The Concept of ‘Just Development’ Essay

Words: 3539
Pages: 15

INTRODUCTION

Non-Governmental Organizations are a significant potential force for promoting implementation of developmental programs and projects such as poverty alleviation in areas such as Africa and Zambia in particular. They have for example, pioneered participatory methods in project design and implementation and are strong advocates of strategies that view the poor as economic and social actors rather than passive recipients of welfare.

This essay seeks to discuss the concept of ‘Just Development’ and the reasons as to why Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) find this concept appealing to them. To achieve this, the essay will first define Non-Governmental Organizations in detail and further describe their various
…show more content…
These may provide developmental assistance throughout the Third World through financial and personnel aid while Regional NGOs are those restricted to a particular region while providing more or less, the same services offered by international NGOs. National NGOs restrict their activities to a particular nation or state while local NGOs are those that function at community (grassroots) level.

Overall, NGOs are mainly classified in two main categories namely the Northern and Southern NGOs. Northern NGOs also referred to as International NGOs refer to those organizations which originate and have their head offices in the industrialized countries of the Northern Hemisphere while the Southern NGOs are taken to mean those organizations which originate and have their head offices in the Third World normally located in the Southern Hemisphere.

ORIGINS OF NGOS

Non-Governmental Organizations are said to have been in existence prior to the twentieth century though their form has undergone significant changes overtime to the extent where today’s form of NGOs is relatively a new phenomenon altogether.

Missionary activities and emergency needs during and after World War II characterized the early Northern NGOs. The Salvation Army is an example that emerged generally as an outgrowth of missionary activities in the north. Early Northern NGOs