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NGOs are increasingly recognised as an important role-player
in community or people-centred development. They are a large
category of structures responsible for development. NGOs
have often been viewed as important for democracy because of
their strong support at grassroots level and their capacity
to develop and empower poor communities. They are extremely
important mechanisms in rural development and they enjoy the
goodwill and acceptance of the community. Therefore NGOs
have become very important players in the field of social
development and upliftment. The democratisation of South
Africa has opened new opportunities for NGOs to make a
meaningful contribution to the development of South African
society. This is particularly so at grassroots level. The
primary aim of NGOs is to improve the living conditions of
people through development in general. This entails various
aspects of human life, such as literacy, human dignity,
justice and economic ability, essentially the joy of life.
This paper attempts to address questions such as what is
meant by development, what role have NGOs previously played
in the development process, and lastly what role should they
be playing. |
