THE ROLE OF NGO PROGRAM AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF GOAL ETHIOPIA

Abstract

NGO’s support have been considered as one of the instruments in the recent socio-economic development agenda. It is a means to support the marginalized active poor of the society. Studying the role of NGO’s program intervention is important to assess its viability on poverty reduction. The main objective of this study is to examine the role of NGO program in socioeconomic development in the case of GOAL Ethiopia. In a country like Ethiopia, where natural and man-made hazards persist, NGOs play a crucial role in terms of reducing poverty and other human sufferings. As one of the non-governmental organizations, GOAL Ethiopia has played an important role in supporting and encouraging the development aspirations of local communities in the areas of health, water and sanitation, livelihood, credit and saving and other cross cutting issues. In order to assess the impact, primary data were collected through close-ended and open-ended questionnaire using purposive and simple random sampling method. Discussions with key informants and focus groups were administered to capture qualitative information. The impact of the program was analyzed based on some socio- economic indicators in different levels. The findings revealed that the program has made a positive impact on income diversification, asset creation and ownership and general well being of the household’s which is confirmed by the respondents during the interview and focus group discussions. Moreover, it has a positive impact on personal savings and women’s empowerment. The project has contributed a great share in improving the living standard of the poor and reduce poverty at household level.