Are NGOs Truly as Altruistic as They Make Themselves out to Be?

Are NGOs in the present day not as altruistic as they were intended to be, and what has caused them to fail? Are the critics of NGOs justified in comparing them to the imperialist project of the past?

The Roots

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are often mistaken by many for being altruistic organizations that strive to prevent human rights abuses. However, with the impact of globalization in the past few years and the whirlwind of socio-political and economic changes, non-governmental organizations have come into public scrutiny for their tendency to deviate from their original humanitarian intentions. It is increasingly difficult in the present day to credit them with being absolutely “altruistic”, for those with managerial and directorial positions in non-governmental organizational firms usually enjoy immense salaries and privileges in a billion dollar industry whilst millions around the world still suffer the human rights violations that these organizations pledge to resolve. So much so that the nature of non-governmental organizations today has been likened to that of the imperialist project of the past.

The initiation and formation of non-governmental organizations in the early stages intended to have a relatively more altruistic purpose than they appear to do so…