2. Akshara Livelihoods Private Limited is a consulting arm of Akshara Network. Its consulting focus areas include Visioning, Strategic Planning, Project Design for Poverty Reduction and Livelihoods Enhancements Projects, Custom-made trainings, Module Development, Handholding Support, etc.
3. Akshara Jobs focus is to offer job/employment to rural youth by linking up with various employment opportunities. This happens by matching employers' job specifications and the individual's capabilities, skill -building for the individual where required, matching employer’s need with individuals’ collective/ organization etc.
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5. Chelama LPC (Livelihoods Professionals Collective) provides a platform for solidarity, security and learning for the livelihoods professionals/workers. This organisation offers services like savings, mutual aid, e-mail, web space, refresher trainings and sourcing work for professionals etc.
6. Endogenous Tourism at Bhoodhan Pochampally in partnership with GOI, UNDP, Andhra Pradesh Tourism and Nalgonda District Administration. As a software implementing partner Akshara is promoting weaving and tourism based livelihoods. Chenetha Gurukulam is also coming up.
7. Community Livelihoods Facilitators Forum is an organisation of community level animators with livelihoods facilitation/support skills in general and at the grassroots level in particular. The Community Livelihoods Facilitators (CLFs) offer livelihood support services to required programs/organizations.
8. Magazines - Jeevanopadulu (Telugu) / Livelihoods (English) - is aimed to fulfill the need for authentic knowledge, inputs and updates in livelihoods domain in particular and development sector in general. The magazine features case studies, livelihoods concepts, issues, options, interventions, current/changing trends and impact on livelihoods, interviews from social entrepreneurs, activists, career options etc
9. Livelihoods Support Organizations (LSOs) receive visioning, institution building, strategic planning, capacity building, project evaluation and monitoring and other mentoring support from Akshara Mentors. LSO franchisee arrangements are supported. LSO networks with shared livelihoods vision are facilitated. Of the 10 LSOs that received support three became self-reliant.
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11. Lack of proper documentation: Most of the NGOs are understaffed and are trying to cope with the tasks with less than the minimum number of personnel required. Thus the work and its quality suffer. Jafri (1997) indicated that government personnel did not understand the NGOs functioning without any apparent structure, themselves used to working in highly formalized and rigid structures. They accept very few NGOs, mostly the ones with some government or bureaucratic reference. NGOs on the other hand do not understand the limitations the government personnel are subject to, in spite of their apparent authority. Very few of them respond positively to the government.
12. Lack of co-ordination: Some good NGOs are now well established and are working towards similar goals. Yet they work in complete isolation from one another. This results in an overlapping of activities, which can be avoided. Resources, energy and time can be saved by effective collaboration and co-ordination of activities.
13. State-NGO relationships: There are also internal problems as well as external problems like state-NGO relationships. Clark (1993) having surveyed a wide range of literature, presents the following as the barriers to a healthy State-NGO relationship:
16. (c) Jealousy of civil servant towards the NGOs’ access to resources;
17. (d) Pressure on successful NGOs from major donors to receive more funds, leading to a decline in performance;
18. (e) The NGO constituency being often very narrow;
19. (f) NGO’s capacity, with their work often being not as effective as claimed;
20. (g) Public sector’s capacity, with government performance often marred by weak commitment, a shortage at local levels of competent staff, and corruption and nepotism;
21. (h) Political jealousy, with governments not wanting to foster a healthy NGO sector for fear of bolstering the political opposition;
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23. Organizations are often required to register under multiple laws without any uniform accounting policy or reporting framework
26. NGOs operate in different fields and set-ups. As such, any effort at evolving a uniform standard may not be desirable. Thus there is a need to frame layers of norms.
27. Accountability is not necessarily unidirectional. It is vertical to state and donors, horizontal to other partner voluntary organisations and civil society constituents, downward to the people with whom they work with and internal to the staff. Remaining compliant to all puts additional pressure.
28. In India, NGOs do not have any profit oriented businesses. They depend on the funds from external sources. Fund raising campaigns is one of the most challenging tasks for an Indian NGO.
29. If sourcing funds from other countries or importing goods from foreign countries as aid material to be distributed to people, they will have to get customs clearance before they can claim the goods. Operational costs are heavy in India.
39. Volunteering Impact Assessment Toolkit (Institute for Volunteering Research)European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model <br />We found the EFQM model most suitable for the case undertaken for the NGO Akshara Kriti. EFQM is a comprehensive, systematic and regular review of an organisation’s activities and results to provide excellent services. The EFQM model allows the organisation to discern clearly its strengths and areas in which improvements can be made and culminates in planned improvement actions, which are then monitored for progress. It is suitable for the voluntary sector as it is a model and not a norm, and so it doesn't dictate strict rules for achieving objectives, but rather evaluates initiatives based on basic agreed upon principles.<br />Primary purpose: The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model, is a self-assessment framework for measuring the strengths and areas for improvement of an organisation across all of its activities. The term ‘excellence’ is used because the Excellence Model focuses on what an organisation does, or could do, to provide an excellent service