Strengthening NGO partnerships : the role of NGOs in the development process

Abstract

This study examines the partnership relationships that exist between Northern and Southern Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs). International NGOs (INGOs) in the past decade adopted a policy of strengthening partnership relationships between the North and the South with the objective of making aid more effective. Substantial aid has been channeled to the South through donor agencies, including Northern NGOs (NNGOs), International Financial Institutions (IFIs), Northern governments and many others wishing to assist in the development effort. Most of these donor agencies went into partnership relations with Southern NGOs (SNGOs) since they perceived them as the best agents to tackle poverty and development problems in the developing countries. However, despite all their commitment and efforts to fight poverty in developing countries, poverty is still prevalent in Africa and other Third World countries.

The theoretical framework for this argument focuses on the debates between proponents and critics of the Alternative Development (AD) paradigm. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)