Funders don’t care about NGO workers in the South
Community activists with no/poor education are always paid – if at all – on a lower pay scale than the middle classes, even though they may be more knowledgeable about everything to do with the situation they are struggling against, writes Rebecca Pointer.
I really enjoyed firstly -- and what grabbed my attention – the title of this piece. It's something I've have given a lot of airspace too in my private discussions. Funding actually serves to prop up capitalism in certain ways -- and yes I very much see how the priorities of funding shape struggle. Community activists with no/poor education are always (if paid at all) on a lower pay scale than the middle classes... even tho IN FACT they may be more knowledgeable about everything to do with the situation they are struggling against. In that way we middle class 'activist'/NGO workers purchase their knowledge CHEAPLY while doing nothing to make funding an equitable venture ... why don't funders equalise pay scales, for example?
Right now there are huge wads of documents in the development sector given over to showing that inequity leads to the worst in human societies -- the development sector knows this beyond a shadow of a doubt -- but it defers the treatment of this to an external system and does not implement changes WITHIN the realms over which it has power.
Similarly, the funding orgs know beyond a shadow of a doubt that contract labour, casual work, etc etc are damaging to workers, to human rights and equality -- and yet in ALL the NGOs i've worked, we all work on contract and have no job security... the funders DO NOT give two hoots about the NGO workers in the south -- they even pay us less.
I have met newby interns in funding organisations that earn more money than me with my 15 years experience... merely because they are in the north (albeit living in the south) while I am in the south.
Funders could do a LOT more to balance their own books and implement changes within their own structures, and not simply defer everything to states.
I believe the reason these debates are not more upfront and out there are because people fear that if they challenge the funders, they won't get funding and they'll be out of work -- given that we are mostly all in contract employment.
I myself feel abused by this system. My township activist friends are even more abused, given even less stability than myself and even shorter term contracts (if getting any contract at all).