Dr. Matiur Rahman & Shishir Reza:
Social responsibility is an ethical framework that suggests individual or organizational obligations to figure out cooperation with other individuals and organizations for the advantage of society at large. Social responsibility may be a duty that every individual and organization needs to perform for maintaining balance between the economy and therefore the ecosystems. Social responsibility is often passive as it suggests avoiding involvement in socially harmful acts, or active, as it suggests activities to perform that directly advance social goals.
The social responsibility of non-government organizations (NGOs) starts from the values this sector defends. Despite the social vocation, an issue arises on whether the NGOs are indeed responsible to society. Proponents of the social responsibility of NGOs argue that good intentions and desire to try well aren’t enough to assign a standing of socially responsible actor to a corporation. Through their activities, NGOs should prove their social role, meaning involvement in meeting social needs and fighting social inequalities.
In addition, they ought to make alliances with the businessmen and industrialists to seek out solutions to society’s problems and even put pressure on companies to adopt socially responsible behavior. Opponents counter that NGOs aren’t companies and thus the concept of social responsibility isn’t relevant to this sector. Moreover, the non-profit-distributing character and the social nature of their activities give the idea that they are, in essence, socially responsible.
As Covid-19 gripped the globe, it put to check our collective resilience to the worldwide pandemic. One cannot turn a blind eye to the present changing world order which has not only impacted the economy but also attuned us to how we work and suits our daily lives. In such a scenario, solutions are unlikely to return if everybody is functioning in silos. The fight against Covid-19 needed as many hands as are available.
For several years, NGOs are actively involved in combating challenges associated with the environment, education, health, poverty, women empowerment, child protection, social justice, and human rights, etc. Thus, when the pandemic hit Bangladesh, NGOs tried to give their best efforts in combating various social problems arise from the Covid-19. The government’s non directives were also hindered to perform NGOs in combating it at the very outset. But later this attitude was changed and government instructed NGOs to work in the community to meet the challenges arisen during Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, NGOs engaged in activities across the country to combat socio-economic challenges amidst Covid-19.
Since then, NGOs are working relentlessly on the bottom and providing services to vulnerable groups in the society. Some of them have been instrumental in supporting the government. For people including the elderly and youngsters, persons with disabilities, transgender, the homeless, daily wage workers, migrant workers, and concrete poor families, NGOs are the sole point of reference during the ongoing pandemic. The Covid-19 induced lockdowns created a depression for public health emergency. It disrupted the livelihoods of the numerous people and put them in dire straits unable to afford food or essential hygiene items like soaps, masks, and sanitizers.
As the consequence from the coronavirus continued, these NGOs knew far more is required to be done to mitigate the spread of the disease. Working on the frontline, NGOs are providing food support, hygiene kits and building awareness to the poorest people of society.
While urban populations were swiftly informed of Covid-19 restrictions and prevention measures, in rural areas, information about the disease was not so scattered. NGOs can quickly fill this gap and created communication and distribution networks across the country’s hinterlands. Thus, they have been executing a crucial task of making awareness about the virus to stop its spread and also educating people on social distancing and its importance.
As NGOs are known and trusted by the communities where they work, they have been helping people to combat the stigma by distributing food and hygiene support for those in need. In addition, the government requested different corporate organizations and rich people of the society to support the poor in this crisis. Taking proactive steps, several NGOs extended their hand to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
NGOs have come forward in the war against the invisible enemy ‘corona virus’ as in other previous humanitarian catastrophe and have taken various initiatives. They are playing an invaluable role in the prevention of Covid-19 and in the alleviation of human sufferings as well as in the service of humanity.
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, NGOs have implemented programmes such as social awareness, leaflet-sticker distribution, miking, banner-festoon drawing, etc. In addition activities like ‘hand washing training and safe social distance campaign’, sanitizer, bleaching powder, facemasks and hand gloves have been distributed among the poor beneficiaries. The NGOs are also providing food support and other essential items to the poor beneficiaries during the pandemic.
This fight against Covid-19 has been a collaborative effort. The pandemic has been a phase of learning for understanding the gaps in our society. The efforts taken by all may be a testament to the collective articulation of social responsibility towards the people of the country.
(Dr. Matiur Rahman, Research Consultant, Human Development Research Centre, Dhaka and Shishir Reza, Environment Analyst & Associate Member, Bangladesh Economic Association).
