A few days after the earthquake, it became clear that NGOs in the affected region were given a greater role than ever before. It was amazing to see members of Heart to Heart being interviewed by Premier Wen Jia Bao, and many of us in the NGO community were discussing the potential impact.

When asked, I personally took a more restrained outlook saying that it was really up to the NGOs themselves to do a good job, and if they did… things would improve. If NGOs got in the way, or if they overshadowed government efforts… well, things would not improve. and, perhaps more because of the fact that the above was so general, this has proven true thus far.

As I will discuss later this week, NGOs now must focus on taking the donated money and spending it on programs that will bring true benefit. They must plan long term, engage the local community, and do this in a very transparent manner. There will be no shortage of programming possible (kids, building, poverty alleviation, education, resettlement, counseling, etc). The issue will be how to develop programs that do not compete with other programs (Government or other NGO), and build together with other programs in a symbiotic manner.

3 weeks in, it is still uncertain.

There are 4-5 major coalitions that we have been speaking with, and all of them are still working on developing their long term strategies. This is a good step as 2 weeks ago they were all focused on short term actionable things, and had no idea what the next few days would hold.. but now the question remains what the government response will be and what does that mean for NGOs.

regardless of whether NGOs do a good job or not, one of the most critical things that we will need to learn how to anticipate is what the government will look to do as part of their rebuilding planes, where will they start, where will there be gaps, and what is the best way for us to work inside of that.

Already, I have been working on several projects where it is clear that the government is not looking for assistance, or advice, and while a bit frustrating… it is not expected. the worst thing we could do would be to force the issues, and the last thing we should do is give up.

IT will take time, and certainly energy, but opportunities will present themselves. and once they do, it is up to the NGOs to make sure that the opportunity is neither lost, nor the ball dropped.