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Private relief operations: Some thoughts

MONZUR HOSSAIN
Anumber of social, political, and cultural organizations as well as individual people are increasingly coming up with their generous support to the flood-distressed people. The optimistic scenario is that more awareness is seen now-a-days among the Bangladeshis (at home and abroad) to help the distressed people. We feel more optimistic about our bright future when we see a teen-aged girl donates all of her stipend to help the flood-affected people.
Various volunteer organisations, donor agencies, and political parties
are now engaged in collecting and distributing relief. With these private relief operations, problems are often noticed in allocation and distribution of relief. Since there is no coordination among the private relief operation groups, it creates some oversupply and undersupply of relief in different areas. Moreover, there are some biases in relief operations regarding area selection.
Another problem in private relief operation is that the operating groups do not have much institutional set-up, and sufficient man-power to handle the operation more effectively and efficiently. Above all, many organisations are suffering from lack of credibil-
ity. The ways the operations go on, it also create "rent-seeking" of some vested interest groups.
More people want to donate, but they cannot rely on the private relief operating agencies. The problem has arisen more seriously for the overseas Bangladeshis. Many overseas Bangladeshi want to donate, but they don't find any reliable source. For example, we some Bangladeshis in Japan after much discussion finally sent our donation to "Prothom Alo Bondhushova" to distribute it, since we don't have much options. I know another organisation of Bangladeshi scholars in Japan "Japan-Bangla Net" that is collecting donations and they
are seriously thinking how to distribute it. This is not only the case for Japan; this is true for all other overseas Bangladeshis around the world. Many foreign governments also like to donate through private organizations.
The issue now raises the important question: How the private relief operations can be made more effective and more efficient? Time has come to think about this issue seriously because flood and other natural calamities in Bangladesh are common phenomena, these occur cyclically and small disasters occur frequently. Since private donations are increasing, we need to find a more effective and efficient way of allocation and distribution of relief.
What is needed is a concerted effort to make private relief operations more effective and efficient. The problem is that how the piecemeal relief operations can be concerted? This is a difficult task no doubt, but not unsolvable. Relief operations can be deemed as 'public goods', and every 'public goods' needs some coordination for its effective allocation and efficient distribution. To make the private relief operations concerted, a "coordination body" (hereinafter "body") is necessary. Only due to lack of concerted effort or a responsible coordination body, many people and organisations do hesitate to come forward with relief donation. Formation of a 'body' to-
ward a concerted relief operation will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of relief operations, as well as it will help increase relief donation fund which might help in extending their operation into rehabilitation too. Their activities are then being regarded as 'privately coordinated public goods'. The government may help in forming the 'body', which must be a private one and volunteer as well. Or, any other respectable and reputed volunteer organisation that is engaged in relief operation may come forward to take initiative in forming an effective consensus 'body'.
Incidentally, the 'body' may consist of the representatives of different
donor agencies, UN organisations, Red Cross and Red Crescent, large NGOs, journalists and some professional groups, those are engaged in relief operations and those have logistic support in this regard. They should have a central bank-account and should have coercive power in relief fund management. They will collect, allocate and distribute the relief properly through partner organisations after careful needs assessment. The process must go through very transparent way so that everybody from everywhere can observe their activities. In this way it could be an acceptable 'body' to all. After formation of such a body, it can work in the backdrop of all
types of natural disasters. Of course, there must be some guidelines about the functions of the body.
I think that formation of such a body will bring a drastic change in private relief operations in terms of quality and quantity. We expect urgent initiatives from governments and/or other organisations, especially journalists can take initiatives to motivate the respected parties to come forward to