NGOs as mediators
- In the Orangi pilot project in Karachi, Pakistan, public utility companies provide large sewers, while a local NGO supports community groups in the development of low-cost sanitation systems. This successful model has now been replicated in poor urban areas throughout the country.
- In Bangladesh, BRAC (a national NGO) offers a non-formal primary education programme for the poorest children (particularly girls), which operates largely independently of government. Both directly and through subcontracted local NGOs, BRAC also supports community-managed education centres, recruits and trains teachers and monitors their performance.
- In India, the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) offers community-based health insurance for the poor by mediating between communities and insurance companies.