Non governmental Organisations or Non profitable organisations have one aim in common and they are to help the less fortunate population. The whole idea behind NGOs is the limited governmental influence thus the absence of governmental Representatives. These organisations have a broader social aim usually with political aspect. These organisations can be understood depending on their orientation or co operation level. The 4 levels of orientation are as follows: Charitable, service, participatory and empowering, the co operation levels are: community based organisation, city wide organisation, national NGOs and international NGOs.
Non profitable organisations, are self explanatory in itself, they do not gain any profit instead whatever income they get is re-directed in helping their cause. Moreover,they have no owners but do have controlling members or board. Their sole purpose is to help people or issues that they strongly feel that should be addressed.
With that in mind, think of any such organisations that you might know and ask yourself a few questions about their credibility. Are they achieving their goals? are they genuine? or is it just another Job creating money making scheme.
Despite my dream of becoming a volunteer serving under well known organisations such as Red Cross, UN or other similar organisations with common goals and concept. I do have a queasy feeling about some organisations, are they genuine? If we are to take down a record on their achievements will we record much? or is it just another cover up to gain status in the community and an income at the expense of others?.
My first encounter with such an organisation was a few years ago, when a friend introduce us to it. They sell themselves as helping the people of the South Pacific. So I was interested in gaining more insight into this kind of Job in the hope that it could really help my career, experience wise. They seem genuine enough at plain sight however the funds that they receive compared to what they did was questionable. During my time with them, all they ever did was showcase a few tourism pictures at festivals, build a solar tower in a village and send donated clothes to that same village. I never question them about their fascination with one particular village in one of the 12 South pacific countries who they claim to be helping.
I then left that particular organisation (no names will be mention) due to personal reasons. I then walk into another that claim the same thing, that they are helping the South Pacific Nations, Solomon Islands in particular. What?? Solomon Islands is such a small country that I would have heard about them, especially what they claim to be doing is so significant that no one can miss. I then remember this one member, but back in the Solomon Islands he pose as a JOCV (Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteers). I got access to their organisation and what I find is something that totally disgusts me. A bunch of Job creating, fund pinching people who uses little states to pay for their expenses in Tokyo and in return they take some of the fortunate Tokyo-dwelling Islanders out for a quick beer and dinner. Send them to Karaoke to finish the night and then ask them to contribute to a fund that they are creating for the Islanders. Whats sad is these people can get blinded by free asahis and kirins and never question these types of organisations.
As part of my Job I meet with different Organisations and companies on a regular basis depending what they are looking to buy or invest in. I have cross paths with tonnes of Non profitable organisations in the name of India, Indonesia, Kenya, Thailand and other less developing countries. Some of their aims and objectives are bogus. Once a year they take a trip to the capitals of these countries, take pictures from their hotel rooms come back to Tokyo hand it into other funding organisations get the money and then donate a quarter of it to other existing organisations or hospitals in the countries (purely for recording purposes). If that proves too much for them, they have an elite member of the country sent over, have a weeks " convention", at the end of the week get their package deal, Pop champagne and send the others home, while they think of their next scheme.
I have been to a few of this So-called meetings, what I hear and understood cannot help the vendor who sits by the road in Calcutta selling whatever he can make out of scrap to feed his family or send his children to school. At the end of each day we went to fancy restaurants all expenses paid for by the organising committee. With each bite I pray that this is not the money that should be helping their good cause they brag about all the time.
In Tokyo alone there are numerous organisations like these, in theory they are there to help the less developed countries get funds from either the Japanese government or other funding organisations. They even get charitable organisations to donate them the money that they proposed they need.
If theres one thing I have never seen in my life time, it is a volunteer, working for a Non profitable organisation strutting around in jimmy choos, searching for her phone in a GUCCI and dining in Ginza.
True there are Genuine organisations that actually continue with the good works of mother Theresa only problem is I'm yet to discover one. For now its fancy organisation name, self created job titles and popping champagne for the NPOs in Tokyo.
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