Determinants of sustainability of charity educational non-governmental organizations in post-war situations: a case of Gulu district, Uganda

Abstract

The study sought to establish the determinants of sustainability of charity educational NGOs in post war situation; a case of Gulu District. It was prompted by the drastic number of educational NGOs that were either closing their shops or eliminating the education component from their activities. The researcher adopted a cross sectional survey design, used structured questionnaires, interview guide and observation checklist to collect raw data, analysed by descriptive analysis and the SPSS program. The findings revealed that sustainability is enhanced by; use of appropriate implementation strategies that are participatory and involved all stakeholders. It indicated that sustainability subsisted on a strong resource base and depended on diversified strategies to bring in more resources. Favorable legal environment, sustainability policies as well as the roles and involvement of the founders, enhanced educational NGOs sustainability. It concluded that; NGOs have clear implementation strategies, affected by inadequate and insufficient funds. Sustainability of the NGOs greatly depends on legal environment, shaped by government and donor policies. More NGOs are religious founded and owned, although others exist. Founders provide various supports to the NGOs thus ensuring sustainability. The study recommended that governments should evenly distribute its structures in all rural areas; NGOs should use alternative local resource mobilisation options and twin during fund application. NGOs should operate within government and donor legal frameworks. Policies guiding NGOs founders and staff’s behaviors will ensure quality service delivery. It also recommended the need to investigate other methods of resource mobilisation opted for by NGOs; investigate further the legal environment most respondents were undecided about and develop and verify the model of educational NGO’s sustainability in post-war areas.