Donor Driven Agendas or Complimentary Modes of Civil Society Activism? An Analysis of SMO’s and NGO’s Combating Violence Against Women in India

The study is located in the global debate on the differences between nonfunded, SMO’s and funded NGO’s. The study undertakes a comparative analysis of three organisations: Saheli (non-funded, SMO), Jagori and Swayam (donor funded NGO) working on the issue of violence against women in India. The data generated at the organisational and programmatic level unearthed a gamut of issues that challenge the global level discourses. A comparative analysis of the conceptualisation of VAW revealed that both SMO and NGO have a similar broader level understanding which has evolved with work experience. The strategies to combat VAW reflected a trajectory of diversification and cyclic movement between direct, public outreach and community based interventions. Analysis of the searing issue of funding showed that both SMO and NGO struggle with the ingrained structural injustices with or without ‘funding’. However, there were significant differences in the conceptual basis of their understanding of VAW which was deeply linked to their embedded political ideologies which were more important than funding per se. Thus, the ground level analysis of conceptualisation and strategies of these organisations debunks the rhetoric on ‘funding’. The study suggests that rather than being oppositional modes of civil society activism these organisations are complementary especially in relation to dealing with the difficult issue of VAW. The paper argues for the need to recast the debate on SMO and NGO to address deeper issues related to transformative strategies, accountability, sustainability etc.