Is the creation of NGOs and foundations now an escape road from poverty?

The rampant creation of NGOs and foundations is not different from that of churches in Cameroon. Concerning the latter, one can easily understand that its influence stems from the Bible, which has predicted that during the end time, there will be many churches and fake prophets. 

On the part of NGOs and foundations, their legal basis is instituted by Art. 71 in Chapter X of the United Nations Charter of 1945. Though this article didn't mention the rampant creation of NGOs or predict excess creation of NGOs during the 21st century, one doubts what could have influenced the rapid influx of NGOs, especially in Cameroon. 

From research, this writer got it clear that the first creators of NGOs and foundations were persons or families who had either attained social influence or financial freedom before creating an institution to give back to the society. 

In this regard, people of affluence create NGOs to assist in reducing or eradicating certain diseases or consequences of environmental disorders like climate change and dirtiness or to fight for causes like gender inequality and freedom of expression. 

While foundations are mostly concerned with giving back to the society through charity, that is, touching lives by targeting the underprivileged, like widows, orphans, handicapped persons or displaced persons. 

Due to their busy schedule and the fact that they intend to reach out to many affected people, they recruit volunteers to assist them in their objective of touching lives. Due to their benevolent nature and the number of lives they have touched, donors start pumping money to support them to do more. 

It is pretty good to opine that the advent of donors has changed the narrative of NGOs and foundations in Africa in general and Cameroon in particular. Due to the low employment rate, which is causing intense hardship, many persons in Cameroon, youth in particular, after graduation, have taken the creation of NGOs as a safe road to escape poverty. 

Many with zero per cent influence and financial backing engage in the creation of NGOs and foundations based on the multiple international donors who keep requesting for NGOs to fund. All they need is to write some objectives, compile some papers, pay a token and register their NGO. 

I talked with some and discovered that many were unable to print T-shirts or banners which could showcase their NGO during an occasion that concerned them. They held that they were facing financial difficulties and couldn't meet up with those necessary expenditures at the moment. 

The question is, how can an NGO that has just existed for a month already be complaining of financial difficulty without carrying out a single project that reflects their objectives? Well, this can only happen when people who cannot be proud of a single meal a day engage in projects to feed the society. 

This is to tell you that the majority of them are created with the hope of getting a donation that can change not the society, as they purport, but their own lives. So it's not necessarily the people but their personal pocket they are fighting for. 

What is more vexing is the fact that they keep disturbing friends and people they meet casually with appeals to support their projects, and when you look at the person demanding support, you discover that the organisation is just starting and they are already demanding financial support for their project. 

Worse still is the fact that after collecting huge sums of money from individuals, they buy some few items, visit orphanages, widows or handicapped people and take pictures, while the rest of the money goes to their pocket.This money is used to cater for their particular needs. 

This is evident in the fact that there are many people who had little or no impact on society, created NGOs and foundations, applied for funding which they got, and became rich overnight. The next thing is, they start travelling from one country to the other, living in good hotels, and will finally abandon their project to settle abroad at the slightest opportunity. 

While this may seem unencouraging to observers like us, to their families, it's nothing less than winning a lottery, while to other youth, it's an inspiring action which can only fertilise their interest to do the same.

As a consequence, many hungry and unemployed youth, under the influence of hunger caused by the financial hurricane plaguing the country, see the creation of NGOs as an escape road from poverty. 

While we appreciate the self-sponsored NGOs and foundations that are fuelling enormous impact in the society with little or no funding, I want to beckon on the government to probe on this issue of NGOs being created here and there.

BY MARKS ABAIKO, Secretary General Association of New Generation Authors (ANGA)

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