By Omar El-Bourhari (2ème Bac. Lettres Modernes)
The acronym NGO stands for Non-Governmental Organisation which refers to all private voluntary but legal associations concerned with sustainable development. For this purpose, these organizations play an important role in empowering youth and women in Economic, social and environmental fields.
In the economic field, these organizations help to set women and youth to work not only by providing them with micro-credits, but also by supporting them take the initiative in setting up their own enterprises and invest their money appropriately. In other words, they participate in fighting poverty especially in rural areas.
Socially, they work on improving the status and situation of women in society so as to achieve social justice and establish a sort of equality between men and women by trying to increase literacy rates among women through informal education. Additionally, they try to provide other basic social services such as health care, running water and electrification of rural areas to stop rural exodus. Moreover, they work hard to eliminate some harmful cultural behaviours like racism, stereotypes and violence against women and children.
As for the environmental side, NGOs do a lot to conserve natural resources for future generations and to reduce pollution by sensitising people about the toxic danger of litter and trash. They also set up programmes to preserve water, to plant trees and to take care of public gardens as well as to protect some endangered species from extinction.
NGOs’ role, therefore, is so important that most of the projects connected to sustainable development are based on their success and perseverance.
