Resources

Violence against children is shaped by social norms which are frequently underpinned by faith-related beliefs and values. There is renewed global recognition of the role of religions in legitimating or challenging harmful attitudes and practices, and this highlights the relevance…

This publication aims to support humanitarian actors’ engagement with religious leaders with the goal of generating greater respect for humanitarian norms in armed conflict. It relies on socio-legal research conducted over a period of three years as part of the…

This paper aims to: Highlight the work of local churches as key actors in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and resilience building.It does this by: using existing evidence to identify opportunities, gaps and challenges collecting further evidence generating discussion and engagement…

This article explores the perceptions of COVID-19 among faith communities in north-eastern DR Congo and their intersection with public health responses to disease outbreaks. In a situation of a political and economic insecurity and significant unaddressed health needs, faith communities…

What is the role of local faith actors (LFAs) in the pursuit of SDG 16, the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all…

Mindanao State University-Sulu (MSU-Sulu) partnered together with the ICRC to produce the book’s translation into Tausug, a major language spoken in the Sulu archipelago and Zamboanga, among other places. Pana’ta offers guidance on important topics, such as ways to attend…

This toolkit is funded as a part of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) MOMENTUM Country and Global Leadership project, which includes an initiative to identify and address concerns among religious leaders and faith-based communities around vaccination. From 2020…

This Working Paper discusses inequalities caused or exacerbated by religious diversity in displacement and how humanitarian action can be aware of and responsive to this. It is based on interviews with Shi’a Hazara refugees from Afghanistan and local, national and…

The Evidence for Development podcast shares methods and approaches to locally-led development and research developed by Christian Aid, its partners and communities living in the Global South to improve their lives. Episodes are available here on Christian Aid's website.

As a joint learning network focused on evidence in religions and development, we (i.e., JLI) are often asked to summarize the “evidence” on religions and development. While that may seem like a simple request, it is, in fact, a complicated…

This book: Discusses the roles that mosques play in saving lives and reducing losses Shows the role of imams' flexibility to help communities in need Presents point of view to see religion differently in a much broader constructive array than…

Since 2015, over 5 million refugees from Syria have sought safety and protection in cities, towns and camps across Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey. Key responders have included local faith communities, whose members have provided material and spiritual support alike to…

Localisation, as it aims to shift power in the humanitarian system, will involve the increased inclusion of local faith actors, those national and local faith-affiliated groups and organisations that are often first, and last, responders in crises and have been…

A Review of Training Materials for Religious Leaders Religious leaders and communities can play a significant role in reducing HIV-related stigma. In order to strengthen that role, training materials and toolkits for religious leaders have been developed and used in…

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence As the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign takes off, it is an opportune time to revisit the role of faith and theology in addressing domestic violence. The article discusses the…

Promoting respectful relationships, equitable communities, child spacing and social cohesion This resource has been adapted for Gender Champions who have been trained using Tearfund’s Transforming Masculinities toolkit and are working with Muslim communities as part of the Masculinities, Faith and…

The Transforming Masculinities manual is designed to be interactive and self-reflective to enable participants to explore, discuss and reflect on their own attitudes, beliefs and behaviours regarding gender equality and sexual and gender-based violence. They can then lead others through…

Children thrive in strong communities, equipped and strengthened to address child protection challenges. Faith leaders, their spouses and faith communities play a critical role in shaping community social norms and catalysing shifts in attitudes and behaviours that can protect children…

CREID WORKING PAPER Volume 2021 - Number 10 - November 2021 This paper focuses on inclusivity of religious minorities and religious diversity in humanitarian response. Questions on inclusion of religious diversity will usually arise during assessment, monitoring, and evaluation of…

Large-scale health emergencies like COVID-19 oftentimes result in widespread humanitarian impacts. Due to their long-standing relationships and involvement within local communities, along with extensive networks and support from faith-affiliated institutions, faith-based NGOs carry a unique advantage in reaching the most…

This report evaluates contemporary interreligious dialogue activities in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq. In order to do so, it introduces a theoretical framework for analyzing interreligious dialogue activities in the Middle East and presents a cross-national analysis of contemporary dialogue…

Network Paper Number 84 May 2021 Discussions in the run-up to, during and subsequent to the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) recognised that the humanitarian system as we know it is not suited to meet the tasks and challenges at…

Building Bridges of Faith Against Domestic Violence Working Paper 2 This working paper series is published as part of project dldl/ድልድል, which is dedicated to the development and strengthening of religio-culturally sensitive domestic violence alleviation systems in Ethiopia, Eritrea and…

Chapter in the book: Childhood Vulnerabilities in South Africa - Some Ethical Perspectives In South Africa today, many children face high levels of physical, sexual, verbal and emotional abuse, as well as sustained neglect and exploitation. Families and homes, despite…

This report has been prepared by ADRA International on behalf of the Adventist Church as part of Every child. Everywhere. In School. Focused on ensuring every child, everywhere, attends school and completes their education so they can fulfill their God-given…

A G20 Interfaith Forum Policy Brief Draft, October 6, 2020 Challenges and a Call to Action Religious communities are integrally linked to the many aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic and broader economic/social crises, and their active engagement is crucial to…

Islam aur Takreem-e-Insaniyat ke Usool (Islam and Humanitarian Principles) is a new Urdu publication jointly produced by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Islamabad and the ICRC. Based on discussions held during a two-day National Round Table arranged by IPS…

A new Kiswahili language publication called “Utangulizi wa Sheria ya Kimataifa ya Kibinadamu ya Kiislamu” (“Introduction to International Humanitarian Law in Islam” / “muqaddimah fi ‘l-qanun ad-duwali al-insani fi ‘l-islam”), a reference work that was authored in Arabic by Professor…

On March 11, 2021, JLI held a webinar where Dr. Riham Ahmed Khafagy (Assistant Professor, Department of International Affairs, Zayed University) presented her paper ‘Faith-based Organizations: Humanitarian Mission or Religious Missionary’. In her presentation, Dr. Ahmed Khafagy compared the British…

Faith leaders are well-positioned to address violence against children, but the extent to which they do so is unclear. This mixed-method study examined faith leaders’ child protection practices, attitudes towards child rights, and views around physical punishment in Senegal, Uganda,…

Church Agencies Network - Disaster Operations Date published: 27 MAY 2016 This Roadmap was developed to: Provide a strategic framework for Church agency collaboration in the humanitarian and disaster risk management realm Create an internal understanding of our intention in…

Since 1946, local faith communities have been at the heart of CWS responses to forced displacement. When we conceived of this research in 2019, it was because of our conviction that local faith communities remain as essential in welcoming the…

Desde su fundación en 1946, la participación de iglesias cristianas locales han sido parte fundamental en las respuestas de CWS a situaciones de desplazamiento forzado de personas. Cuando a comienzos de 2019 concebimos esta investigación, lo hicimos con la convicción…

[et_pb_section admin_label="section"] [et_pb_row admin_label="row"] [et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text"] Lives and day-to-day work and relationships have changed due to COVID-19. Religious leaders and health care workers share how faith actors are addressing family planning during COVID in an ICFP Community Panel on…

This Call to Action lays out a series of goals and actions to achieve greater inclusion of local faith actors (LFAs) in humanitarian action. The Call to Action is informed by the rich conversations that took place before, during, and…

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FAMILY PLANNING RECOMMENDATION PAPER The ICFP forum brings us together to learn, share and find innovative ways to improve the quality and coverage of our family planning work in order to meet the reproductive health needs of…

The ‘Compendium of Good Practices on Conducting MEAL in Partnerships with International Actors and Local Faith Actors’ bridges the knowledge gap on how international and local faith actors practice MEAL in a diverse range of development and humanitarian contexts. It…

Eagles Relief and Development Programme - Malawi How this story represents an international-local faith partnership in Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL): International Christian donor & National faith-based Christian organisation, partnerships with local churches in Malawi. Living Waters Church established…

Chapter in The Handbook of Displacement pp 771-784 Local faith communities often assist displaced people, from acting as first responders to long-term support. Given that local faith communities are critical local civil society actors, there has been relatively little attention…

The December 18, 2020 event was hosted by the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI) and co-sponsored by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University and the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD)…

October 2020 For over five decades, USAID has partnered and collaborated with civil society actors, of which faith-based, faith-inspired and local community organizations play a vital role towards achieving developmental goals. Faith-based and community organizations’ invaluable programming reaches into every…

You are invited to participate in a new E-Course on Faith Sensitive Humanitarian Response: Mental Health & Psychosocial support. The purpose of this new 1.5 hour training is to give the learner an introduction to faith-sensitive response to humanitarian emergencies,…

Joint webinar on the two-year pilot scheme of a ‘Bridge Builder’ model, developed by a consortium of partners: Tearfund UK, Tearfund Belgium, Tearfund in South Sudan, RedR UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Islamic Relief in South Sudan, the Joint Learning Initiative…

This book was first published at the beginning of the twenty-first century. A joint project of the United Nations Environment Programme and the Interfaith Partnership for the Environment, it was titled Earth and Faith: A Book of Reflection for Action.…

A common value shared across diverse people of faith is the belief that each person, regardless of age, has infinite value, dignity and worth. The responsibility to care for and protect vulnerable children also forms an explicit mandate in many…

OUR RESEARCH STRATEGY: A FEMINIST APPROACH Marginalized people and others who have struggled with grave challenges to their human rights possess a unique understanding of the problems in their communities—and their insights have the potential to fuel effective, lasting solutions.…

Dr. Olivia Wilkinson, JLI Director of Research, presented at the USAID summit on October 6, 2020 in applying secular-religious understanding to a humanitarian response.  

La participación infantil es un pilar fundamental para prevenir y poner fin a la violencia contra los niños y las niñas. Muchas tradiciones religiosas ofrecen perspectivas críticas sobre la importancia de una participación significativa de los niños y las niñas,…

Child participation is a central pillar in preventing and ending violence against children. Many faith traditions offer critical perspectives on the importance of meaningful child participation and the inherent dignity and value of children as complete members of society. To…

This toolkit is published by ACT Alliance EU, Caritas Europa, EU-CORD and Islamic Relief Worldwide  to give EU decision-makers a concise practical tool to encourage engagement of local religious leaders and faith communities in pandemic response and the post-recovery phase.…