ABSTRACT
This Chapter outlines the overall situation of Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Bangladesh and their relations with donors, state and clients and finally makes proposals for improvements. There are probably more and larger NGOs in Bangladesh than in any other country of the same size in the world. Many of the national NGOs in Bangladesh began life in the 1970s after Independence, with radical agendas based on political reflection on the deep-seated, structural causes of poverty. NGOs in Bangladesh have not originated from Grass Root Organisations (GROs) in civil society. The World Bank seems very satisfied with the performance of NGOs in providing microcredit in Bangladesh. As NGOs are heavily dependent on foreign resources, in the absence of accountability, the flow of money from the outside can make the NGOs corrupt, controversial and autocratic. Many NGOs in Bangladesh took part in or supported some of the popular movements against autocratic rulers and demands for free and fair elections.
