Resources

Conceptual Framework and Current Development Context July 2018 The missionary approach to development interventions is driven by the Christian inspiration and ethos of the global movement of missionary organisations1 (see Figure 1, above). Specific features of the missionary approach make…

Gauteng City-Region Observatory This is a case study of the violence of May 2008 was by far the most devastating event of its kind since apartheid ended in 1994 in South Africa. Although not exclusively, a considerable number of foreign…

2015-2017: A Program Model Case Study Partners: Episcopal Relief & Development and the humanitarian arm of the Episcopal Church of Liberia Two-year evaluation of program in Liberia   Program Website on Episcopal Relief & Development

This essay examines local and international Christian efforts on Mount Kilimanjaro to educate children. A prevailing idea among people who live on the mountain is that children engender trust and trade. This idea is illuminated through the adage 'Take the…

The field of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in humanitarian emergencies has shown remarkable development over the last two decades.1 Mental health was once a notable omission from the health priorities to be addressed in the context of humanitarian…

This is a comprehensive report of the GNRC 5th Forum. It is a summary of all aspects of the Forum, including the speeches, papers presented, contributions and transcripts of messages delivered at the Forum. Includes remarks from distinguished guests during…

Nigeria’s vibrant and dynamic religious landscape plays many roles in the nation’s life and development. It is also a factor, albeit a complex one, in conflicts and violence that many see as linked to religious divides. Religious institutions have deep…

Resilience—the ability to anticipate, withstand and bounce back from external pressures and shocks—is an increasingly important construct in shaping humanitarian strategy by the international community (DFID 2011; UNICEF 2011; USAID 2012). Local faith communities (LFCs)—groupings of religious actors bonded through…

The declaration, known as an Affirmation of Welcome, is the first to involve UNHCR and a spectrum of faith-based groups. It sets out principles to guide faith leaders in providing welcoming environments for refugees and displaced people, and those without citizenship, including through promoting community understanding and tolerance, and combatting xenophobia.

The idea for a joint declaration emerged from a meeting hosted by UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres in Geneva in December 2012 with religious leaders and faith-based NGOs.

Taking place between February and April of this year, drafting of the Affirmation involved a coalition of leading faith-based organizations and academic institutions. The text draws upon principles and values of welcome shared by religions including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.

The Partnership Note sets out broad guidance for UNHCR staff to engage with, reach out to, and partner with faith actors in the context of forced displacement. It describes UNHCR’s understanding of the range of faith actors and the role they play in humanitarian responses. The Note also flags the challenges of partnership and highlights instances where we would not normally engage owing to humanitarian and human rights considerations. More importantly, it contains examples of good practice and lessons learned from existing partnerships in the field and highlights principles that are a point of departure for dialogue and cooperation with faith actors and communities, while setting out actions and activities to put these principles into practice. The Partnership Note may be used as point of departure for conversations on many issues between UNHCR and faith actors. It can also help guide you, as partners, to establish dialogue across faiths and with a range of humanitarian actors.

UNICEF and other child rights organizations* have a long history of partnering with religious communities of all faiths on a wide range of issues that affect children. Religious communities are uniquely positioned to promote equitable outcomes for the most vulnerable…

Unskilled migrant workers and their families represent a crucial human resource in Sabah (Malaysia) as cheap labour, but also as religious believers. Christian organizations belonging to various denominations have started to cater to this community in recent years by providing…

Mobilisation of Local Faith Communities Learning Hub Webinar: Sustainable Development Goals and role of religion and local faith communities  

21st-23rd March 2018 United Nations Strategic Learning Exchange on Religion, Development and Humanitarian Work under the patronage of HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal, in Amman, Jordan The Strategic Learning Exchange (SLE) is a partnership effort stewarded by the UN…

Chapter exceprt from Jörg Haustein & Emma Tomalin, 'Religion and Development in Africa and Asia' in Routledge Handbook of Africa–Asia Relations ed. by Pedro Carvalho et al. London: Routledge, 2017, pp. 76-93 See also - Religions and Sustainable Development Network

A Thematic Paper for the Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security Prepared by the Soka Gakkai International September 2017 As a global movement of Buddhists dedicated to peace, the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) has worked on the activities for…

Guidance on mental health and psychosocial programming This guidance has been developed in phases. A desk review looking at the literature relevant to faith-sensitive psychosocial programming, followed by fieldwork in LWF and IRW country offices (Kenya, Jordan and Nepal), led…

Voice for Change Stories of Learning From 2013 to 2017, UK Aid supported the implementation of a programme called Voice for Change (V4C), which sought to address social norms and improve gender equality in four states in Nigeria: Enugu, Kaduna,…

James Choi and Lincoln Lau for Mobilisation of Local Faith Communities Hub Webinar in May 2018  

This process is based on Tearfund’s experience in the Philippines, in response to Typhoon Haiyan (2013). Typhoon Haiyan (locally named Yolanda) hit the Philippines on 8 November, 2013. Humanitarian assistance focused on some of the hardest hit areas in the…

The objective of the Khutbah Guide is to increase knowledge on MNCH and to assign them on providing Khutbah on MNCH issues for Friday worship. The guide encourages Religious Leaders to also use this knowledge for premarital and duple counselling,…

Developing Effective Partnerships Between Faith and Secular Actors to Challenge Discriminatory Gender Norms and Secure Rural Women’s Rights Co-hosted by: Permanent Mission of Denmark to the UN in New York, the ACT Alliance, DanChuchAid and UNFPA in partnership with Christian Aid,…

Frequently, community based strategies include engagement with local faith leaders. However, there have been few systematic attempts to document how faith leaders themselves define their roles in these initiatives. This study examined local faith leaders and their spouses, in flood…

Local Faith Communities in Urban Displacement: Evidence on Urbanization and Localization Brief Author: Olivia Wilkinson Design: Stacy Nam Key points: Local faith actors should be recognized as legitimate “local,” “civil society” actors A greater familiarity with the structures of local…

One in three women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual violence from their partner; this includes at least 90 million Catholic women. The mutual love and honor promised in marriage is not understood; hearts are broken; bodies and spirits are…

JLI Mobilisation of Local Faith Communities- March 2018 webinar slides Webinar Agenda: Hub Introduction and 2018 Work (Andrea Kaufmann) Role of Local Faith Actors in the context of the localisation agenda (Catriona Dejean) Lauren Kejeh, Tearfund and Lydia Tanner, The…

Guidelines for church leaders in areas where disasters (earthquakes, fires, flood etc.) are common. Chapters include:  Introduction Chapter 1 – The local church and disasters Chapter 2 – Organising ourselves Chapter 3 – Risks, needs and capacity assessments Chapter 4 – Displaced people…

Ending Corporal Punishment of Children- a handbook for  multi-religious gatherings This resource, which has been written in collaboration with religious leaders and faith-based communities, is based on the premises that the major religions profess respect for the inherent dignity of…

Can a Protestant Christianity education program teaching about health, livelihoods, religious values impact poverty? New working paper published from groundbreaking randomized control trial (RCT) to measure impact of faith and religion in the Philippines. This trial was an initiative between Innovations for Poverty…

The role of local churches in humanitarian and development responses Tearfund’s approach to humanitarian and development response is to work wherever possible with and through the local church. This is because, as a Christian NGO, Tearfund considers itself to have…

Maximizing a Health System Approach for an Improved Epidemic Response Recommendations from IMA’s Experiences Containing Ebola Outbreaks in the DRC IMA World Health’s work on the frontlines of strengthening fragile healthcare systems often brings us in contact with new infectious…

Preventing Malaria in Our Communities A Guide to Help Faith Leaders Educate Congregations and Communities About Malaria Muslim Joint initiative between IMA World Health and the Center for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty. For more information [email protected]   Also see Christian…

This report describes the results of a yearlong qualitative study on religious leaders’ understandings and responses to issues of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Conducted by the Science, Religion, and Culture Program (SRC) at Harvard Divinity School with the support…

Protestant Pastors Survey on Sexual and Domestic Violence June 2014 Sexual and domestic violence inflicts deep emotional, physical, and spiritual harm on the individuals who endure it. It also inflicts long-term damage to communities by reinforcing discriminatory social, economic, and…

A brief look at Mennonite Central Committee’s Child Protection Programs through a quarterly compilation

Working effectively with faith leaders to challenge harmful traditional practices Study Speakers Dr Elisabet le Roux is the Research Director at the Unit for Religion and Development Research Dr Brenda Bartelink is an anthropologist and scholar in the Academic Study of Religion…

These khutbah and sermon guides were developed to empower religious leaders with the tools and skills to reach their congregations with key messages on pediatric HIV transmission and prevention; stigma and discrimination; and treatment, care, and support; as well as…

The Forum on Localizing Response to Humanitarian Need was held on Oct 16-19 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Forum was organized as a follow on from the World Humanitarian Summit, responding to and reinforcing the localization of aid/Grand Bargain discussions, and…

Abid Gulzar from World Vision on behalf of the Advocacy Working Group for the Localization of Humanitarian Response Forum to the ICVA meeting in Bangkok in December  

A Toolkit for Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction & Management for members and partners of the Anglican relief and development community Episcopal Relief convened a global Disaster Risk Reduction and Disaster Management Working Group to collaborate on creating these tools. Twelve…

Weather Coast and Temotu Community Channels of Hope Project Phase 1 Hope for a safer Solomon Islands Findings from evaluations of gender norms change and violence prevention initiatives in Honiara, Temotu and Weather Coast World Vision’s Channels of Hope for…

Salvation Army International Magazine Salvation Army Website [embed]https://issuu.com/salvationarmyihq/docs/atw-oct_2017-web[/embed]

Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security Prepared by the Soka Gakkai International October 2017 In March 2011, the northeast region of Japan known as Tohoku1 was hit by a natural disaster of enormous magnitude: The Great East Japan Earthquake.…

Synthesis report of the UK-Government funded project: ‘Working effectively with faith leaders to challenge harmful traditional practices’

November 2017 In 2017, the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI) undertook a study funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), entitled ‘Working effectively with faith leaders to challenge harmful traditional practices. The following policy…

November 2017 In 2017, the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI) undertook a study funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), entitled ‘Working effectively with faith leaders to challenge harmful traditional practices.' Policy brief addressing…

As part of the JLI GBV Hub Study funded by UK-Aid on Harmful Traditional Practices (HTP)s, the literature review focused on the most prevalent HTPs and faith actors conducted at the start of the study As such it served as…

Bibliography Themes: Prevalence of Harmful Traditional Practices (HTPs) HTPs in the context of faith As part of the UK-Aid funded HTPs Project conducted by the JLI GBV Hub. See full JLI GBV Study Toolkit here

This document details the findings from the case study done with Tearfund.
As part of the JLI GBV Hub study funded by UK-Aid on engaging with faith leaders on harmful traditional practices follows a multi-case case study design, with each individual case study focusing on one of five organisations, four of whom are international faith-based organisations (FBOs), and their work on HTPs and with faith leaders.

This JLI GBV Hub study funded by UK-Aid on engaging with faith leaders on harmful traditional practices follows a multi-case case study design, with each individual case study focusing on one of five organisations, four of whom are international faith-based organisations (FBOs), and their work on HTPs and with faith leaders. This document details the findings from the case study done with World Vision International

This JLI GBV Hub study funded by UK-Aid on engaging with faith leaders on harmful traditional practices follows a multi-case case study design, with each individual case study focusing on one of five organisations, four of whom are international faith-based organisations (FBOs), and their work on HTPs and with faith leaders. This document details the findings from the case study done with Islamic Relief Worldwide.

This JLI GBV Hub study funded by UK-Aid on engaging with faith leaders on harmful traditional practices follows a multi-case case study design, with each individual case study focusing on one of five organisations, four of whom are international faith-based organisations (FBOs), and their work on HTPs and with faith leaders. This document details the findings from the case study done with Christian Aid

This JLI GBV Hub study funded by UK-Aid on engaging with faith leaders on harmful traditional practices follows a multi-case case study design, with each individual case study focusing on one of five organisations, four of whom are international faith-based organisations (FBOs), and their work on HTPs and with faith leaders. This document details the findings from the case study done with ABAAD through five interviews.

This JLI GBV Hub study funded by UK-Aid on engaging with faith leaders on harmful traditional practices follows a multi-case case study design, with each individual case study focusing on one of five organisations, four of whom are international faith-based organisations (FBOs), and their work on HTPs and with faith leaders. This survey report is on the data from an anonymous, online survey that was completed by 65 individuals from across the globe. As such, the survey report merely details and explains the data gathered through this survey.

Religious beliefs and leadership can play important if complex roles in family planning decisions at many levels, but there are significant gaps in understanding how these influences affect family planning policies and programs. The World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), in…

In December 2012, UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres organized a Dialogue with faith leaders, faith-based humanitarian organizations, academics and government representatives from countries around the world on the theme of “Faith and Protection.” As the High Commissioner noted…

This discussion guide and toolkit provides ideas and approaches to enable you to think through your research partnerships; to encourage you to critically engage with issues such as the roles different actors play in partnership; and what types of evidence…

From 2011 until June 2016, the Australia Africa Community Engagement Scheme (AACES) program worked across eleven countries in Africa (Ethiopian, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe), in three general sectors (food security, maternal and…

The aim of this report is to highlight evidence regarding the roles and impact that Local Faith Communities (LFCs) play in relation to urban refugees, with the aim of informing interconnected conversations around localisation and urbanisation. The international community is…

The aim is to provide MHPSS practitioners, policy and decision-makers easily-accessible information on resources and tools related to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) that are useful in the case of an emergency.  

This manual is designed for facilitators of the ‘Do No Harm for Faith Groups: Christian-Muslim Edition’ workshop for partners. The participants in these workshops are religious leaders and faith-based organisation (FBO) staff who work closely with the host organisation. The…

10/3 Joint Learning Webinar For more information on the webinar see post below https://jliflc.com/2017/09/joint-learning-webinar-oxfam-america/ [embed]https://youtu.be/rvA0qTXXM48[/embed]

Authors: Kirsten Laursen Muth, Chou Nuon, Vanessa Pizer, Abiy Seifu Link to other SVRI Faith-related Presentations

Exploring the Nexus between Harmful Traditional Practices, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Religion: Working effectively with Faith Leaders September 19, 2017 Lisa Le Roux and Brenda Bartelink Presentation For more information about the JLI SGBV Hub Study see here See…

The Organization of African Initiated Churches (OAIC) and International Care Ministries (ICM) have partnered up to learn from each other on monitoring, evaluation, and learning for organizations working through local faith communities. We spoke to Rev. Nicta Lubaale (OAIC) and…

Christian Aid supports Gana Unnayan Kendra (GUK)  towards CHS Alliance membership Gana Unnayan Kendra (GUK), a community-led development organisation combating poverty in Bangladesh, has recently joined CHS Alliance. This is largely due to the hard work of Nahed Chowdhury, widely…

Despite the benefits of antenatal care, evidence from sub-Saharan Africa suggests that women often initiate these services after the first trimester of pregnancy and do not complete the recommended number of visits. This study examines the impact of mobilising faith-based…

Development in Practice has recently published a special edition issue on Faith and Health in Development Contexts- July 2017. See Full Journal Here Preview of Articles in the special edition: Guest introduction: faith and health in development contexts Christopher Benn Faith…

The  Review of Faith and International Affairs has just published a special series on Reconsidering Religious Radicalism See Full Journal Here   Includes the following articles: Reconsidering Religious Radicalism: An Introduction to the Summer 2017 Issue Judd Birdsall & Drew Collins Radicalism,…

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has offices in 17 countries across Asia, the most disaster- prone region of the world. ADRA recognizes the importance and urgency of increasing resilience to disasters through an inclusive, integrated community-managed disaster risk…

The dialogue on 13 June represents a next step in a continuous effort by the World Food Programme to mobilize support for Zero Hunger. In support of this discussion a number of religious leaders representing various faiths and geographic regions…

Behind closed doors – voices against gender-based violence, human trafficking and modern-day slavery. Launched at an event on Wed 28th June 2017 in the House of Lords hosted by Baroness Butler-Sloss and presented by the Revd Dr Carrie Pemberton Ford, of CCARHT…

Religion & Humanitarian Assistance in West Africa Since the 1980s, programs of humanitarian assistance in Africa have for the most part operated along neoliberal lines. Faith and Charity examines how that approach has changed relationships between religious action, humanitarian assistance,…

Channels of Hope (CoH) is an interactive, facilitated process to create a safe space for faith leaders and faith communities to learn, share and debate. It reaches to the root causes and deepest convictions that impact attitudes, norms, values and…

This report was commissioned by a consortium of UK-based international non-governmental organisations: ActionAid, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Oxfam GB and Tearfund. Partnerships with national and local actors have long been identified as a source of problems in international humanitarian aid. Major…

Video of roundtable sessions with leaders from Muslim, Christian and Druze faith groups on Violence Against Women (VAW) in collaboration with both Oxfam as well as the Forum for Development, Culture, and Dialogue [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS5_bamajys[/embed] Boolket on ending VAW (in arabic):

This Powerpoint presenation titled "Sarvodaya’s contribution to the SDGs 2015/16 and beyond" was presented at Sarvodaya's Annual General Meeting on 17th December 2016. The presentation highlights and discusses some of the main goals of the SDGs that Sarvodaya works in. Founded 59…

This scoping research conducted by Oxfam America in Partnership with Harvard Divinity School, combining a literature review and interviews of more than 45 stakeholders, set out to examine the varying approaches and effectiveness in local humanitarian leadership by secular and…

The Government, Global Poverty and God’s Mission in the World declaration  emerged as one result of a two-day consultation sponsored by Bread for the World Institute, Micah Challenge, and the Center for Applied Christian Ethics, and held at Wheaton College,…

This report summarizes and reflects on work that explored religious issues relevant for contemporary development challenges in several very different countries (Bangladesh, Kenya, Senegal, and Guatemala). All four countries face significant challenges of fragility, and development actors of many kinds,…

Building a Just World examines The Salvation Army's contribution to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - the UN's sustainable development programme between 2000 and 2015. Using data collected by The Salvation Army during that period, this report aims to give…

The purpose of this study is to assess the barriers and enablers to community acceptance and implementation of safe burials in Sierra Leone. The Ebola virus continued to spread in Sierra Leone partly because communities were initially resistant to Burial…

Religious and faith-based organizations contribute substantially to international development as major donors to care for the most vulnerable. Political pressure is increasing in some quarters to cut public spending on foreign assistance leaving religious and voluntary sectors to fundraise for…

102 UNICEF offices provided information about their extensive work with faith communities over recent years. Partnerships included sensitization activities, capacity development, and support for advocacy and social mobilization. The mapping report concludes: “With evidence of UNICEF’s extensive engagement with religious communities in plain view, UNICEF must now turn its attention to maximizing the benefits of its partnerships with these critical actors”

The members of Christian Connections for International Health span the globe. They have long-term working relationships with numerous faith groups, health systems and governments. They are uniquely placed to hear and voice the concerns of both health professionals and ordinary…

The focus of this volume is on religious actors as important social actors or drivers of change, particularly as promoters of social change, democracy and development. It is an acknowledgement of the vital role that religious communities and similar organised…

Muslim Platform for Sustainable Platform launched—to exchange knowledge and facilitate collaboration on Muslim understanding of and approach to achieving the SDGs. See more information below and their website: [embed]http://www.muslimplatformsd.org/[/embed]

The Collective Action for Adolescent Girls Initiative (CAAGI) is a two-year pilot funded by Christian Aid, and jointly implemented by Development and Peace Initiative (DPI) and Gender Awareness Trust (GAT). The project aims to improve significantly the choices and opportunities…

Preventing Malaria in Our Communities A Guide to Help Faith Leaders Educate Congregations and Communities About Malaria Christian Joint initiative between IMA World Health and the Center for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty. For more information [email protected]   Also see resource…

Disaster Ministry Handbook     Jamie D. Aten and David M. Boan, Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2016. Dr. Jamie Aten is the founder and co-director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute and Dr. Arthur P. Rech and Mrs. Jean May…

Role of Religion and Religious Leaders in Farmer-Pastoralist Conflict in Plateau State: An Inter-Religious Peacebuilding in Northern Nigeria (IPNN) Qualitative Research Report In the context of persistent, low-intensity conflict, which has characterized Nigeria’s Middle Belt for the past decade, Mercy…

An Exploratory Study to Examine the Effectiveness of Community Based Ebola Virus Disease Prevention and Management Strategies in Bo District Sierra Leone World Vision Sierra Leone and Johns Hopkins University Research Collaboration on World Vision's Ebola Response in Sierra Leone.…

From analysis to action: World Vision’s journey of rapid context analysis in humanitarian emergencies This briefing explains one of the tools that World Vision has developed in order to assess contexts rapidly: ‘Good Enough Context Analysis for Rapid Response’ (GECARR).…

Tearfund's Bridging the Gap: The Role of Local Churches in Fostering Local-Level Social Accountability and Governance forms part of a suite of resources that Tearfund produced to help demonstrate the impact of their Church and Community Mobilisation (CCM) advocacy work. Additional information on this…

We Will Speak Out (WWSO) is a global coalition of Christian-based NGOs, churches and organizations, supported by an alliance of technical partners and individuals – chief among them Tearfund, a MenEngage Alliance member - who together commit themselves to see…

The U.S. and other Western governments are now turning to strategies known as countering violent extremism, or CVE. According to the White House, CVE addresses “the root causes of extremism through community engagement.” Instead of fighting violent ideology with bombs,…

This report provides an overview of the engagement with faith-based actors and faith-related activities by the members of the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Engaging Faith-Based Actors for Sustainable Development