Re: High handed treatment of NGOs by funding organisations

[Guest guest]

Dear Shyamala,

It is unfortunate that your organization and you have been subject to such trauma. The issue you have raised is highly relevant. It is utmost concern the way some of the larger donors in the country have been given a free hand to operate the way they want too. This issue was raised at the highest level by some of us in the country and will soon be communicated to the PMOs office.

The question that needs to be asked is the scope of accountability and responsibility to civil society and communities at large by these donors. The existing scope seems to rest between donors and governments.

Due to the scale and scope of large resources that are committed to flow into the country, all players including civil society tends to get awed and blinded, this has resulted in getting defocused from the need to look at all issues from a perspective of building sustained partnerships and governance which has to be mutually respected.

Unfortunately, as of now, this is a one way street, resulting in many NGOs having to dance to the whims and fancies of these donors. As the head of an NGO, I can empathise with you since many of us ultimately are faced with the daunting task of addressing the concerns of our communities with such limited resources.

Another issue is that of ethical norms. The in country programmes are so top heavy that some of the compensation packages that the management team get is surely atomically. Many senior government functionaries have left their existing postings to join these donors as part of the in country, senior management staff. This has also allowed a convenient unhealthy convergence, leading to a false sense of power and egocentric structures.

The issue of High handed treatment of NGOs by funding organizations is also relevant with various Government agencies which all of us in the Civil Society sector in India have been dealing with for years. The fundamental flaw is the equation of building a relationship with any agency that is seen as an agency that provides funds is that the relationship is dysfunctional to start with. There is an acute need to develop partnerships that are not necessarily dictated by funds. Partnerships need to be dictated by mutual understanding of issues and mutually agreeable strategies for effective interventions.

While the above issues are being addressed, it is necessary for all NGO heads and community leaders to institute policies that allow a clear process for NGOs, CBOs, positive networks to choose who they want to work with. All partnerships with donors must be guided by policies that are objective and clear on ethics, accountability, responsibility, and governance. To be approached by donors with funds or to approach donors since, we (civil society) need funds may not be good enough.

Donors need to understand that it takes years of hardship and struggle to create a space of acceptability for Civil society especially small NGOs to function with such effectiveness. To use the power of money and Egos to discredit and dismantle is very unfair and unacceptable.

On a positive note as mentioned earlier we will raise these issue at all possible levels. In the meanwhile, I do hope and pray that better sense prevails between you and your donors and the existing conflict is resolved. We cannot afford to loose passion and commitment to external egocentric dictates.

We must understand that in the face of the daunting task of addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in India, we cannot allow for Egos that are bigger than the epidemic to be played out in our country.

Let me end by assuring you of our whole hearted support. Please do let us know in what way we could be of help.

Best, as always

Dr.Ashok Rau

Senior Research Fellow, HIP

The Terry Sanford Institute of Public Health, Duke University, USA,

Visiting Faculty, Yale University, New Haven, USA,

Senior ASHOKA Fellow,

Executive Trustee/CEO

Freedom Foundation-India,

Centers of Excellence- Substance Abuse & HIV/AIDS

Head Office:

180, Hennur Cross,

Hennur Main Road,

Bangalore-560 043

India

[Guest guest]

Dear Sirs/Madams

The harrasment to the NGO is not new. There is a fault with the NACO Guidelines

to state aids control societies. They have given much powers to SACS to pay as

a reimbursement. It seems the last instalment is ment to negotiate the share.

Those who do not are the suffers.

The case is not new. Many SACS has done this to many NGOs. The NACO is simply

blind to all these, thinking all NGOs are alike. So is the case with Shyamla it

looks.

Mukesh

Indian Institute of Development

E-mail: <iidmbpl@...>

[Guest guest]

Re: High handed treatment of NGOs by funding organisation

Dear All,

What is happening to Shyamala Ashok is so disorienting that one wonders what us

going on. In his long letter supporting her, Ashok Rau of Freedom Foundation has

talked about the distortions coming

into the HIV/ASIDS prevention sector.

Some of us are documenting this for the future and hope to one day.tell the

story of how people are being hounded, how programs are being set against each

other, how the sheer unaccountability of some

funders is leading to total chaos at the grass-roots. And believe me, there is a

lot to collect and archive.

But that's only possible if people like Shyamala Ashok survive this crisis. I

mean she manages to keep heart and soul together in this war of attrition.

Shyamala, hang in there. Things will improve.

regards

Ashok Row Kavi

Humsafar Trust

Mumbai Metro

E-mail: <arowkavi@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Shyamala and friends,

I fully share the concern and frustration that a person like Shyamala is

undergoing. Her issue is a part of many such untold instances that the few

professionals in the funding agencies have been indulging in the name of

management.

This will create a serious doubts in the minds of real professionals and NGO

sector if the funding agencies do no take action ASAP.

Shyamala's call to un mask such instances has come at the time, when we are at

the verge of reaching the dubious distinction on the HIV front.

I wish to share my frustrations to you all after almost 2 years of silence. I

was the victim of the diabolic character assasination carried out by few. I

kept quiet because of the professional ethics and respect to the funding

agency.

Very few would know the struggles that I as Avert's first director had

undergone. There were many masters, many manuals, a management agency for over

Rs. 60 lakhs for doing the policing and above all the nasty politics that few

individuals (Two of them were former colleague of Dr.Lakshmi at APAC.) at the

funding agency played in the proramme.

They used to call several times a day to a particular staff on STD and advice

next move to do an insubordination, instigate the junior staff to speak against

me, hold privarte meetings at five star hotel lobbies till late evenings, gave

false promises to staff, encouraged the fellow PD of MSACS at that time to

fabricate allegations and above all instituted an audit to find fault with me.

Inspite of all these, I was able to establish the office from the literally

repairing leaking building to setting up strategic directions. At the end of

the day, the then NACO, PD was used against me as well.

What did they achieve?. Nothing but delays in NGO funds for over 9 months;

almost nil progress; absence of full time PD for almost 2 years and above all,

the then PD, MSACS - who was supported by the team from the funding agency for

all the " BELOW THE BET " actions against me - himself was transferred for the

allegations of sexual abuse and so on.

It was known to all and it was a news of TOI few months ago thanks to the bold

lady who un masked his real face.

I have faced worst stress in my personal and professional life for almost one

year. The project that I nurtured so well went into the ocks for two years and

even now it is struggling, I am told. I learn that all my recommendations have

been put into practice and concerns are now reduced or removed. But can they

give back the aluable time loss and effort loss back to people?. Have they

helped the state in any way despite big money and donor tag?

All these are because of the serious micro management and ill advised decisions

by few in the funding agencies. I feel sad for such donors that they were not

able to see through the capacity and

real worth of professionals.

They should realise that they also get funds from some one who pays tax, donates

and gifrts something for others. Having such " hot air ballons " in such vital

positions will lead to such problems not only to the donors but also to the

society.

I learn that in India, most of such " so called " HIV experts have got plum

positions in major donor agencies.

As we grapple with the HIV issues, can we afford to allow such whimsical and

pseudo professionals to continue to decide the fate of the lakhs of PLHAs and

High risk groups for no fault of theirs!

Shyamala, thanks for speaking out. Let others too come out and place the facts

to the world or else, there will be no meaning to such forums, RIGHTS,

Governance and freedom of expression.

Vaidyanathan

Dhaka

E-mail: <k_vaidy@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear forum members,

In the recent days I see more mails commenting about a funding agency TAI-VHS.

As a member of the Aravani/ TG community I would like to share my views.

Iam the founder president of THAA - Thamilnadu Aravanaigal association(

Aravanigal -transgender/Hijara)the first community based and managed

organization for Aravanis since 1998 in Tamilnadu.

Our organization is supported by TANSACS and CAPACS for our HIV/AIDS prevention

and care projects with our community.

I also render my services as senior community advisor with TAI-VHS. I involve my

self with TAI for the only reason my community members in the other districts of

Tamilnadu is being reached and benifitted.

TAI-VHS has 24 partner NGOsin 13 districts and the target groups are female sex

workers,Kothis(MSM)and Aravanis.

TAI has 24 committed service oriented community advisors from 13 districts.

It was noticed that out of 24 patner NGOs four NGO's performance was not

satisfactory and reported to TAI. After reapeted follow ups a critical external

evaluation was conducted by a expereienced reputed professional agency.I was one

of the advisors in the evaluation team. Our roll was to help in assessing the

field work.

After obtaining reorts the four NGOs were called and the identified gaos in

their project implementation was discussed. Except one NGO, the rest three NGOs

had a broad view to coup-up with the evaluation and committed themselves for

improvement of their projects,

Recently an external evaluation was conducted by CAPACS for my organization

THAA.After successful completion of three years, weaker and stronger areas in

implementation were identified and 18 points were recomonded for omprovement of

the intervention project. As the chief functionary I realised the error and

motivated the project cooridinator for the correction.

It is a fact that all NGOs and CBOs will face their own hurdels and challenges.

I was very happy with some patner NGOs of TAI with a great involvement and

commitment. The appriciable quality of a partner NGO is join smooth habd with

the lead partners. Nothing can be achieved with fault finding and non

cooperation.

Aasha Bharathi

E-mail: <aashathaa@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

There have been a few supportive views in favour of the issues raised by Ms.

Shyamala on the so called labeled " High-Handed "

or imperialistic attitude of the Donor Agency. In this context, I

would like to put forth to this forum my views against such

established argument.

If the Donors of the HIV/AIDS Prevention extend only financial support to

prevent rather than technical assistance, the NGOs which really work and

implement in the field to prevent HIV would have faced several hardships in

getting the technical support.

It may strongly be underlined and established that the technical support

extended by the Donor agency along with the financial support has been

effectively contributing in the prevention of the epidemic which cannot be

refuted by any NGO which is working for the cause of AIDS victims.

Accordingly, each and every intervention is comprehended such that the nature

of approach in implementing the programme intervention has been in line with the

technical guidance rendered by the Donor agency.

In this context, it is quite acceptable and not debatable that the Donor agency

guides and intervenes in effective implementation of the planned intervention as

efficiently as possible without deviating from the set goals which inevitably

may end up with internal conflicts in the failure of complying to the

requirements.

Any NGO which is committed to eliminate the epidemic, concerned with applying

effective and innovative methods to prevent the disease must be taken in the

right spirit that the intervention of the Donor agency in monitoring and

streamlining the process of intervention as its duty and not necessarily

high-handedness.

However, if the NGO fails to take in the right spirit and taken differently and

accordingly presented through various channels as if the Donor Agency is acting

with high-handedness, it is the duty of the partner NGOs which have been

supported both financially and technically to implement the project, to

establish through their experiences to present the actual facts. I am doing the

same in this letter.

As a NGO, which is getting the technical and financial support from TAI accused

by Ms. Shymala, I have never observed and realized TAI showing a big brother

attitude. Moreover, one cannot refute that no Donor agency would act with

high-handedness if the NGOs are working for the cause of preventing the disease

with result driven mode which is supposed to be aim of such intervening agency

and one cannot find time to concentrate on anything else, except achieving the

result.

I would like to place on record through this letter my concern emphasizing that

it is unfortunate and a sorry state of affair and unpleasant to notice that for

the sake of addressing the issues of a single NGO, the existing system is being

criticized totally which must be discouraged in future.

Further, the epidemic of HIV will not wait for us to solve these issues and the

need of the hour is to prove our programmes as result oriented and result driven

rather than making petty issues on trivial matters. If we involve in debating

over these issues, the very purpose of preventing the disease would be defeated.

Thanking you

With regards,

Ila.Ambalavanan

Chief Functionary,

PEOPLE'S DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES

E-mail: <pdi_india@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Ila.Ambalavanan and the FORUM

Everything you say is conceded. (Re: High handed treatment of NGOs by funding

organisations)

In fact I am glad you have given the lengthy explanation. Each funding

agency has its own M and E appparatus.

But if you don't mind, every funder has the right to stop funding but you DO NOT

have the right ot take away her dignity.

On what grounds do you accept that? Please explain that and we can then go

ahead. As somebody who has had many differences with Shyamala which she will

tell you about, please explain to me how you can could have withstood the

humiliation and harrassment that she is undergoing?.

Regards

Ashok Row Kavi

Mumbai

E-mail: <arowkavi@...>