This paper is aimed at discussing the functioning of two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Sarvodaya and the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. They represent two different approaches to the functioning of NGOs. Overall, one can say that Sarvodaya emphasizes the need for cooperation and partnership as methods of addressing urgent problems.
In contrast, Zapatista exemplifies the radical protest against the state. Moreover, it is important to provide recommendations to these organizations that operate in different social, economic, and political environments. These are the main questions that should be examined.
First, it should be noted that Sarvodaya takes part in various projects. For instance, this NGO offers assistance to displaced families living in such districts of Sri Lanka as Mannar, Padaaviya, or Vavuniva (Sarvodaya). Secondly, this agency attempts to promote reconciliation and peace in Sri Lanka. One of its major objectives is to alleviate political, religious, or cultural tensions that can contribute to the rise of violence in this region.
This is one of the tasks that they try to perform. Apart from that, Sarvodaya promotes tourism in Sri Lanka since this activity is critical for the social progress in this country. On the whole, this organization can be described as a grassroots movement. Its functioning is based on the premise that separate individuals can achieve significant results by sharing “sharing work, knowledge, talents, and time” (Sarvodaya).
Moreover, separate efforts of individuals can contribute to significant changes in public opinion (Sarvodaya). In particular, they can promote democratic development in the society. This organization promotes small-scale gift-giving, but this strategy helps them address many problems. These are the main peculiarities that can be identified. These issues are important for understanding the strategies adopted by Sarvodaya.
In turn, it is possible to speak about the functioning of Zapatista Army of National Liberation. This organization differs dramatically from Sarvodaya. This organization was established to support indigenous people of Mexico (Inclan 1316). Moreover, one can argue that it is a paramilitary NGO that openly resists the policies of the Mexican state.
The representatives of this movement believe that the government is not willing or able to resolve the difficulties faced by the Mexican society. It should be mentioned that Zapatista is movement which emerged a very repressive political environment (Inclan 1326). At the beginning, this organization opposed a non-democratic state.
Apart from that, Zapatista protested against “closed local governments” because they oppressed indigenous people (Inclan 1345). Nevertheless, the number of their protests decreases if they see that the government attempts to carry out political reforms (Inclan 1345). They expect the state to change its policies toward indigenous people of Mexico.
One should keep in mind that Zapatista combines various ideologies such as anarchism, socialism, and Marxism. Moreover, these people prefer to live in separate communities that are not regulated by the Mexican government. Nevertheless, they do offer a political agenda that the government should consider. This NGO does not contribute to gift-giving. This is one of the arguments that can be put forward.
This discussion shows that NGOs can function in different ways. For example, the representatives of Sarvodaya rely on the principle developed by Mahatma Gandhi. Their strategies is based on the premise by joining their efforts, separate individuals can bring significant improvements into the life of a community.
Moreover, this organization emphasizes the idea that people should focus primarily on conflict resolution. In contrast, Zapatista does not try to resolve its conflict with the government. This is the most important distinctions that can be distinguished.
It is possible to provide several recommendations to these NGOs. At first, one should speak about Sarvodaya. First of all, this organization should increase international awareness about the problems faced by people in living in Sri Lanka. In this way, they can attract additional funding and resources.
Moreover, they should establish partnerships with other NGOs that lay stress on peaceful resolution of conflicts. These are the main strategies that this organization can adopt. By taking, they can help a great number of people.
In contrast, Zapatista should change its rhetoric. They should try to cooperate with the government in order to resolve the problems that affect indigenous people of Mexico. For instance, they need to identify the specific problems that should be addressed and propose some viable solutions. At present, Zapatista mostly criticizes, but this strategy is not productive.
Moreover, they should raise international awareness about the problems faced by people. This approach can attract more supporters to this movement. Furthermore, they should avoid violent conflicts with the state, because such conflicts can marginalize Zapatista. This is one of the points that can be made.
These examples indicate that non-governmental organizations may pursue various goals, but their strategies may differ significantly. Some of them can be viewed as grassroots movements that attach importance to cooperation and initiatives taken by separate individuals. In contrast, there are NGOs that pay more attention to open protest. Moreover, they are unwilling to search for compromises.
Works Cited
Inclan, Maria. “Zapatista Mobilization under Transitional Conditions.” American Journal of Sociology 113.5 (2008): 1316-1350. Print.
Sarvodaya. Development Model. n.d. Web.