Interact Worldwide and Civil Society
The Civil Society sector - composed of non-governmental organisations, faith-based groups, trade unions, indigenous people’s groups, charitable organizations, community groups and private foundations - is a major force in international development. There has been a dramatic expansion in recent years of the size, scope, and capacity of civil society that has been aided by the expansion of democratic governance and globalization. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reported that as of 2003 at least $12 billion in international assistance flows through civil society organisations. Interact has a strong belief in the intrinsic role of civil society in development. Governments, as representatives of the people have a mandate to engage with civil society.
Civil society organizations such as Interact's partners aim to give the marginalized a voice in policy formulation and national level planning, and to promote accountability in public institutions. They develop innovative ideas that come from practical experience on the ground, and provide expertise and information to often low-capacity public institutions. Some of Interact's partners are also involved in service delivery in partnership with the public sector.
Being close to the community, Civil society and community based organizations are very well placed to access the particularly vulnerable groups that Interact focus on. Equally, they are able to work effectively on issues such as discrimination and HIV prevention that require attitudinal change at the community level.
