The NGO Sector in Pakistan: Past, Present and Future

Despite significant developments on the economic front, the Pakistani government's human development efforts have failed to serve the needs of the poor. Whereas the rural poor do not trust government schemes, they do trust nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), most of which are apolitical community-based grassroots organizations accountable to local people. The current government has revived the local council structure. The local councilors appreciate NGO contributions to the development of their areas and are willing to support them. There are several ways that public-private partnerships with NGOs can benefit Pakistan. The outreach capacity of the NGOs can help the government in its efforts to establish community centers for training teachers, managers, and communities. NGOs operate many low-cost private schools in poor and rural areas of Pakistan and have been quite successful in establishing schools for girls. NGOs have also helped with the expansion of government schools and the provision of inservice training to rural teachers. The government has made early childhood education a priority, but has little capacity for material development. NGOs have produced child-centered education materials for private schools and have the capacity to assist the government in this area. Because of their proximity to rural communities, NGOs are also well suited to provide health services to the poor. NGOs have grassroots perspectives, non-bureaucratic approaches, administrative efficiency, innovativeness, and flexibility, but their success depends on a conducive environment of policy, legislation, and funding. (TD)