The social sector

I work in the social sector and want to verbalize what it is, what it entails and what this means to me.

The 'social sector' is one of many aliases and includes any organization/entity that is not government or private (read profit making) enterprise. Good start - an exclusive definition! Nomenclature is big deal in this sector - NGO/change agents/non-profits....I like social sector. Closer to the beneficiary population and keeps it clear for me every time I wonder what the heck I am doing.

Coming from the corporate world (it has been 6 years since my last corporate job, so I believe I have reached objective status), it was very funny to see how personal it all was. 'Attack the problem, not the person' is still very much the governing philosophy but the whole field is all about it being personal. People are impacted daily by others who are aiming for this impact. No profits to muddy the picture....I mean, a job that means constant overtime with little nuggets of encouragement once in a while - only personal passion can drive it. I am converting to the 'personal is but natural' way of thinking, when coupled with a positive way of functioning.

The people I have met in the social sector are very different on surface but share several common factors. Funny because this is truly across class, caste, religion, education, age, gender and race. And to find that kind of commonality in India is almost impossible in general.

The common factors are serious individual passion (even when you marvel - digging toilets, managing waste, seeing misery day in and day out, doing jobs that would be classified drudgery in any field.....), belief that things can be better (yeah, sometimes one can't imagine how 'worse' can look!), unhealthy levels of hidden optimism (skepticism has been developed to an art form on surface), long years in the sector (attrition rates are high between entities, rarely do social workers go truly corporate....the farthest is probably CSR), strong opinions that vehemently differ with others (my way, highway....see the CRASH?!....my way!), immense ability to deal with frustration.....I could go on and on.

The high of a good day, seeing smiles on kids' faces when you know that you would not last long under the burden of their life, when you see people with so much less complain even less than you with all your blessings, the learning of how strong and overwhelmingly positive the human spirit is, how much people value what they have....I realize that being in the sector is not altruistic. It helps me more daily and truly helps me grow as a person.....I should be paying for this opportunity! There is no better job....why did it take me so long to get here?! Seems like the natural choice for me, if I had to be in the accounting field at all.

This said, I hear that in India some 85% of registered NGOs are likely to be fraudulent/in name only. Being the unhealthy optimist, I can't believe that is true....60% is a better figure?! :-) I have only seen the commitment and hard work....some results like today. It is stranger when you are a support function - financial function in an NGO. More critical in theory (scarce resources need more management!) but often overlooked/underestimated. The beauty of the position is that a lot of change can be brought about by little changes - Pamparapaaaaam....enter the humble but beautiful voucher!

Today was a good day - feel like I too contribute significantly beyond my home and its walls. Check out my NGO: www.dreamadream.org

Ta, ta!