ABSTRACT
Since the 1990s, therefore, advocacy as a poverty alleviation strategy has been given higher priority by Northern NGOs. Advocacy broadly includes campaigning (aiming to change public opinion) and lobbying (attempting to change policy). The intent of both is to inf luence policy, particularly those with potential to impact positively on people’s lives. Facilitated by the revolution in communications technology, rapid expansion in opportunities for sharing information and accessing and contacting the public broadened the spheres of inf luence of activist organisations. Harnessing public support gives NGOs the potential to impact on the policies of global and national institutions, which determine access to resources and power.
