The BINGOs Have Lost Their Way

Recently, I found myself in a serious disagreement with BOND (British Overseas NGOs for Development), an organisation I was proud to help found back in the early 1990s. Today, BOND represents roughly 600 UK-based voluntary organisations working worldwide. My disagreement stemmed from their refusal to accept an advertisement for my latest book in their publication.

My book, among other topics, explores a worrying trend: how Big International NGOs (BINGOs) have gradually distanced themselves from the very people they were originally intended to help. Having been deeply involved with numerous BINGOs and counting many former colleagues as friends, I believe that many of these massive organisations have unfortunately become trapped in their own operational bubbles. They can no longer see the wood for the trees.

BOND's rationale, which I partly accept, is that all voluntary organisations are navigating a difficult economic period. Ordinary people, facing rising daily living costs, have less to donate, leading to decreased funding and redundancies across the sector. However, BOND seemingly believes that now is not the time for a serious re-evaluation of the sector – a position I find deeply concerning.

How Did We Get Here? The Prosperity Trap

I believe it became too easy for the voluntary sector, especially those in international aid and development, to raise funds when our own societies were becoming increasingly prosperous and people had more disposable income. Governments, too, were donating increasing amounts through various channels, including grants, loans to the World Bank, and contracts with commercial and voluntary organisations.

In the UK, both the government and BINGOs have made significant missteps. But one tragic mistake stands out above the rest: for nearly twenty years, the aid and development sector drastically reduced its support for feeding the hungry. Instead of being encouraged to grow more food for their own people, poor countries were often incentivized to grow primary commodities for export to feed wealthier nations.

The devastating result? Despite the intentions of countless kind-hearted donors, more people are dying of starvation today than in the past. Conservative estimates place this horrifying figure at 35,000 to 40,000 starvation deaths every single day.

“For anyone looking at the situation from the outside, the rise in starvation must be the ultimate indicator of the failure of aid.”

Silent Witnesses: The BINGOs' Role

BINGOs have been present in every country where the poorest people have been left to die. They have:

Looked the other way as food available to impoverished families declined.

Remained silent as prime arable land was taken over by outside interests (including foreign governments from the Gulf, Singapore, or India) to grow food for their own populations, without offering a protest.

Watched schools fall into ruin because villagers weren't co-opted and encouraged to take ownership. Because aid came from above, the local community didn't feel invested in the infrastructure. BINGOs simply moved on, hoping someone else would step in.

Failed to act locally to support women treated as domestic slaves in bringing about change.

The fundamental challenges faced by the world's poorest haven't changed since the last millennium: lack of food, knowledge for increasing production, exhausted soils, rudimentary agricultural tools, exploitation by more powerful community members, and a critical lack of roads in rural survival areas. BINGOs have witnessed all of this and remained silent, failing to raise their voices on behalf of the most vulnerable. Instead, their focus shifted towards working with, and even becoming part of, the privileged classes.

The Disease of Gigantism: Prioritising Reach over Effectiveness

Over the past 30 years, BINGOs have grown not by expanding their meaningful presence in poor localities or committing long-term to the plight of the poor. Instead, their focus has been internal: growing their own reach and power. Success in the field has been tragically confused with the growth of their own organisational empires.

"When WorldVision can boast to be present in almost 100 countries, it is talking about the vastness of its administrative capacity, not its effectiveness."

The same "gigantism" that afflicts commercial enterprises – the relentless drive to expand, expand, expand – has taken hold in the aid sector. Small, competent organisations, which could genuinely make a difference due to their ability to adapt to local needs, struggle to survive in this landscape.

Once an NGO achieves a turnover exceeding $50 million annually, it effectively becomes a huge corporation requiring streamlined operations and rigid rule books. The manuals written in plush Western headquarters on agricultural methods, education, or disease treatment often have zero local reality in the very communities where people continue to suffer from starvation.

A Different Way: The Absolute Necessity of Localisation

The fundamental problem with BINGOs is scale itself. While some problems like water scarcity, soil infertility, and deforestation are global issues present in many poor rural communities, the solutions are highly specific to each locality. Furthermore, local issues like specific tree species requirements, varying soil composition (even within kilometres), and diverse social customs add complexity.

What works in a village in Kenya will very likely not be applicable in a similarly sized village in Ghana. Malawi's needs differ from Chad's. Localisation is not optional; it is essential. Western economic concepts like "economies of scale" do not apply at the community level. True impact requires getting to know each individual community, listening closely to its poorest members – not just the elites – and understanding precisely what they need help with.

The time for corporate-style expansion and silent witnessing is over. We must rediscover the core purpose of aid and work with communities to find local solutions that finally address the enduring poverty and starvation in our world.