At the onset of the genocide in Gaza, I worked in the advocacy and communications department of a prominent international NGO. What I witnessed was more than complicity; it was an active erasure of Palestinian voices. The lies, gaslighting and manipulation I experienced went far beyond anything I could have imagined.
Our concerns were dismissed outright by the predominantly white regional management. They accused us of bias and even questioned our commitment to human rights and the organisation’s mission.
Despite our objections, they went ahead, prioritising the approval of donors and appeasing leaders within the organisation known for their staunch Zionist views.
But the manipulation didn’t stop there. Everything we wrote - from tweets to reports - had to go through a gruelling “sign-off process” that felt more like censorship. They even hired a white European staff member whose sole job was to edit and approve anything that came out of our department.
i recall reading some quote from thomas sankara about how ngos are another extension of control with the quote - “Those who come with wheat, millet, corn or milk, they are not helping us. Those who really want to help us can give us ploughs, tractors, fertilizers, insecticides, watering cans, drills and dams. That is how we would define food aid.” and how “he who feeds you, controls you”
i also just recently listening to the millennials are killing capitalism, with their interview on the sameer project with hala sabbah, where she works in a mutual aid group in palestine and she talks about the interactions between palestinians and the NGOs
how extremely limited and bureaucratic the NGOs are, saying some similar about how the entire objective of the ngo are to control people.
but interesting to see what the perspective from the NGO’s staffer side is like the from the lower ranks jumping through the many hoops
