In the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, many indigenous communities further their struggles for greater political and cultural autonomy by working with transnational non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Communication technology (what I call comtech) is increasingly vital to these intersecting socio-spatial relations of activism and advocacy. In this dissertation, I examine how comtech offer indigenous individuals and organizations with the means for visualizing their political-cultural agendas. Approaching the access and use of comtech, especially video technologies, as a partial and situated technoscience, I inquire into how and why these activities reconfigure the production and evaluation of authoritative knowledge about indigenous peoples, places, and practices. More specifically, I undertook an organizational ethnography of a small intermediary NGO comprised of individuals who self-identify as indigenous and others who do not, Ojo de Agua Comunicacin Indgena, which endeavors to place communication technologies (especially video equipment) at the disposal of indigenous communities. Through participation-observation and interviews, I explored this groups everyday strategies of networking in the name of assisting indigenous actors access and appropriation of visual technologies. I also pursued interpretive analyses of video-mediated articulations of indigenous knowledge and identity that were enabled by Ojo de Agua. My research indicates that Ojo de Agua has selectively built upon the ambitions and the socio-spatial connections of a government program that emerged from the initiatives of academic advocates, who sought to open new spaces of participation for indigenous peoples. Members of Ojo de Agua have, however, found their goal of service somewhat stymied by a situation that positions them within a flexible labor force of knowledge workers. Their livelihoods as media makers did not allow them (the time or money) to pursue as much altruism and advocacy as they would have liked. Nonetheless, Ojo de Aguas corpus of videos established the group as an alternative and yet authoritative source of visual knowledge of indigenous peoples, places, and practices. This relocation of advocacy is symptomatic of the creative destruction fueled by the neo-liberal economic policies that, for the last thirty years, have been reconfiguring spaces of cooperation and conflict in Latin America.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / In the aftermath of a disaster, relief agencies rush to assist the affected population. However, lack of coordination between these agencies often results in poor resource management, which undermines efficacy and efficiency. This report facilitates inter-agency collaboration, particularly between military and non-military entities, by conducting a case study of one non-government organization involved in disaster relief. With the second-highest revenue among major non-government organizations in the United States, the Salvation Army in America—and, by extension, its international arm, the Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO)—is an ideal candidate for evaluation. This report evaluates SAWSO's disaster response capabilities by analyzing its organizational history, operational competencies, and financial resources. The results of this report offer a foundation for military and other humanitarian relief agencies to pursue collaborative efforts and increase the overall efficiency and efficacy of future disaster response operations. This report's findings indicate that SAWSO is a highly efficient organization from a financial standpoint, and that it offers a variety of relief capabilities that vary by region, with the provision of shelter, settlement, and non-food items among its strongest and most consistent competencies. / Outstanding Thesis / Captain, United States Marine Corps

Research report presented to the SBL, Unisa, Midrand. / This report proposes to make a contribution in the area of governance by critically analyzing the governance structure of SNV (The Netherlands Development Organization) in implementing projects. This study is motivated by the scarcity of published documentation on corporate and project governance practices specific to the African and particularly Kenyan context which organisations interested in pursuing good governance and managerial practices can use as a reference point.

This thesis examines the roles played by Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) in addressing the broad issue of poverty and development by focusing on the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region. A new and intricate interplay of the profit, public, and non-profit sectors has arisen as the importance of NGOs has grown throughout the Global South. NGOs, now at the heart of economic development in LAC, are actors in what has been called a global civil society and have demonstrated an immense breadth of specified knowledge and adaptability. The main objective of the paper is to explore whether, and to what extent, NGOs can strengthen the capacity of states to effectively and fairly govern, and promote sustainable development. What can NGOs do to improve states in Latin America and the Caribbean? NGOs are placed within the progressive spectrum of development, while uncovering the need for a balanced approach to the complex topic of development. Consequently, NGOs carrying out capacity building objectives can be seen to support the involvement of local actors and communities while serving as interlocutors between the state and civil society. Haiti is used as a case study because it provides a unique and extreme example of the role that NGOs can play in promoting the public sector.

O objetivo da presente pesquisa é explorar a mobilização legal de causas políticas, a partir de um estudo de caso sobre quatro entidades de defesa de direitos brasileiras: Sociedade Paraense de Direitos Humanos - SDDH , Centro de Defesa de Direitos Humanos Petrópolis – CDDH, Grupo de Assistência Jurídica às Organizações Populares – GAJOP, e Cidadania, Estudo, Pesquisa, Informação e Ação - CEPIA. Com base predominantemente no uso da metodologia qualitativa, foram analisados relatórios de atividades anuais, revistas e folhetos, produzidos pelas referidas ONGs no período que abrange 1998 até 2010. Visando explorar os distintos formatos de atuação destas entidades no processo de defesa e construção de causas políticas, foram construídas categorias analíticas, que anunciam os principais argumentos emergentes. Os argumentos mais recorrentemente mobilizados caracterizam uma tendência de ativismo por parte das agentes das entidades estudadas. Questões de gênero, diversidade racial e vulnerabilidade social são temas tratados como sendo questão de “direitos humanos”, revelando a apropriação de distintos recursos do universo jurídico e diferentes usos do direito enquanto forma estratégica de mobilização política. / The objective of the current research is to explore legal mobilization of political causes starting with a case study about four brazilian human right’s institutions: Paraense Human Rights Society – SDDH, Petrópolis Human Rights Defence Center – CDDH, Popular Organizations Legal Assistance Group – GAJOP, and Citizenship, Studies, Research, Information and Action – CEPIA. Mainly based in the use of qualitative methodology, anual activity reports, magazines and flyers produced by refered NGOs within the years 1998 to 2010 were analyzed. With the aim of studying these institutions’ distinct performance formats in the process of putting up and defending political causes. Analytical categories were built, announcing the main emerging arguments. The most recurringly mobilized arguments feature an activism tendency by agents of the researched institutions, which are within a point of view related to Law and Feminism, gender issues, racial diversity and social vulnerability as a matter of “human rights”, prioritizing the appropriation of distinct uses of Law, as well as, resources from law universe as a form of strategic political mobilization.

Mainly from the perspective of transformative learning (TL), the thesis explores how the rights-based approach (RBA) by a Cambodian NGO has influenced rural citizens' agency in fulfilling their rights to development and, consequently, has brought about social change. The study was conducted in particular contexts where for the last decade there have been decentralisation reforms and land grabbing, both of which have come into existence as a result of the conjunction of neo-patrimonialism (as a patronage-based practice by the Cambodian government) and such global forces as the influences of aid donors and the increase in global resource demands. The literature indicates that RBA as a western-conceptualised and confrontational approach is not likely to work, especially in relation to the often authoritarian governments of developing countries. Hence, this study has chosen a Cambodian NGO—which has modified RBA to fit the rural context of Cambodia—as a case, so as to explore the potential and limits of RBA in a highly repressive and complex context. In order to explore the context-specific yet multi-scalar phenomenon of the agency and structure relationship, I utilised a grounded theory ethnographic study inspired by critical realism and employed the expanded framework of the TL theory, further complemented by the Freirean approach and Gramscian thought. Furthermore, in order to delve into how the exercise of citizens' agency is constrained by structures, this study also situates TL's rather active view of agency in the critical realist's moderate view of agency. This thesis argues that the Cambodian NGO, by working closely with government, has made full use of and further widened the democratic spaces made available through decentralisation, in order to create spaces conducive to TL, and has harnessed its multi-faceted and process-oriented rights-based empowerment approach in order to enhance citizens' agency to claim their rights. However, the thesis critiques the fact that the NGO has not enabled citizens to become aware of and to contend against the deep-seated practice of neo-patrimonialism that is hidden behind the democratic façade of the decentralisation process and that has engendered land grabbing, with the result that the NGO has been promoting 'thin' rights. Finally this study reveals the possibilities of TL through RBA in the highly oppressive and resource-scarce context of rural Cambodia, yet casts doubt on its replicability as it appears to demand the mobilisation of a number of enabling factors in order for TL to occur within such a context.

This thesis aims to map contemporary situation of non-profit organization's structure of funding in the culture. The theoretical section contains the definitions of non-profit sector and presents the organizations which focus on cultural activities. Then describes individual sources of funding and explains the issue of fundraising. The practical section consists of the analysis of four particular institutions with a focus on their structure of funding. In conclusion, the current situation is evaluated and the possible measures are proposed.

Community development programmes have been initiated to tackle the shared problems of local communities. The nature, volume and tenure of the development programmes depend on the felt needs and available resources. Different nations initiate community development programmes at different times. Pakistan was among first few countries to launch local level development programmes during the early 1950s, after consultation from the United Nations. The Government started the Village Agricultural Industrial Development (V-AID) and Community Development Projects (CDPs) that focused on rural and urban areas, respectively. The CDPs introduced the self-help and bottom-up development approaches in the early years, which led to great success. The mode of working of CDPs was changed with different transitions and expansions in their working styles and services. These projects are still alive and provide community development services directly, as well as indirectly through nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) registered with the Department of Social Welfare. This survey research was conducted to describe and explore the present working practices, problems and needs of government-run CDPs in Punjab Province, Pakistan. In 36 districts of Punjab, officers-in-charge at the CDPs (Deputy District Officers), NGOs registered with the CDPs and non-CDP-registered NGOs were included as respondents. Questionnaires having both closed-ended and open-ended questions were used as data collection tools. Results in the form of frequencies and percentages are presented in simple tables, multiple response tables, bar charts and pie charts. In addition, open-ended responses were coded, quantified and presented in multiple response tables. Analysis of data obtained from the three groups of participants provided rich and valuable results about the current work practices of CDPs. I found that CDPs are well-known government-run development projects that register, guide, assist and monitor NGOs and initiate direct programmes in communities. Almost all CDPs cover more than 35,000 people in their working areas with and face problems of untrained staff and staff shortages as mainly reported by NGOs. The respondent NGOs, in comparison to the DDOs, report the CDP staff performance as low and unsatisfactory. The role of CDPs in the NGO registration and emergency services is acknowledged. NGOs viewed the CDPs registration services overly long and complicated. Further, the mode of operation of the CDPs and their authority to deal with the local people and NGOs was found to be complex. In this regard, CDPs have limited authority and have to follow instructions given by higher authorities. The respondent NGOs consider the CDPs and higher authorities to be more authoritative in deciding planning and implementation of projects initiated by the CDPs directly at the local level. The CDPs face various problems that affect their smooth working. The responses of all three types of respondents report heavy population coverage, staff shortages, lack of staff training, lack of funds, and a lengthy and complicated NGO registration process as major hurdles affecting CDPs performances. Other problems include the limited authority of CDPs to fund NGOs and to take action against nonfunctional and unregistered NGOs, lack of transportation for field activities and noncooperation of the NGOs and local people. In addition, the CDPs need proper office buildings, equipment and cooperation from higher authorities, NGOs and local people. Following analysis of the responses provided, this study recommends that the higher authorities should equip the CDPs with more and better trained staff, more funding, better office buildings and equipment, more transportation, an improved and easy NGO registration process and more authority. The respondents also suggest the local NGOs and community should remain in contact and cooperate with the CDPs, and that the DDOs should assist the local communities and NGOs in problem-solving.

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2010 / This study was undertaken in the Limpopo province, South Africa. Its aim was to assess the capacity of the NGOs that benefitted from Masibambane which is a donor funded programme and to examine the contributions that they are making towards addressing the water and sanitation challenges. This programme made funding available to capacitate the NGOs with the hope that they will assist the sector. Five NGOs which are operating in various districts in the province were included in the study. This was a qualitative study. Purposive sampling was used to select participants from NGOs, municipalities, Department of Water Affairs and communities. Primary data were collected through interviews, focused groups and observations in the field while secondary data were obtained from NGO and Water Affairs documents. The findings of this study revealed that The Mvula Trust and Tsogang Water and Sanitation NGOs have the capacity to implement both water and sanitation infrastructure projects at a village level. Operation Hunger‟s expertise regarding water infrastructure projects is on digging boreholes and installing hand pipes even though it diversified to include water conservation. Akanani Rural Development Association has the expertise of building sanitation facilities while Thlavhama Training Initiative is still learning. It was also discovered that NGOs are good at mobilizing communities and also have the capacity to impart skills to the communities. Participants from NGOs confirmed that learning occurred through Masibambane programme even though some felt that the needs of the NGOs were not adequately addressed.

This introduction provides an overview of feminist approaches to International Relations. The authors compare the Anglo-American debate with the Germanspeaking discussion in order to reveal similarities and differences. They identify three particular areas of research that characterize the German-speaking feminist debate in International Relations: <br><br>(1) works evolving out of peace studies; (2) research on globalization and international economic institutions; (3) studies focusing on women’s movements together with most current works centering around international norms. They argue that feminist approaches to norms constitute a particularly promising research area which provides new "tools" to account for international, regional or domestic policy-change. Gender-sensitive research on norms also allows to address ethical questions that are vital for feminist understandings of science.<br> Moreover, this new focus on norms enables bridge-building between feminism and the mainstream.