Introduction

Many NGOs are overly reliant on foreign funding because developing countries often lack a robust domestic philanthropic culture, making it difficult for local NGOs to raise sufficient funds within their own communities, leading to a heavy dependence on international donors who may prioritize their own agendas over local needs, potentially causing issues like program misalignment and vulnerability to political pressures from donor countries; this can also create a perception of foreign influence and limit local ownership of projects.

There are five factors to consider in this issue of NGOs become too dependent on foreign aid. The first and foremost, is the psychological factors, factors influencing the mind of the people that disempower philanthropy work. Secondly the economic factors, where NGOs work so far has been seen as the good-deeds of people form rich countries to poor people in countries like those in Melanesia. The third issue is what we call cross-structural or cross-system communication is not happening due to the local NGOs and governments in Melanesia operate different cultural structures and different world than those rich and funding countries. What happens here is called Clash of Eras, the operating system of mind where NGOs is operating is totally different from the operating system of funding communities or countries. These are two separate species, they cannot mate, they cannot understand, they are not compatible operating systems. Particularly in Melanesia, Melanesian families, clans and tribes cannot fund NGOs work, because it is a alien system, with foreign agenda, serving the interests of those foreigners.

1. Four Psychological Factors:

1. First, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) often start with a strong social mission and a desire to make a positive impact in their communities, in response to arising needs and problems faced within the community that are not part of government programmes. This sense of emergency in one side and altruism on the other most oftentimes lead to a focus on immediate results and a reluctance to prioritize financial sustainability. As a result, NGOs may become overly reliant on foreign funding to cover their operational expenses and program costs.
2. Second, NGOs may lack confidence in their ability to generate income locally or attract domestic donors. This can stem from a belief that international donors have more resources and are more likely to support their work. This mindset can create a dependency on foreign funding and hinder efforts to develop alternative income streams.
3. Third, psychologically, many NGOs leaders as well as community members intrinsically perceive and even believe that Non-Governmental organisations are established based on foreign interest or because of foreign interests and needs, therefore, they are dedication to assist local communities to carry out various activities related to nature, culture, economy and others. NGOs means foreign funding. Local funding means not NGOs but families, clans, tribes, and Wantok System. There is no way around it. If locals should support the work, then it is not NGOs work anymore, but it is called family, clan or village or island NGOs. Therefore, in order to gain local support in Melanesia, the NGOs must operate within Melanesian Wantok System: families, clans, villages, islands. Further than that, NGOs in Melanesia should work based on Storylines, i.e, the stories of who we are as Melanesian families, clans, villagers and islanders, and stories of why we came here and stories of where we are going from here.

Please Read other article:

The Issues of Western Agendas vs Non-Western Needs in NGOs Work

2. Economic Factors:

When we observe various economic activities within the society, for example in Melanesia, many things are happening very well. For example, there are monies spent for projects inside the villages/ islands, for paying bride-price, for funding sports activities, for organising music festivities, and many other socio-cultural. The biggest spending can be seen during the general elections. Followed by spending on bride-prices. On the third position is spending when someone dies. These indicators give us clear clue that the economy of the community is not that poor, they can actually contribute to the philanthropic work. But what is the issue?

1. In many developing countries, the local economy may not have the capacity to support NGOs through domestic funding sources. Limited government funding, lack of philanthropic culture, and economic instability can all contribute to NGOs struggling to generate revenue locally.
2. International donors may also have specific priorities and agendas that drive their funding decisions. This can create a cycle of dependency, as NGOs adapt their programs and activities to align with donor expectations rather than prioritizing the needs of the local community. This can hinder the long-term sustainability of NGOs as they may struggle to maintain their mission and independence.
   
   We have seen many NGOs spend more and almost 90% of their time in writing proposals, revising proposals, collecting receipts and submitting reports. The energy and time are exhausted in serving the demands of the foreign funders. This has caused many NGOs have no more time to think creatively on alternative sources of funding.
   
   Worse than this, there are instances where NGOs receiving funds are not reporting the real work that are happening in the field. They have to orchestrate the whole reporting in order to suit the demand and requirements of the funders but the actual work in the field are not the same as those in the reports.

3. Structural and Socio-Cultural Factors:

We are talking about two worlds communicating to each other, in addressing the same issue. For example, climate change, deforestation, or conservation issue. In one side, western countries are talking about climate change, global warming, food security, women’s rights, and conservation. Almost all foreign donors prioritize projects that align with their own interests, sometimes not fully addressing the most pressing local needs. On the other side, Melanesian tribes, villages and islands are facing issues like sea-level rising that cause small islands sink in clear physical eyes, deforestation that exterminate the current and future hope for life and destroy all lives in the forests and islands.

1. NGOs operating in complex and challenging environments may face bureaucratic hurdles, corruption, and political instability that make it difficult to generate income locally. In some cases, governments may restrict the activities of NGOs or impose burdensome regulatory requirements that limit their ability to operate autonomously.
2. The competitive funding landscape for NGOs can also contribute to their reliance on foreign funding. NGOs may feel pressure to constantly secure grants and donations in order to fund their programs and expand their reach. This can lead to a short-term focus on fundraising rather than developing a sustainable financial model.
3. Above all, the most existential issues facing Melanesian communities (families, clans, villagers and islanders) today is that our stories about who we are and why we are here, and consequently what we should be doing in this life have been systematically, structurally and massively destroyed, the engineered and fabricated to serve alien ambitions, needs and wants, including NGOs and funding facilities.
   
   Our self-image and self-identity have been destroyed and new image and identity have been imposed. Before, we knew ourselves according to our clan and village or island names. Today, we are called according to our countries, out provinces, our districts, our beliefs and church denominations, our political beliefs and affiliations, our schools, our professions, our personal consciences, and our NGOs.

4. Potential consequences for NGOs and communities:

We need to now investigate what we mean by “Conservation”, as the term “conservation” does not exist in many local languages across Melanesia. In Melanesian perspective, what westerners call “conservation” is actually “our way of life”. This is why conservation across Melanesia should be called “The Melanesian Way of Life and Living”, it is not separate act outside daily life activities particularly addressed in order to face global warming and climate change.

Thus, in order to invite local communities in Melanesia to contribute, they should be aware that the conservation work is not additional work on top of their daily work, that require additional spending of time, energy dan money. Melanesian elders need to understand that conservation work is the work of all elders that have been playing their roles in keeping everything in balance for harmony in life.

By doing so, we will avoid the following illness that we face in modern conservation efforts:

1. Dependency on foreign funding can make NGOs vulnerable to shifts in donor priorities, changes in funding availability, and fluctuations in exchange rates. This can destabilize their operations and jeopardize their ability to deliver services to communities in need.
2. Dependency on foreign agendas, interests and themes are not sustainable. All activities related to the NGO work end at the same time when the project terminates. Afterwards, there are footprints of those projects left in bushes and remote villages.
3. Over-reliance on foreign funding can also undermine the credibility and legitimacy of NGOs in the eyes of local stakeholders. This can erode trust and hinder effective partnerships with community members, government agencies, and other organizations.

What is needed within the community is to map the stories of each clan and to restore the roles and functions of each elder within their clans and then they are the ones who will carry out their natural, traditional tasks as elders. Foreign NGOs just need to identify, coordinate and assist them in ways that can be helpful for them to carry out their own daily work. These can be done with resources already available locally.

5. Strategies to decrease reliance on foreign funding and achieve sustainability:

There are two streams of suggestions in response to this “long-term dependence of NGOs on foreign aids”. The first one is modern or western perspective, and secondly a Melanesian perspective, particularly coming from Melanesian Conservation Elder, Wewo Kotokay,

Western Perspective

1. Develop a diversified funding strategy that includes multiple income streams such as earned revenue, local partnerships, and domestic grants. This can reduce dependence on foreign donors and create a more stable financial foundation for the NGO.
2. Invest in capacity building and organizational development to enhance the sustainability of the NGO. This can involve training staff in fundraising, financial management, and strategic planning to ensure long-term viability.
3. Foster strong relationships with local stakeholders, including community members, government officials, and business leaders. Building trust and collaboration with these partners can help NGOs access local resources and support that can supplement foreign funding.
4. Advocate for policy changes that create an enabling environment for NGOs to operate independently and sustainably. This can involve engaging with government agencies, advocating for transparent regulatory frameworks, and promoting a culture of philanthropy and social responsibility within the local community.

Melanesian Perspective

Please refer to conclusion below. Basically, from Melanesian perspective, it is clear that Melanesians are the ones who have been looking after New Guinea and small islands stay green and the waters stay blue until just recently foreigners came with their knowledge, culture and politics. Melanesian perspective on conservation is to go back to “default way of looking after way” that Melanesians practice from the time immemorial and combine those wisdom and knowledge with current trends, approaches, and technologies.

6. Conclusion

Reducing dependency on foreign funding is a complex challenge that requires strategic planning, collaboration, and a shift in mindset for NGOs. By prioritizing financial sustainability, diversifying funding sources, and building strong partnerships with local stakeholders, NGOs can increase their resilience and effectiveness in the long run.

Particularly for NGOs in Melanesia, follow the following suggestions:

1. Projects should be carried out within the clans and tribes, by the clan elders. Avoid the clan elders submit to foreign-established and foreign funded NGOs with their leadership. By submitting clan elders to NGOs, we are systematically and structurally dismantling all roles, functions and capabilities of the clan elders to carry out natural functions and roles. It means, the modern NGOs should trust clan elders, fund clan elders and allow clan elders to carry out the work in the community. NGOs should not act is if they are the ones who know and clan elders do not know anything.
2. Projects should be directed to restore and if possible, re-establish customary organisations and customary business entities in order to enable clan elders to carry out their regular roles and functions within modern contexts of social, economic and political systems and structures.
3. Particularly for conservation work, NGOs should listen to clan elders and fund whatever they do in order to protect or promote the conservation work in the villages at family and clan levels.

Particularly for Clan Elders in Melanesia, follow the following suggestions. Before joining or inviting an NGO:

1. Ask them this, “Will you lead the conservation work or us the clan elders?”
2. Ask them this, “Will us, the people on this region and what we believe included in the consideration as important aspects for the conservation work?”
3. Ask them this, “What is the time limit? Can we plan so that we can start funding our own projects in the future after your projects end? How are you going to ensure that we will be able to fund our projects in the future after your projects end?”