Civil society: that’s a good thing, isn’t it? I remember a book which linked the decline in civil society activity in the US to an increase in crime and anti-social activity. Civil society in this context can mean anything from boy scouts and the Red Cross to the Women’s Institute, bowling clubs, Save the Children and Oxfam. Most of those participating in civil society do so as volunteers. Some get paid but gladly accept lower than normal salaries because it is in a good cause.
In the Congo civil society has a somewhat different ring to it. As we move from the neglected and dirty government offices to those of Non Government Organisations (NGOs) which is development-speak for civil society, the contrast is immediate. The office grounds are neatly maintained, the lawn is watered and the flowers well tended. Is this just because the good people of civil society take pride in their environment?
Inside the offices the contrast is even stronger. Modern computers sit on the desks, files are kept in modern steel cabinets, and as we engage in discussions about the good works they are doing for the poor, we hear the ping of emails arriving through their high-speed internet connection. To counteract the impression of prosperity, NGO clothing is aggressively egalitarian: short sleeved check shirts and jeans. Sometimes even sandals. But this belies the most important symbol of the difference: the huge 4 x 4 vehicles parked outside.
How come?
It was all a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Donors in the DRC tried giving friends to the new government after the 2006 elections, to the government which had pledged a fresh start with zero tolerance of corruption. Alas, either the funds were spent on something else, or vanished completely. The news travelled like wildfire, and very soon no donors was giving money to the government.
Clearly a different model had to be found, and what could be better than using the opportunity to help civil society by passing funds through them? No one was more surprised than the NGOs who suddenly found themselves being entrusted with responsibility for implementing projects worth many thousand dollars, if not millions. Initial experiences were mixed. For some the temptation was too much: new houses and suchlike were evidence of misspent funds; but many showed that they could administer the money quite well and provide a service which was better than government’s.
Finding the skills within the NGO community was tricky, but NGOs soon developed a chameleon-like ability to change their colours to the fashion of the day by recruiting token experts. Agriculture – of course, we are the experts. Health services, we know it all. Small business – that’s our bread and butter. Orphans and vulnerable children – we’ve been doing that for years. All the same, donors often had difficulty finding enough NGOs to implement their work.
So it was that the market became less and less competitive as the need to spend funds became more important than the availability of experience and skills within the sector. The NGOs could ratchet up their costs and no one minded. At least the money was being spent and accounted for.
The icing on the cake for NGO types is that it often gives them an opportunity to enter politics. For example, they can claim to be the ones bringing school books to the District, digging wells which allow irrigation, or giving loans to small businesses. At each project site, their name is writ large. The NGO boss takes every opportunity to be participate, with Governors and Provincial Ministers, in high level opening ceremonies which are shown on television. The logical next step is to stand for parliament. Being much better paid than the government functionaries, the NGO man can also afford good suits*, a mark of leadership which, curiously, attracts admiration and support among the voting public. So not only does he have a better car and office than the public functionaries, he’s able to claim that he has brought more development than government has; not a position that particularly endears them to the powers that be.
So, when you next meet a senior member of the government of the DRC, don’t say “How lucky you are to have such a vibrant civil society movement.” You just might have a violent response.
* Or woman, in which case read dresses, though the contrast is much less evident between woman.
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