E-Newsletter
Outeach
Non-Governmental Organizations, Civic Associations,
Social Movements, and Quasi-Governmental Agencies
A Bibliography of Sources
This listing, which was compiled by Peter T. Johnson (Princeton University) provides starting points for seeking information from and about these diverse groups and their activities in rural and urban Latin America. Many thousands of such organizations exist, some for decades and others are relatively new. All are committed to encouraging residents to become active in society through participating in various projects designed to fulfill the organization’s objectives. Because many of these groups operate with limited budgets, and their likely constituencies often lack knowledge of and access to the Internet, printed publications remain highly important for communicating. Some groups provide impressive web presence, and the number committed to this medium increases steadily. Nevertheless, researchers should check for information from both electronic and printed resources in order to gage accurately the scope of the organization’s activities.
The Latin American Network Information Center (LANIC) http://lanic.utexas.edu/ is the single most important gateway to many organizations. LANIC, a project of the Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, is a qualitatively reviewed listing of Internet-based information to, from, or on Latin America. Dating from the early 1990s, LANIC arranges information in broad topical categories, with continual changes to reflect the dynamic nature of Internet sites.
Many of the printed publications (e.g., fliers, leaflets, posters, pamphlets, and serials) are ephemeral in nature. Designed for specific audiences and often distributed without charge to targeted audiences, most of these documents on an organization’s activities do not enter commercial networks and hence research library collections. The prominent exceptions are for Brazil through the US Library of Congress and its office in Rio de Janeiro that collects and prepares annually a selection of thousands of these publications. Known as the Brazil’s Popular Groups, an invaluable index provides access to these works as they appear on microfilm: http://www.loc.gov/acq/ovop/rio/bpg/. At Princeton University Libraries large collections exist of ephemera from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Cuba, Peru, and Venezuela, with more modest holdings for the Central American states, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico. All are available on microfilm. See the Guide to the Princeton University Latin American Microfilm Collection and supplements I – IV issued by Scholarly Resources, an imprint of Thomson Gale.
Over the years, many countries and regions have had compilations of information on NGOs published. Some of these works remain invaluable for the information about organizations still operating, as well as for the historical record of grassroots organizing efforts and civic participation through voluntary associations. The following listing is highly selective and intended to provide a sense of the scope of such works. Additional works can be identified through such subject searches as “non-governmental organizations – country – directories” and “associations, institutions, etc. – country – directories.”
Argentina
El capital social: hacia la construcción del indice de desarrollo: sociedad civil de Argentina. [Argentina]: Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, 1998.
Emphasis is on civil society and the organizations and associations contributing to it. The range is broad, from sporting interests to civil rights. Arrangement is by province with descriptions and assessments of the state of civil society in each.
Confines socials: organizaciones de la sociedad civil de promoción y desarrollo de Argentina: directorio y mapa institucional. Buenos Aires: PNUD, 2000.
The focus of this directory is on associations devoted to training, research, technical assistance, and dissemination; provides basic information for 265 organizations with locations throughout the entire country. Provides useful summaries of the objectives and contact information.
Directorio de ONGs vinculadas con políticas públicas en las 24 jurisdicciones argentines. Buenos Aires: Embajada Británica, CIPPEC, 2003.
Elaborates on the principal projects with strong inclusion of those organizations dedicated to research; provides basic directory information, origins of the organization and areas of specialization. Good provincial coverage.
Guía de ONG’s argentines coordinadas. [Buenos Aires]: Fundación Argentina de Planeamniento, 1997.
Identifies those working in the field of social welfare and social action; covers objectives and programs of each.
Bolivia
Directorio de instituciones de servicio social. La Paz, Bolivia: Ministerio de Desarrollo Sostenible y Planificación, 2001- .
Focuses on organizations working with children, adolescents, handicapped and aged; basic contact listing along with a brief listing of services offered. Vol. 1: La Paz, vol. 2 Tarija
Brazil
ONGs no Brasil: perfil e catálogo das associadas `a Abong. São Paulo: ABONG, 2002-
Provides detailed information about the NGO, including its history, affiliated networks and forums in which it participates. ABONG: Associação Brasileira de Organizações Não Governamentais www.abong.org.br has since 1991 endeavored to promote interchange between NGOs, especially in the areas of citizenship, expansion of fundamental rights and the consolidation of democracy.
Chile
Directorio ecológico. Santiago, Chile: FLASCO-Chile, CONAMA, 2000.
Broadly inclusive to list agencies working in sustainable development, environmental education and leadership training, basic contact information and descriptions are provided. Arrangement is by the country’s geopolitical divisions.
Guía Silber: directorio de instituciones de Chile. Santiago, Chile: Silber Editores, 1991-
An excellent resource for the executive, legislative and judicial branches and their agencies, religious organizations, political parties and associated groups, labor unions, the media, international organizations, cultural organizations, NGOs, and educational institutions. For each, brief contact information appears, along with listing of the leadership.
El Salvador
Directorio de organizaciones privadas para el desarrollo de El Salvador. El Salvador: PNUD, 1998.
National in coverage, with extensive topical listings; for each, one finds basic information on objectives, target populations, programs and geographical area of work.
Honduras
La sociedad civil en Honduras: caracterización y directorio. Tegucigalpa: Comisión AD-HOC de Sociedad Civil, 2003.
Lists about 450 national and international organizations active locally, regionally or nationally, along with areas of work and topical foci of projects. Includes contact information and date of organization’s founding. Useful essays on the status of civil society precede the listings.
Nicaragua
Directorio ONG de Nicaragua. [Nicaragua]: Centro de Apoyo a Programas y Proyectos (CAPRI), 1990-
In the most recent volume for 1999-2000, 218 national and 93 international organizations have descriptive information; identifies projects and networks participated in nationally or internationally.
Peru
ONGD – Perú. Lima: Secretaría Ejecutiva de Cooperación Tecnica Internacional, 2002.
A massive listing of NGOs operating throughout the country; identifies sectors of work and primary focus of projects undertaken, along with basic contract information.
Venezuela
Directorio de organizaciones ambientales sin fines de lucro de Venezuela. Caracas: Red ARA, Fundación Polar, 2000. CD-ROM
Provides strong coverage for each state of the agencies working in sustainable development, preservation, conservation, ecotourism and scientific research; for each of the 424 public and private sector institutions listed, basic contact information appears along with brief descriptions of areas of involvement and topical foci. Covers rural and urban organizations many of which are networked with other environmental groups.
