Who Counts?

5 April, 2006

International NGOs are often criticised for their lack of accountability. Although we have audits, write up our annual accounts and report to our funders, how can beneficiaries be sure that we are spending the money efficiently, correctly and transparently?

The initiative 'Who Counts?. is working to help NGOs give financial reporting to beneficiaries, so that the communities we work with can see how the money that aims to help them is spent. Using this information beneficiaries can make sure that funds are spent on their real priorities. 'Who Counts?. was launched in April 2005 by Mango, a charity that works to help NGOs strengthen their financial management.

Ockenden International has been piloting providing financial reporting to beneficiaries in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. We have found that giving this kind of information to the communities we work in had a really positive impact on our relationship with them. They felt that we were showing them our honesty and respect for them, particularly in areas where corruption is high.

The communities found a new kind of confidence knowing how money had been spent, by the experience of their opinions being taken into account and the opportunity to ask questions. Not that financial reporting to beneficiaries isn.t without its challenges . as this article shows, when the communities questioned some of our practices. All the same, the experience of financial reporting to beneficiaries has been an exciting and constructive one and we are now looking at how we can expand it to other communities.

Please download our case studies from Afghanistan and Pakistan and Iraq.