Celebrating Impact - Non Profits are Agents of Positive Change

Celebrating Impact

Non profits are agents of Positive Change

By Mwila Agatha Zaza

Climate change, conflict, and inequality, even the entertainment industry reminds us in films, books and musicof the challenges that face the world today.

While war and poverty are not new to humanity, this is the first time in history that news and discussion about those topics assail us daily, hourly, and even by the minute.

If one has a mobile phone, it’s possible to set it to provide regular prompts on happenings from the news agencies and on TV, 24-hour news channels allow us to follow wars by the hour.

Furthermore, we are in an age where the social and political structures that were once held sacred are subject to criticism: politics, monarchy, religion, and charity are regularly critiqued and questioned. In fact, the non-profit sector has recently found itself under dissection and attack again.

It’s in this environment, that many people who work in or are interested in non-profits begin to agree with many of the sentiments expressed in the media. “What good can I do,” is a question many will ask themselves as they decide whether to undertake charitable work.

“A life of blind optimism is not the best way to live, but neither is unrelenting pessimism” says Jared Wolf on his website. This captures a useful approach to development work, it’s necessary to stop and consider what good the sector has contributed to, to celebrate, which helps identify what good we can hope to accomplish in the future.

Non-profits and community initiatives have worked with governments and bi- and multilateral organizations to make and support incredible change in the last century. If we dare to look at the world through a positive lens, three of the most noticeable changes that non-profits have contributed to include:

Our generation is the most literate in history: According to ourworldindata.org only 12% of the people in the world could read and write in 1820, while by 2016 only 14% of the world’s population was still illiterate. The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights enshrined literacy as a human right, kicking off a global effort of mass education. Since then, we’ve come to understand that literacy is more than the ability to read and write but is also a driver of social change, gender equality, sustainable development, economic participation, improved health, poverty reduction and expanding opportunity.

Increasing global literacy also promises political participation, which is crucial for accountability from politicians and other leaders. According to Concern US, when citizens are literate, they’re better able to follow politics, more likely to vote and to find other ways of democratic participation.

We live longer than ever before: At the beginning of the 19th century life expectancy was approximately 40. In 2016 the global average was 72. The concepts of mid-life crises and silver surfers have entered contemporary parlance while innovations in the medical field promise an improved quality of life for older people. For most people born today even basic health care is better than what would have been available 100 years ago. Public health measures such as hand washing, wellness education and sexual and reproduction health education have had immeasurable input from non-profit organizations as has reducing infant mortality. A longer life brings more opportunities for individuals, families, and societies.

Danielle Mendoza with Maria Merlot and a portion of screen protectors for the tablets that were purchased for students in Honduras.

The internet is connecting the planet. The internet and its related technology has profoundly changed communication and how society shares and uses knowledge.

Today, 40% of African and 55% of Asian youth are connected and have access to harness the opportunities facilitated by digital technology.

While the commercial sector design, builds and distributes the means to access the internet, in many regions the non-profit sector has been instrumental in increasing access through education and distribution of devices as well as using the internet to promote, as the World Bank states“inclusion, efficiency, and innovation”.

Non-profits now use the internet to train youth for the workplace and help pregnant women and new mothers to access health care among many other applications.

Though the world should celebrate these achievements, the enormity of what is still to be done can be overwhelming. Where societies lack resources, where governments and local leaders lack political will, where for-profits pillage resources unchecked and where conflict creates uncertainty, non-profits of every size and composition will continue bringing hope to millions.

Literacy, health, and the internet are all powerful tools for the realization of human rights. However, the distribution of the benefits of social, political, and economic change remains highly inequitable - and this is where non-profits and community changemakers have the most work to do and still need people who are willing to commit themselves to the work.

Connect Global is at the forefront of investing in communities and individuals through Education, Maternal and Infant HealthCare, eliminating Hunger and providing Clean Water.

Mwila Agatha Zaza is an independent consultant with two decades of experience in international development. Her focus is on supporting NGOs across the world in fundraising communications, including in proposal development, strategic planning and optimising digital presence.