24 Oct 2017

 Chief executive officer for Bona Life, Ms Reginah Vaka-Sikalesele says Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) need  to collaborate with government and private entities to generate their own income instead of relying on donations to create a positive change in the communities they serve.

Speaking at the first ever non-governmental week organised by the Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (BOCONGO) that started on October 23, Ms Vaka-Sikalesele said the main relevance for the NGOs was to act in a manner that would catalyse change in the community and as such it was vital for them to come up with innovative ideas to make positive change in people’s lives.

 She said in order for the NGOs to become true advocates for their people, integrity and accountability were key in their efforts to solve problems for their people and perform the roles that had been defined for them.

She explained that lack of integrity and accountability posed a major setback to the sectors because there was no way any organisation would leave the type of influence that is required of them to bring change in the community if they cannot be held accountable for the actions.

“There has been a decry that there is a lack of significant engagement with government and private entities.

This could be due to a number of factors; it could be a reflection of the image of the sector because if there is a perception that the image of the sector is diminishing then the engagement will also diminish, thus it’s vital to have integrity,” she said.

Ms Vaka-Sikalesele further pointed out that funding was still a great challenge to the NGOs.

She said originally the sectors were being funded through donations from external parties, but of late, the landscape has changed with Botswana having moved from a developing country to a middle income country.

As such, Ms Vaka-Sikalesele said, this presented a significant problem in the model of NGOs as it has been in the past, which leads to the challenge of the evolution of the sector.

“Regarding these changes, it’s very important for the sector to be part of the evolution and facilitate that move for the times.

A lot of NGOs are still stuck in the past, the way they present their initiatives and projects is still based fundamentally on the fact that they expect funding or donations to come their way even when reality is clear that the opposite is pertinent,” she added.

For his part, the chairperson of BOCONGO, Mr Oscar Motsumi reiterated the need for the civil societies to form synergies with private entities and government institutions to overcome challenges facing the communities.

He said they needed to work hand in hand towards the challenges found in the community then rectify those challenges by working with the same people in the community.

The NGO week will provide a mutual learning opportunity among NGOs, government and private organisations, which will enhance solidarity and unity among the sectors. ENDS