The work of NGOs Cambridge IGCSE Sociology revision
Not started
Learn it
In plain words
When an earthquake hits, the first tents and doctors on the scene often belong to no government at all. They come from charities. NGOs do an enormous amount of good, and sociologists still ask awkward questions about them.
8 things to know
- A non-governmental organisation (NGO) is an organisation that is independent of any government and does not exist to make a profit. Most are funded by donations and grants. Examples are Oxfam, Save the Children and the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
- Reducing poverty: NGOs give emergency aid, such as food and shelter after a disaster, and run long-term projects, such as providing clean water and farming tools.
- Providing medical assistance: NGOs run clinics, carry out vaccination programmes and send medical teams to war zones and epidemics.
- Promoting business: NGOs give small loans and training so that poor people can start businesses, and they support fair prices for producers.
- Improving education: NGOs build schools, train teachers and pay the costs of schooling, especially for girls.
- Strengths: NGOs reach places and people that governments do not. They act quickly in an emergency, they are specialists, and they often work closely with local communities.
- Criticisms: their projects are small compared with the size of the problem. Aid can create dependency. Some money is spent on administration and fundraising. Projects end when the money runs out. NGOs treat the effects of inequality and leave its causes in place.
- NGOs are not elected, and they may bring the values of the rich countries that fund them.
Worked example
An NGO builds a free clinic in a poor rural area. Give one strength and one criticism of this way of reducing inequality.
- Strength: people who could not afford treatment now get it, which improves their health and life chances at once.
- Criticism: the clinic depends on donations. If the funding stops, the clinic closes, and the area is no better off.
- A deeper criticism: it does nothing about why the area is poor in the first place.
Tips and tricks
- Learn the four areas of NGO work in the syllabus: poverty, medical assistance, business and education. Have one example for each.
- A fair evaluation says what NGOs achieve for individuals, and then questions whether that changes the overall pattern of inequality.
It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.
The work of NGOs: 5 questions and answers
These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.
What is an NGO?
NGO stands for non-governmental organisation.
How are most NGOs funded?
They depend on what people and organisations give.
How do NGOs promote business?
A small loan can start a business.
Which is a strength of NGOs?
Speed and reach are their advantages.
Why do some sociologists say NGOs cannot end global inequality?Stretch
The structures that create inequality stay in place.
Quiz
5 questions
Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.
Worksheet
3 questions, 10 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.
The work of NGOs
Cambridge IGCSE Sociology 0495 · 10 marks · papermunch.org
Name ______________________________ Date ______________
What is meant by the term "non-governmental organisation"?[2]
Show answerHide answer
An organisation that is independent of government and not run for profit, which works to help people or to promote a cause.
Describe two ways in which NGOs work to reduce global inequalities.[4]
Show answerHide answer
Any two, each described: reducing poverty through emergency aid and development projects; providing medical assistance through clinics and vaccinations; promoting business through small loans and training; improving education by building schools and paying for schooling.
Explain two criticisms of the work of NGOs.[4]
Show answerHide answer
Any two, each explained: aid can create dependency, so communities do not become self-reliant; projects are small and short term, and end when funding stops; money is spent on administration; NGOs deal with the effects of poverty, not its causes; they are unelected and may impose outside values.
Answers: The work of NGOs
- 1. An organisation that is independent of government and not run for profit, which works to help people or to promote a cause.
- 2. Any two, each described: reducing poverty through emergency aid and development projects; providing medical assistance through clinics and vaccinations; promoting business through small loans and training; improving education by building schools and paying for schooling.
- 3. Any two, each explained: aid can create dependency, so communities do not become self-reliant; projects are small and short term, and end when funding stops; money is spent on administration; NGOs deal with the effects of poverty, not its causes; they are unelected and may impose outside values.