Hilhorst,'s article tries to show the important of Non Government Organizations within a framework of integrated rural development that implies both eradication of poverty in rural areas and development generated from below. In order to clarify their functioning, it attempts to place the development oriented non government organizations in function of what is considered to be their most important relationships. Further on, some aspects on their effectiveness are discussed, while it elaborates on the notion of integrated rural development as understood here. It ends by presenting some data on the variety of their activities in rural development and some conclusions on government policy and their strategies.