Definitions :
Definitions Non-governmental Organization
No generally agreed to legal definition
Civil-society Organization
An organization that is not part of the local or state or federal government
Purpose: social or political
Disaster
“actual occurrence of events that produce casualties and damage at a level exceeding a community’s ability to cope” (Lindelletal Ch. 1)
Purpose :
Purpose Intermediary between population and government
Bottom-up approach
Local grassroots organizations and international organizations
Tend to be well-connected at local level
Have specialized skills/capacities
Can usually mobilize quickly
Tend to work for and with “neediest groups”
Examples :
Examples The American Red Cross
The National Emergency Response Team (NERT)
The Salvation Army
The American Radio Relay League, Inc. (ARRL)
Problems :
Problems Several might do the same job
Discord between different NGO groups
Might overextend and under deliver
Conclusion :
Conclusion Important element of disaster-relief process
Bridges governments and citizens by providing needed services
Effectiveness dependent on good communication
Especially good at providing goods and services to underserved people