Author: W. Chitrangane Perera
AIT Library Call Number: AIT Thesis no. HS-98-18
Year: 1998
Academic Program: Human Settlement (HS)
Type: Thesis (M.Sc.) – Asian Institute of Technology, 1998
Examination Committee: Reidar Dale (Chairperson); Govind Kelkar, Soparth Pongquan (Examination Committee Members)
Abstract: During the last two decades NGOs have been an effective vehicle for promoting social development at both the national and local levels. They have received recognition for their catalytic role in initiating effective institutional change, to improve the quality of life of poor people. The Uva Workers Aid Center (UWAC) and the Plantation Rural Education and Development Organization (PREDO), have played very significant roles in plantation communities, to uplift people’s living and working conditions, promote self-reliance, and self help programs taking them out of a feeling of dependence and inferiority to become active agents of their own development. This study is an attempt to identify the performance of NGOs and their initiatives in different sectors of development, viz., health, education and gender. The primary data were collected through a household survey using a questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions. Likewise, the NGO personnel were interviewed about different issues such as their program strategies, strengths, and the problems they encountered during the program implementation. NGOs have an important role in improving health, education and gender awareness in plantation communities. The people were enthusiastic about the NGOs’ programs and there has been an ever-increasing demand for their services. Both men and women accept their objectives, and participate in planning, decision making, implementation, benefit sharing, and evaluation. The NGOs were satisfied because they achieved high participation of people in the process. The strategy and structure of both the NGOs are assessed as quite sound. Both long and short term strategies of these NGOs were in consonance with peoples’ aspirations, and they were very much focused to the target groups as well as the total population of a particular location. Community participation in both planning and implementation was mandatory Despite their successes, there are some lacunas in their programs. To overcome them, they should f
Scholarship Donor(s): Federal Republic of Germany (DAAD)
Note: A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, School of Environment, Resources and Development
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