“They Are Not Understanding Sustainability”: Contested Sustainability Narratives at a Northern Malawian Development Interface

Understanding Sustainability Reporting in Non-Governmental Organisations: A Systematic Review of Reporting Practices, Drivers, Barriers and Paths for Future Research

“…For instance, in the study of the factors influencing SR in NGOs by [42], they found that access to donor funds has a significant influence on sustainability and it is a key driver for SR processes in NGOs. Generally, SR has contested analytical importance, application, and scope with a strong positive resonance [48] and outcome but this definition in the literature above is silent on 'assessment processes', 'outcomes', and 'quality of life' as it pertains to both human beings, animals, and plants [50], which is the bedrock of the WCED. The definition could be used to indict the over-consumption of resources of the rich (donor group) by the poor and the disadvantaged or the demand for regular financial support by the latter [9,50].…”

“…This includes the intended outcome of SR which results in sustainable development ultimately. SR as a term not only conveys its meaning but its assessment outcome which is universally portrayed as a moral good, and this makes an act described as sustainable difficult to criticize [48]. On the other hand, defining sustainability on the basis of TBL which is anchored on people, planet and profit appear to be inherently faulty because of NGOs' non-inclination to profit.…”

“…The elements which include accountability mechanism, assessment and outcome, governance and impact, as well as the quality of life respond to call by [7,15,48] to reposition the understanding of sustainability in NGO to ensure it responds to global concerns, increase partnership and mutual responsibility that supports accountability, assessment, and impact. We argue that this will deepen the concept that links sustainability to quality of life through sustainable development practices.…”

“…NGOs are expected not only to assess but to report on sustainability issues in response to the growing public awareness of the sustainability agenda [11][12][13][14]. References [6,15] pointed that NGOs are well suited to pursue sustainability agendas not only because of the public trust in NGOs [16] but because they are a more active sector While none of these definitions are entirely wrong either for the NGO community or for-profit organisations, each appears to be limited in scope and falls short of the underlying meaning upon which SR is embedded and the equivalence that positions SR as a global concern [48,49]. For instance, the definition by the Brundtland Report that says it is meeting the needs of the present as well as those of the future can only refer to sustainable development and it is contestable.…”

Do the Chinese Bring Chitukuko? Rural Malawian Understandings of Chinese Development

“…I learnt chiTumbuka, lived with families, attended church and triangulated my observations with focus groups, which made it harder for gatekeepers to provide me with an uncritical aid narrative. I have written previously on how Vsawans criticised aid within their development narratives (McNamara, , ). I also read Malawian newspapers daily and have attempted to link my observations of these to existing literature.…”