation from being charged with unfair dismissal.
group over another, e.g. consideration should be given
to the readership of the newspaper that is used for ❸ Thirdly, a new component of the Labour Relations Act is
advertising purposes. “Word-of-mouth” is not regarded the formation of workplace forums. While it is unlikely that
as fair practice for advertising a position. any NGOs will be legally required to set up a workplace
• Wording of the advertisement. Only specifications forum (it only applies to organisations which employ more
which are based on the inherent requirements of the than 100 staff), the principles underpinning these forums
job should be included in the advert, e.g. if the advert ensure participation and transparency in the workplace.
specifies that you require a man under 30 years of In putting in place a structure like this, a distinction is
age, you need to ensure that you have valid and made between those areas where staff should be involved
February 97 OD debate Page Fourteen
odelia
in decision-making and those areas which only require
consultation with staff. Issues for joint decision-making Purpose of the new
include:
• disciplinary codes and procedures, Labour Relations Act
• affirmative action (AA) plans, and The purpose of the Act is to advance economic
• rules relating to conduct of staff members.
development, social justice, labour peace and the
These differ from those areas where the employer is
democratisation of the workplace; to reform the law
required to consult with staff, e.g.
governing labour relations and, for that purpose;
• the introduction of new technology
• changing the organisation of work ❐ to give effect to section 27 of the Constitution1;
• education and training
• retrenchments ❐ to regulate the organisational rights of trade unions;
• job-grading.
❐ to promote and facilitate collective bargaining at the
In these areas, leadership of organisations would have
the final say on decisions that need to be made. These
workplace and at sectoral level;
examples raise some interesting questions for NGOs about ❐ to regulate the right to strike and the recourse to
issues of participation in decision-making.
lock-out in conformity with the Constitution;
❹ The last issue of relevance to NGOs which I want to
discuss is about alternative dispute resolution procedures ❐ to promote employee participation in decision-
and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and making through the establishment of workplace
Arbitration (CCMA). forums;
A new system of dispute resolution has been
introduced by the Act which includes the introduction of a ❐ to provide simple procedures for the resolution of
Labour Court to replace the old Industrial Court and labour disputes through statutory conciliation,
conciliation boards. It is possible that disputes might
mediation and arbitration (for which purpose the
arise in NGOs around issues such as dismissals,
grievances, retrenchments, etc. For this reason, it is Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and
important for NGOs to be aware of the new system that is Arbitration has been established), and through
in place which they can make use of. independent alternative dispute resolution services
In particular, it is important to know about the CCMA. accredited for that purpose;
This is an independent statutory body (funded by the
state) which has the function of providing advice on ❐ to establish the Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court
dispute procedures, assisting with unresolved disputes, as as superior courts, with exclusive jurisdiction to decide
well as providing advice and training in a number of other on matters arising from the Act;
areas such as AA programmes or dismissal procedures.
They have a national office in Johannesburg and can be ❐ to provide for a simplified procedure for the
contacted on 011-3776650. Offices are also located in the registration of trade unions and employer’s
main centres of each province. organisations, and to provide for their regulation to
In looking at those issues in the LRA which are
ensure democratic practices and proper financial
relevant for NGOs, I feel a little like a child who has stolen
the last cookie out of the cookie jar. Last time I didn’t get control;
wrapped over the knuckles, but who knows what will ❐ to give effect to the public international law
happen this time?
obligations of the Republic relating to labour relations;
By this I mean that for a long time NGOs have “got
away” with a fairly slack or lax attitude towards ❐ to amend and repeal certain laws relating to labour
employment standards and labour relations. With an relations; and
increasing awareness, all round, of one’s rights and
responsibilities it is unlikely that this situation will be ❐ to provide for incidental matters.
tolerated in the future. It is also rather sad and surprising
that a sector which concerns itself with the fair treatment
of others, sometimes falls short on the home-front. 1
Section 27, which is in the Chapter on Fundamental Rights in
But your interest is heartening! The new LRA makes the Constitution entrenches the following rights:
for relatively easy reading and I would strongly suggest
a. Every person shall have the right to fair labour practices.
that you get a copy of it and spend some time familiarising
yourself with its contents and those issues which are of b. Workers shall have the right to form and join trade unions, and
particular relevance to NGOs. employers shall have the right to form and join employers’
organisations.
References
c. Workers and employers shall have the right to organise and
Focus on Nedlac. December 1996. A user’s guide to the bargain collectively.
new LRA. South African Labour Bulletin. Vol. 20 Number 6
pp40-45. Umanyano Publications: Johannesburg. d. Workers shall have the right to strike for the purpose of
collective bargaining.
Milne, E. March 1996. Tuning-in to the new LRA. People
Dynamics, pp25-30. Institute of Personnel Management: e. Employers= recourse to the lock-out for the purpose of
Johannesburg. collective bargaining shall not be impaired, subject to
Labour Relations Bill , RSA. subsection 33(1).
February 97 OD debate Page Fifteen
civil society
VIETNAM
Trying to explain the
enormity of Cambodia
LAO
S
THAILAND
CAMBODIA CHRIS DAMMERS is a freelance development consultant 1in social and economic development
Phnom Penh and human rights issues. In 1996 he worked on a study commissioned by the NGO Forum
on Cambodia which sought to examine and compare different approaches and strategies
towards development assistance used in Cambodia. These are some of his reflections on Cambodia.
ow do I explain the enormity of Cambodia in a few process of development. Many foreign agencies stress the
H short paragraphs? How do I link the experience of
Cambodia to South Africa? And what are common
issues in debates over development?
transience of their own presence, and of the need to ‘do
themselves out of a job’. Yet few have a focused strategy
for doing this, and many underestimate the time needed
The appalling ravages of the Pol Pot regime which for Cambodian institutions to develop, and misunderstand
ruled Cambodia from 1976 to 1979 are well known. Under strategies for promoting such a process. Many assume that
Pol Pot about a million Cambodians, one in eight of the training automatically translates into capacity building. It
population, died from warfare, starvation, disease, doesn’t. Few ask hard enough questions about whether the
overwork and executions, in the name of a programme of outcomes of their interventions are really sustainable. And
social transformation more extreme than anything seen far too many international agencies still run their
this century. programmes in comparative isolation from Cambodian
The subsequent Vietnamese-backed government (1979- institutions, and have limited understanding of the society
1993) faced international isolation from all but a few Soviet- they are trying to help.
bloc countries. After an initial period when relief and Pol Pot famously wanted Cambodia to return to ‘year
rehabilitation programmes were mounted, United Nations zero’, to start from scratch, or at least return to an
(UN) and Western bilateral agencies withdrew from the imaginary utopian peasant past. In doing so he came close
country, though several international NGOs remained. The to destroying his country. After his fall, Cambodia’s
new government extended state and party control over the poverty was compounded by its isolation. It is sobering to
country. Wider development of civil society was not on the see how capacity has stagnated - particularly by
agenda, and Cambodian NGOs and CBOs did not exist. comparison with neighbouring countries in south-east
Political deadlock between the Vietnamese-backed Asia. The building of government capacity, and of civil
government and the exiled Khmer Rouge and its Royalist society, is a lengthy process.
allies continued until the Paris Peace Agreements of 1991 So there are after all some similarities between
which led to UN-sponsored elections in 1993. The elections Cambodia and South Africa. Both countries:
were won by the Royalist party, FUNCINPEC, which then
• are trying to escape from the legacy of governments
entered into an uneasy coalition with the Cambodian
with a pernicious, unworkable ideology, though from
People’s Party (CPP), the party of the ousted regime which
opposite ends of the political spectrum.
retained de facto control of much of the country. (The
• are finding that a political settlement based on
Khmer Rouge boycotted the election and continued a
democratic elections does not banish the past.
destabilising presence on the Thai border). Cambodia
• underwent international isolation, including to a
embarked on a rapid transition from socialism to capitalism.
degree from the ‘development debate’ as conducted by
From 1992 Cambodia was subjected to an
its mainstream proponents - a debate which anyway
international presence of great intensity. An enormous UN
only appears on the agenda in conditions of
military and civilian apparatus was supplemented by
comparative stability.
international agencies of all kinds - relief agencies,
• are finding that their recent readmission to the
development agencies, missionary societies; multilateral,
‘international community’ can sometimes be a mixed
bilateral, non-governmental.
blessing, even a new source of disempowerment.
Cambodia was isolated, impoverished and unprepared.
Foreigners were setting most of the agendas, particularly Of course the differences are even more striking.
in aid and development, and development agencies have Visiting South Africa in 1995 I found myself disagreeing
remained even though the UN troops and most of the with development NGOs and CBOs who believed that their
international observers have gone. days were numbered, that the government did not want
Cambodian NGOs started to develop only from 1992 - them, and that their donors would abandon them all at
initially mainly in the human rights field, then increasingly any minute. Of course NGOs faced changes and challenges
in development. The sector is still weak, especially for but I thought they underestimated the strength of their
CBOs. In some ways the international NGOs are in an situation, both in relation to the politics of the New South
analogous situation to service NGOs in South Africa, Africa, and to wider international developments.
aspiring to support Cambodian NGOs and CBOs. Only a Apartheid was an almost uniquely unpleasant political
handful of Cambodian NGOs are performing a similar role. system, but it did not or could not destroy civil society, nor
Most of these international NGOs, are happy to all the organisations of those who opposed it. South Africa
acknowledge the centrality of Cambodian institutions, has a civil society which has a good deal of potential - and
whether governmental or non-governmental, in any not only by comparison with countries like Cambodia.
1
This study was undertaken by INTRAC (International NGO Training and Research Centre).
Contact INTRAC for a copy of the study report: PO Box 563, Oxford OX2 6RZ; UK. e-mail: intrac@gn.apc.org
February 97 OD debate Page Sixteen
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