Rich comparison
I have to write this piece as an apology to OCCUR, which I had the privilege of encountering about twenty years ago, back in the 90's.
Co-respondent in the call to arms against the scourge that is HIV-AIDS, this Tokyo-based organization has managed to survive while many fell the way of the disease, or less tragically, went the way of the corporate world. I have sporadically kept myself abreast on its various campaigns. I have also managed to keep in touch with two of its officers and most active members, and with the advent of Facebook, have almost instantaneous access to these members.
Unfortunately, I fell into the trap of assuming everything that these members were posting were somehow related to the NGO that they were part of, automatically collapsing their personal identities and personal advocacies with institutional efforts.
You know what I mean. In Facebook, we see employees of companies marketing their company's products in their personal accounts. NGO workers let us know where they are and what they are doing. Typhoon relief efforts of various charities are publicized, and we no longer check whether a person is just helping or is really part of, and speaking for, that organization.
So, lazy me, I saw an exciting post on how the Tokyo Government had enlisted Hello Kitty and paired the feline with the red ribbon, and I instantly assumed that my friend had done it in his capacity as an NGO worker. I broadcasted the good news, touted it to all and sundry, and only let the NGO know about what I was doing post-publication.
But such is my luck. Without fact checkers to back me up, it turns out OCCUR, as an organization, did not really publicize Hello Kitty but instead, had its own agenda and series of activities slated for World AIDS day. My bad. A private person's personal advocacy had been quickly imputed to the organization, and it shouldn't have been. So my apologies to all concerned, especially my friends. (God made me do it.)
The point remains, though, that Hello Kitty is a powerful tool. Being able to harness its marketing power and reaching out to its legion of fans is a real coup. Imagine the potential impact on the war against HIV. And here in the Philippines, we should be thinking of something equally big, if not bigger!
What was more interesting for me was the expressed reservation that Philippine NGO's might not want to be compared to other NGO's from abroad (and then seen wanting in comparison). My response to that, as is usual with me, is that I don't really care if local organizations are offended. They shouldn't let their prides get pricked, the point is openness or receptivity to ideas (the successful ones) originating from other countries.
There should be a willingness to learn, to emulate, and to replicate successes of other countries in this country. Local NGO's should be challenged, and if they don't want to be challenged, then we have a problem.
AIDS isn't going to be solved by fragile egos. It isn't going to disappear while tempers are soothed and massaged. As I wrote last week, every death is a failure. So while people are dying, who cares if NGO's are judged to be failing? Indeed, they should be judged, and judged quickly, so that we can recalibrate and implement the measures needed to respond to AIDS.
The infection rates in most countries are slowing. Unfortunately, that's not the case in this country. Shouldn't we be vigilant, compare best practices, and benchmark?
Absolutely, we should, and I will shout down anyone who disagrees. (Figuratively speaking, of course).
P.s. A note of clarification. Lest some readers think the NGO wanted publicity, let me put that speculation to rest. This piece was volunteered, very willingly, by me.
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