Declining foreign funds for NGOs and careers of field workers in Bangladesh

Abstract

Over the years, we have seen the growth of Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs)' activities in Bangladesh and their massive influence on its development process. This article looks at the field-workers employed by local NGOs in Bangladesh. This paper's main objective is to find out funding pattern, project continuation, and their effects on field workers' careers. A total of 50 respondents were randomly selected from 10 local NGOs of the Rajshahi City Corporation Area (in the north-western part of Bangladesh). It was found that NGOs' foreign funding declined in Bangladesh due to its transformation to a middle-income economy. A large number of field-based workers lost their jobs from local NGOs due to fund crisis. Current development workers were worried about their job. Their lives and livelihoods were at risk. Almost every aspect of Bangladesh's socio-economic development has had local NGOs' input, including women's development, microfinance, education, and health. Services of field workers are still very much needed.   Key words: Bangladesh, career, field-workers, foreign fund, local NGOs, well-being.