Charity...

I never knew it could be so difficult, so damn difficult to run an NGO. It is easy to be an outsider/volunteer and criticize about the way of functioning of an organisation. We do it all the time. We criticize and do it damn well indeed, abt our workplace, our city, state, country .. infact anything and everything we are associated with. If there is a competition We-Indians would emerge as the best critics.

Enough of digression. The running cost of the NGO approximates to 2 lakhs INR per month. To mainatin a student body of 140 people ( free food and accomodation), a staff of 50, including 30 teachers. The teacher's salary is given by the government.
Now with such costs I am dumbfounded how the organization meets the escalating costs every month.

Thanks to the concept of charity ingrained in humans there are many NGOs which are up and running fine. I am amazed to know there are around 3000+ NGOs in bangalore alone, 10000+ in karnataka and over a lakh in the whole of India. All of these are supported by charity. There are a barely few of them which are sustained by themselves (by income generation projects). Most of the NGOs are into mid-day meals distribution(thats what I hear). This is source of income for them. Well a lot beneficiaries of a noble scheme. I have become a big fan of the mid-day meal scheme. It is an awesome concept and it works stupendously well also.

Now with a lakh NGOs and say 100 inmates in each of them, we have around 1 crore people being given a decent life and supported by Charity.

But how long will the method of charity sustain? For how long ? Shouldnt the NGOs move out of the charity mode to income-generation mode. Sympathy sells and the NGOs need to sell sympathy. They need to make products and projects to the AAM AADMI and sell it with the NGO tag. They should come out and cut deep into the daily bread & butter market. Thats where the money is. Get into catering, Laundry services, Waste paper collection drive etc etc. Give what the markets need wiht your tag. Give quality products and you can make the best run business out of business.

Aha,easily said than done. Charity is a better way. Someone might listen to you and donate. But, how long would it work ? just how long enough ? What will happen if people stop donating. What will happpen to the kids? will they run out of food & shelter ? I AM SCARED.. how can we depend on the humans, the sinister evil social animals?

Charity.... a blessing/curse in disguise