> The Guardian (Tanzania), October 17, 2002

By Lwaga Mwambande

NGOs should ensure there is good management of resources at their disposal if they want to attract support from various sectors locally and outside the country.
      The Acting Director of Refugees Department in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Johnson Brahim, said this at the launching ceremony of a booklet on partnership between UNHCR and nine NGOs operating in refugee camps in the country.
      "Has any NGO approached the government for founding? With good management you will be able to get support from various organizations," Brahim said yesterday at the UNHCR offices in Dar Es Salaam.
      Earlier, Oswald Kasaizi of the Partnership in Action (PARinAC) urged the UNHCR to provide national NGOs a level playground in terms of resources, opportunities and exposure for them to perform even better.
      PARinAC - Tanzania is a forum for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and nine national NGOs as implementing partners in provision of services in refugee camps mainly in Kigoma and Kagera regions and Tanga.
      Kasaizi who heads the Relief to Development Society (REDESO), told the UNHCR Deputy Representative, Kai Nielsen, that if granted the level playground local NGOs "would do better than international NGOs."
      "To us memebers of the (PARinAC) forum, Tanzania is our country and we are here to stay, therefore we will not have any excuse for not performing better," he said.
      He mentioned and added advantage of national NGOs as their being cost effective in refugee operations.
      "Since this is an era when UNHCR is serious on cost effectiveness, we fill that we are ready to assume other responsibilities (currently) shouldered by international NGOs", he said.