Relación entre los riesgos psicosociales identificados y las áreas de trabajo.

Community Based Organisations (CBOs) are non-profit organisations within communities defined by geographical location, shared work, space, and experience or concerns (Onyeozu, 2011:12). According to Abegunde, (2009), CBOs are set up by the collective efforts of the indigenous people working together for the improvement of the economic and social well-being of the members of the community, as well as the eradication of poverty from the

98

community. In this way, CBOs are said to respond to needs of the community rather than the market demand or pressure (Abegunda, 2009:236). Thus, community development and poverty reduction stand out as the essence of CBOs (Abegunde, 2009:237). CBOs are basically non-profit and non- governmental because all members contribute economically towards achieving their goals of meeting the immediate needs of the community, as well as being independent of the government in achieving these (Claudia, 2003). CBOs have been given various names such as ‘community development associations’ ‘united community and ‘neighbourhood councils’, amongst others (Agbola, 1998:26; Biddle and Biddle, 1968). There are many variations of CBOs in terms of size and structure. Some are formally incorporated with a written constitution and a board of directors, while others are much smaller and more informal (Abegunde, 2009:237).

It is interesting to note that though CBOs have been distinguished from non- governmental organisations on the basis of scale and location, both still share attributes in terms of their objectives and goals, which are improvement of the economic, cultural and social conditions of people as well as poverty eradication (Abegunde, 2009:238; see also CASSAD, 1992; Agbola, 1998:27). According to Abegunde, (2009:239), CBOs stand for simple institutions that operate in relatively small local communities and that have a local identity, while NGOs stand for a sophisticated and bigger structure which covers a wider remit and area. But the main objective for NGOs remains community development.

Abegunde (2009:240) notes that CBOs have opened ways for participation at the grassroots level, involving indigenous and local people who assist in identifying the needs of the communities as well as helping in the implementation of projects geared towards community development and poverty reduction. Through this form of participation at the grassroots level, CBOs serve as vehicles through which local programmes and projects are achieved, thereby satisfying the local and community needs. Such participation, as is found in CBOs, might be in the form of cash or kind, levied or entirely out of free choice. Agbaje (1990:6) argued that CBOs enjoy freedom of entry and exit, though Holdcraft (1982:203) had noted earlier that this freedom is generalised due to the exclusion of other local institutions organized by community leaders, landlords, trade unions and age group, amongst others. In

99

view of this, Ogundipe (2003) opines that what is most important is the development of the communities through mobilization. This mobilization revolves around the efforts of the community which, according to Abegunde (2004:6), are geared towards the protection of citizens, provision of information and infrastructure, as well as promotion of communities’ culture.

Governments’ poor performance in meeting the socio-economic needs of its citizens has been pointed out as one of the reasons necessitating the birth of CBOs in the new millennium (Abegunda, 2009:236). Accordingly, people and communities tend to seek solace in local institutions, which they believe will pressure the government to pay attention to the problems of development and poverty in their localities and communities. These local organisations help to confront local challenges through lobbying and nomination of representatives to the government offices, financing and execution of projects and the developing of human resources in their respective communities. In this way, the impacts of these local organisations have been felt in such areas as policy, economic development, environmental and physical development, health and infrastructure, amongst others (Agbola, 1998:27; Akinola, 2000:175).

Notwithstanding these benefits accruing from CBOs, Mercer, (2002:13) notes that “the late 1990s saw a proliferation of studies from across the developing world that collectively argued that civil societies are often fragmented, unorganized, uncooperative and weak”. Most of these criticisms are centred on the means through which these NGOs are brought into the developmental plans of the states, such that they do not, in the long run, succeed in delivering their expected objectives in helping the marginalised in societies (Mcllwaine, 1998b; Mercer, 2003a).

In Nigeria, evidence from literature has revealed the activities of CBOs in various parts of the country (Onyeozu, 2011; Olomola, 2001; Abegunde, 2004). For example, the study carried out in Lagos state by Olomola (2001:34) showed that CBOs in this state relied solely on revenue generated internally in addition to a small amount of aid that came from the government. Equally, the study revealed that a particular CBO in Lagos, named Ajamgbadi Community Developer (ACD), won the Lagos state CBO award in 2000 due to numerous projects that the organisation embarked on, such as building of a community hall and primary school, court hall, post office, bank and opening up of several

100

roads for vehicular usage (Olomola, 2001:34). This infrastructure contributed to creating jobs as some people were employed in the school, bank and post offices amongst others.

In the same vein, a study that was carried out by Abegunde (2004:8) revealed the activities of about 160 CBOs in the Atiba local government area of Osun state, Nigeria, which included provision of social facilities such as hall building, clean water, building of primary schools, amongst others. Similarly, CBOs in other states of the country such as Our Community Health Initiative (OCHI), Live Above Poverty (LAPO), Alliance for Behavioural Change (ABC), Out Reach Foundation (ORF), Women in Cooperatives, Agriculture and Development (WICAD), amongst others, are said to be doing well, such that they have been involved in the building of schools and health centres, the construction of access roads within the community, the provision of potable water, human rights and health advocacy as well as seeing to the welfare of the members of the community without government aid (Abegunde, 2009:245). For instance, the study of Olomola (2001:36) revealed that the ultra-modern maternity centre built by Umuife Association, a CBO in the Udi local government area of Enugu state was built without the assistance of government. However, the story is different in Kano state where the government has assisted some CBOs through the provision of funds, enabling humanitarian services for the members of the communities, as well as in the implementation of community projects. (Onyeozu, 2011:24).

In the areas of human rights and health advocacy, Onyeozu, (2011:26) notes that the Alliance for Behavioural Change (ABC), a CBO based in Enugu state is purported to be very active. According to him, ABC is funded through charity from both national and international donors, and is in partnership with other NGOs. It strives to develop attitudes of tolerance by empowering people on equality and acceptance of differences in human relationships. It tries to inculcate the idea of gender equality, empowerment and taking responsibility for one’s health, especially among the youth. ABC disseminates its information through several means. It hosts and organizes FGDs, training, workshops and seminars in cooperation with other stakeholders in Enugu state especially in the area of health, such as HIV awareness. It provides counselling, conducts free medical test for HIV, and teaches various biomedical HIV prevention strategies

101

to the youth as part of its social responsibility. Another aspect of the activities of ABC is human rights advocacy, gender identity and equality programmes. ABC defends the right of people to their choice of sexual orientation. This however, has come under heavy criticism from various religious organisations in Nigeria as well as the government, who has imposed a ban and minimum legal penalty of 14 years imprisonment for gays and lesbians.

Women in Cooperatives, Agriculture and Development (WICAD), is another CBO which is based in Ogbomosho, Oyo state. According to Oyebamiji and Adekola (2008:22), WICAD unites grassroots women together so as to help them develop various businesses through cooperative efforts. This is geared towards reducing poverty prevalent among women in that part of the country. The organisation consists of 18 societies with at least 30 members in each group. The mandate of the organisation is to improve the economic status of women and its mission is the eradication of poverty and empowerment of women. In pursuit of its objectives, WICAD holds monthly meetings at the societal and group level where revolving loans are granted to individual members and groups respectively to boost their economic activities. The credit scheme of the organisation is individual and group-based with a small interest rate of not more than 1% (Oyebamiji and Adekola, 2008:23).

From the above discussions, it transpires that though these ‘civil society’ organisations (NGOs community organisations), are non-governmental, they still engage with the government in different ways: sometimes cooperatively (with funding, etc. as in the case of CBO in Kano mentioned above), but sometimes in conflicting ways as in the case of the ABC and CBO. These potential sources of conflict among different types of organisations pose limits on how far they can go in delivering and achieving their objectives. In line with this, many CBOs have collapsed due to lack of funding and proper management. For instance, in Oyo state, the activities and operations of the CBOs garnered support from the people but were limited by inadequate government support and funding (Onyeozu, 2011:28). Similar economic and managerial problems affected CBOs in Cross River state of Nigeria, where according to the study of Abegunde (2004:11) CBOs in the state were poorly organized and managed, which led to poor performance and wastage of resources. In Rivers State, Onyeozu, (2011:29) revealed that the inefficiency of

102

some CBOs was seen mainly in the indisposition to attend meetings, since it is in such meetings that they usually generated funds with which they could ensure the progress of the activities of the CBOs.

These shortcomings notwithstanding, commentators note that CBOs in Nigeria have contributed in some significant ways towards the socio-economic development of their immediate communities (Onyeozu, 2011; Abegunde, 2009; Oyebamiji and Adekola, 2008). Any attempt to address the economic and social problems that affect participation would help CBOs in Nigeria to intensify their efforts towards poverty reduction and development of communities in Nigeria.