Okuzeka
Social Work vocabulary · Services and Multi-Agency Work

NGO

Meaning in social work, with examples

/ˌen dʒiː ˈəʊ/abbreviationCore term

In social work, NGO means: Short for non-governmental organisation: an independent, non-profit organisation that works on social, humanitarian or environmental issues.

In Turkish: STK, sivil toplum kuruluşu, hükümet dışı kuruluş

How it is used

Common in international and humanitarian work. In the UK people more often say charity, voluntary organisation or the third sector; in the US, nonprofit. Many social workers in Turkey work for NGOs in refugee, women's and children's programmes.

Example sentences

  1. She works as a case manager for an NGO supporting refugee families.

  2. The NGO runs a helpline and two shelters for women.

Common collocations

  • international NGO
  • local NGO
  • NGO staff
  • work for an NGO
  • partner NGOs
  • statutoryRequired, set up or controlled by law, for example a service that a public body must legally provide.
  • volunteerA person who gives their time to help an organisation or community without being paid; as a verb, to offer to do this.
  • advocacySpeaking up for people, or helping them speak up for themselves, so that their views are heard and their rights are respected.
  • community developmentWork with local people to identify shared problems and strengths and to take collective action that improves life in their community.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Services and Multi-Agency Work

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: