ABSTRACT
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) work in a variety of fields, such as development, humanitarian aid, education, human rights and the environment. Their core tasks are to alleviate suffering and to better both the life of human beings and the conditions in their environment (Vakil 1997, Boli and Thomas 1997). In order to execute these tasks NGOs fulfil various roles: they can operate as implementers by providing services and goods, they can function as catalysts by lobbying for and advocating change and they can be partners to other actors in efforts of, for example, capacity building (Lewis 2001, Anheier 2005: 174–5).
