An Investigation of NGOs’ Role in Diminishing Poverty in Sindh

Abstract

Pakistan is a South Asian nation, where a significant portion is in the clutches of poverty characterized by a low standard of living as the country ranks 152th in the global poverty index. Pakistan’s government has been very keen on improving people's economic conditions in the region. NGOs are an essential part of civil society functions to fulfil the need for improvement in human development activities. While various NGOs are working in the country to eradicate poverty, but fruits have yet to be reaped. Thus, the main objective of the current study is to investigate efforts of NGO’s intervened projects to bring forth the improvement in the living conditions of people. For data collection, quantitative methodology and structured questionnaire approach have been employed in the present study. Using the proportional distribution approach, a simple random sample of 300 respondents was drawn for this research analysis. The research was conducted keeping in view the poverty and similarity of the taluka’s geographical and physical setups. For data collection, Sanghar’s rural-talukas i-e Sinjhoro, Khipro, and Tando Adam were selected. The findings indicate that people of the Sanghar district were unhappy and pessimistic towards the NGOs' role in raising their standard of living. This shows concerns about their service delivery and support in the targeted geographical areas. Results also revealed that NGOs are unable to make people self-reliant and there is a need for a robust poverty alleviation strategy to lessen the poverty in the region. In conclusion, policy recommendations are provided, and areas of future studies are identified.