What Role Does the NGO Plays In A Civil Society

Before us listing down the roles of NGOs to our civil society, we are going to define first what NGO Philippine is. NGO or Nonprofit organizations is a non profit making, voluntary, service- oriented/ development oriented organization that is either for the benefit of members of the organization or the other members of different community or population. It’s an organization of private individual who believes in basic unified social principle who structure their activities to help develop the communities or the causes that they are servicing. Different NGOP activities includes but not limited to social, environmental, advocacy and human rights work. They are working to promote political or social change on a broad scale of the country. 

• Advocacy with or For the Poor

NGOs become spokespersons for the poor community that attempt to influence government policies and programmes for them to issue different laws or ordinance that will help the population that is pro-poor. This can be done through a variety of means like making pilot projects to participation in public forums and also, the formulation of government policy and plans, to publicizing research results and case studies benefiting the said population. NGO are advocates for the poor; from agitators and critics to advisors and partners; from sponsors of pilot projects. 

• Infrastructure Development and Operation

NGOs that are community-based or certain cooperatives can get and also develop land, construct, operate or maintain infrastructure such as waste collection services or lands. They can provide building material as well and other community-based economic enterprises. In some cases, this kind of organizations asks help to higher NGO units or governmental agencies. 

• Communication Facilitating

They use interpersonal methods of communication and study the right points whereby they gain the trust of the good number of population or the community they seek to help. NGO would also have a good idea of the feasibility of the projects that they are creating. If it’s really helpful or not or will it benefit the greater amount of the people that they are serving. The significance of this role to the government is that NGOs can communicate to a wider spectrum meaning they can tap different policy making bodies and different levels of the government and give them the information about the lives, attitudes, capabilities and cultural characteristics of people at the local level. 

They can also facilitate communication from people to the government and government to the people. Also, NGOs are also in the unique position to share information to other organizations as well who is doing similar work as them. 

• Monitoring and Evaluation of Different Research

Activities that the NGOs are making needs to be carefully documented and shared not just to the government but also to the public. Effective participatory monitoring would allow sharing the results of the said activity to the people to let them know how effective or not a certain activity that the NGO are making. 

• Technical Assistance and Training

NGOs and training institutions can make technical assistance and training to the people and use this to assist the people and the government.