Non-profit organizations don’t catch on in Dagestan

Musa Musayev, Makhachkala. Exclusively to VK

“The number of non-profit organizations in Dagestan is still unknown,” the head of the republic, Magomedsalam Magomedov, stated at a session of the Public Chamber. Why isn’t the number of non-profit organizations growing? Why are there no people who want to found social organizations or involve themselves in social activities? The state cannot solve all problems on its own – social organizations help it.

However, Dagestan is a region where there are few non-profit organizations. Only in Chechnya and Ingushetia are the numbers lower. In principle, the number of such organizations should be higher in regions with rapid demographic growth. The deputy chairman of the Public Chamber of Dagestan, Alyuset Azizkhanov, told VK that “the Ministry of Justice of Dagestan has registered 2072 social organizations. 1/3 of them are religious organizations, i.e. they are district, village mosques, jumah mosques in large residential areas, and madrasahs. Many secular social organizations exist only on paper. Magomedsalam Magomedov posed a question about the permanency of the number of non-profit organizations, because social organizations cannot exist forever, some disappear, others emerge. "If a non-profit organization really exists, it appears, fulfils its social function, implements its projects and closes,” he said.

But in Dagestan the “third sector” is developing slowly. Such a primitive structure as a non-profit organization plays an insignificant role in the social life and cannot influence political stabilization in the republic. At the first republican conference of non-profit organizations of Dagestan on April 23, the head of the republic stated that the republican target program of establishing and developing civil society for 2013-2017 was being prepared. The concept of the program is known. “I think it needs correction, and the heads of the social organizations and unions intensively be should involved in these issues,” Magomedov said.

They say the regions also have fewer organizations - the non-profit sector should be rooted in municipalities. Also, it is necessary to establish conditions for the development of youth structures of civil society. Young people should be the architects of civil society. They should be supported. Non-profit youth organizations are few, despite the fact that young people form 50% of the population.

At the moment, the majority of young people are uninvolved. The so-called “youth opposition” doesn’t know any other way of struggling for their rights than through arms. Even though Islam urges people to live peacefully and use any opportunity for peaceful settlement of a conflict, appeals for jihad are widespread among young people.

Many questions are provoked by various youth forums in Dagestan, which cannot provide large-scale participation. Experts say that such forums as Dagestan's “Caspy” or the all-Caucasian “Mashuk” should welcome only the best young people, leaders who can unite the youth in cities and villages. According to people who took part in Mashuk, not all presented projects there were of high quality.