We shouldn’t forget those who help us

ONE can say it is disappointing that the World NGO Day yesterday went by without much fanfare.
An NGO (non-governmental organisations) is any non-profit, volunteer citizens’ group which is organised on a local, national or international level.
NGOs play an important role in the economic development of developing countries.
They provide services to society through welfare works for community development, assistance in national disasters, sustainable system development, and popular movements.
The number of NGOs worldwide is estimated to be 10 million. Russia had about 277,000 NGOs in 2008. India was estimated to have had around 2 million NGOs in 2009, just over one NGO per 600 Indians, and many times the number of primary schools and primary health centres in India.
At times they remain invisible at the national level, creating little impression of the work of NGOs in the development context.
Such lack of recognition is sometimes taken advantage of by those who do not understand well the role of NGOs.
Only one group this week made mention of this day during the week and it was the Australian Doctors International (ADI) who like many other NGOs are working hard to make a difference.
So what is ADI and what do they do? ADI specialises in integrated health patrols and health in-services, deploying volunteer doctors and health coordinators to work in partnership with local government, private companies and faith-based health providers to deliver unique value
Yesterday, they celebrated the delivery of over 24,000 clinical services last financial year and more than 237 hours of public health education to 10,600 community members over 209 patrol days in some of the most remote parts of Papua New Guinea.
ADI says these are impressive numbers but for our volunteer doctors in PNG, the real impact comes when they look into the eyes of a mother as they pass a healthy newborn child into her arms, born safely as a result of good antenatal care and safe birthing classes.
World NGO Day aims to inspire people to become more actively involved within NGOs and encourage a greater symbiosis between NGOs and both the public and private sector.
The universal concept of the World NGO Day is “celebrate, commemorate and collaborate” the various NGOs around the world, and the people behind them.
It aims to educate individuals worldwide on NGOs and their impact.
World NGO Day provides an opportunity to honour and remember NGO founders, employees, volunteers, members and supporters.
As such, they are often privy to first-hand information. If rural dwellers are losing their tribal lands to multi-national corporations, they are aware.
One strength that NGOs may bring to research involves the potential value of service delivery experience.
There are no official records on the number of NGOs in PNG but their different roles in the society must be appreciated.
While many will have their own opinions of the different NGOs, one fact remains and that is NGOs are typically as close to the ground as they can get – all over the rural areas talking to the people.
Their day surely needs to be celebrated for what it truly is.