The Case for NGOs
This summer has been rough for us financially, and I've been thinking a lot about how we as a nation relate to those who are less fortunate than we are. The solution as many see it is to have government programs that will feed, clothe and take care of those "below the poverty line" to increase their standard of living until they're not in the same position anymore.
A discussion with my children fomented this post.
By its very nature, need is unfair. I don't have the same needs as you do. My family does not have the same needs as yours. Keep that in mind for a moment.
Our government, at least the constitutional republic we live in, is based on the principles of fairness and equality. Every person is given the same rights and privileges as a citizen of the United States. So, when the government hands out food and money, it must be fair. Even when there are levels of need, the government hands out the same amount of money to the people who are on the same poverty level. Inherently, this won't work efficiently. That's my first point.
My second point is that because of this fairness, there is a hell of a lot of waste. I know this from personal experience. When my Things were tiny little critters, I was on WIC for a while. When I got that check, I had to get the things on the list. I had to get the specified things in the specified amounts. My family can't stomach the taste of eggs. So, we don't buy them unless we're baking something. However, I was told that instead of just going through the line with the things I would use, I had to get eggs. I couldn't give them away, I couldn't sell them, and really, I couldn't eat them. So, most times, they'd sit in my fridge and rot. That happens over and over in many different ways.
Thirdly, not having expended any effort (other than signing their name and showing the office the correct information) for the benefits, people don't value them as much. I know several people who got their food stamps check on the first of the month and ate steak and caviar for a week, and ramen for the rest of the month. It didn't cost them anything but a few moments of time every few months, so they don't value it, so they don't budget it properly. Also, sometimes, this can lead to a sense that it belongs to them (and other things belong to them) even when they haven't done anything to earn it.
That last paragraph may make it sound like I'm hardhearted to the needs of the poor. I am not. Not in the least. I have experienced times of plenty, and times of severe poverty. However, I am convinced the most efficient, appropriate, and loving thing would be to work through non-governmental organizations to get the job done.
NGOs have several things going for them: they can meet needs as they see them, and they can do it efficiently. Most of the time, people have to come to them for help, which gives the process value. There is still no "work," but the process of asking for help from someone you know cares can make it a valuable gift. If the gift is only given when asked, we value it more. It costs us pride to ask. Perhaps, for some, that is too steep a gift, but when family is involved, it becomes easier to swallow pride and ask for help. Plus, many NGOs have ways for the people they serve to give back. It can become an exchange that gives dignity to replace the given pride.
Many NGOs also connect their gifts with education. To continue in a program, many require certain things that the recipient can start to work their way out of the place they are in and begin to take care of themselves. That doesn't always happen, or isn't always feasible, but often, it's there.
NGOs do not have the same restrictions on regulations. And this is a good thing. If I'm being helped by a church organization, there is a personal touch, often involving a kind hand, that can often meet a need I didn't realize I had.
I have been re-watching Babylon 5, and in one episode in Season 3, Marcus says something to Dr. Franklin. The gist was, "I'm so glad that life is unfair, because if it was fair, then all the horrible things that happened in my life would be things I deserved. This way, I can rant and rail about the universe being unfair, and not feel as though I deserved those things." To meet the needs of others, to love and care for them as they need, is unfair. If we all got everything we deserved and only what we deserved, I feel the world would be a much more horrible place.
I have also been told many times that if you, as a person, see a need, perhaps you are the one intended to fill it. We often walk by people with deep needs and don't notice. However, when we do, we are struck with a sense of hunger to see that need met. The NGO gives each of us that opportunity to find a niche, fill a need, and become a better person through the "unfair" give and take that is the natural process of life.
A discussion with my children fomented this post.
By its very nature, need is unfair. I don't have the same needs as you do. My family does not have the same needs as yours. Keep that in mind for a moment.
Our government, at least the constitutional republic we live in, is based on the principles of fairness and equality. Every person is given the same rights and privileges as a citizen of the United States. So, when the government hands out food and money, it must be fair. Even when there are levels of need, the government hands out the same amount of money to the people who are on the same poverty level. Inherently, this won't work efficiently. That's my first point.
My second point is that because of this fairness, there is a hell of a lot of waste. I know this from personal experience. When my Things were tiny little critters, I was on WIC for a while. When I got that check, I had to get the things on the list. I had to get the specified things in the specified amounts. My family can't stomach the taste of eggs. So, we don't buy them unless we're baking something. However, I was told that instead of just going through the line with the things I would use, I had to get eggs. I couldn't give them away, I couldn't sell them, and really, I couldn't eat them. So, most times, they'd sit in my fridge and rot. That happens over and over in many different ways.
Thirdly, not having expended any effort (other than signing their name and showing the office the correct information) for the benefits, people don't value them as much. I know several people who got their food stamps check on the first of the month and ate steak and caviar for a week, and ramen for the rest of the month. It didn't cost them anything but a few moments of time every few months, so they don't value it, so they don't budget it properly. Also, sometimes, this can lead to a sense that it belongs to them (and other things belong to them) even when they haven't done anything to earn it.
That last paragraph may make it sound like I'm hardhearted to the needs of the poor. I am not. Not in the least. I have experienced times of plenty, and times of severe poverty. However, I am convinced the most efficient, appropriate, and loving thing would be to work through non-governmental organizations to get the job done.
NGOs have several things going for them: they can meet needs as they see them, and they can do it efficiently. Most of the time, people have to come to them for help, which gives the process value. There is still no "work," but the process of asking for help from someone you know cares can make it a valuable gift. If the gift is only given when asked, we value it more. It costs us pride to ask. Perhaps, for some, that is too steep a gift, but when family is involved, it becomes easier to swallow pride and ask for help. Plus, many NGOs have ways for the people they serve to give back. It can become an exchange that gives dignity to replace the given pride.
Many NGOs also connect their gifts with education. To continue in a program, many require certain things that the recipient can start to work their way out of the place they are in and begin to take care of themselves. That doesn't always happen, or isn't always feasible, but often, it's there.
NGOs do not have the same restrictions on regulations. And this is a good thing. If I'm being helped by a church organization, there is a personal touch, often involving a kind hand, that can often meet a need I didn't realize I had.
I have been re-watching Babylon 5, and in one episode in Season 3, Marcus says something to Dr. Franklin. The gist was, "I'm so glad that life is unfair, because if it was fair, then all the horrible things that happened in my life would be things I deserved. This way, I can rant and rail about the universe being unfair, and not feel as though I deserved those things." To meet the needs of others, to love and care for them as they need, is unfair. If we all got everything we deserved and only what we deserved, I feel the world would be a much more horrible place.
I have also been told many times that if you, as a person, see a need, perhaps you are the one intended to fill it. We often walk by people with deep needs and don't notice. However, when we do, we are struck with a sense of hunger to see that need met. The NGO gives each of us that opportunity to find a niche, fill a need, and become a better person through the "unfair" give and take that is the natural process of life.
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