Resources

An increasing number of recent studies on mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) points to the importance of cultural adaptation of MHPSS programmes to suit the context in which they are applied. There is a significant need for MHPSS interventions…

This brief is aimed at policymakers, practitioners and donors working on PVE, conflict and peace and/or research capacity-sharing. It summarises key learnings from a PVE-focused collaborative research capacity-sharing project implemented by the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities…

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…

This article draws on anthropological field work conducted during the West African Ebola outbreak (2014-2016) and reports of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis to discuss the role played by religion in infectious disease control.While much separates Ebola and Covid-19, the religious…

Given the challenges faced with ongoing efforts to contain the spread of Ebola that arise as a result of incompatibilities between some religious and cultural practices and prescribed scientific methods, it is high time we explore ways in which traditional…

Local faith-based organisations (FBOs) and faith leaders played important roles in the Ebola response in DRC. Unfortunately, however, the international and national response was slow to recognise their contribution. Funding and decision-making on the response centred on UN and host…

Number 77 March 2020 This edition of Humanitarian Exchange, co-edited with Anne Harmer, focuses on the response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Although at the time of publication the outbreak appeared to have ended,…

MEAL DPro provides an overview of basic MEAL concepts and introduces tools and processes which underpin strong MEAL systems, focused on the use of quality data to improve programming. It is accompanied by a series of online learning materials on…

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. The United States writ large is an extraordinarily generous country. Faith-based…

Since the time of Christ, caring for the sick and the poor has been a core distinctive of authentic Christianity. The response of Christians during many of the great plagues of antiquity played an important role in the spread of…

This report provides an analysis of data gathered for a learning review of the Amplifying Community Voices programme. A participatory research process gathered qualitative data from a range of stakeholders through interviews, focus groups, community and household visits in March…

Learning from the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary’s effective responses to the EVD crises in Liberia and Sierra Leone 2014-2016 The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic which struck West Africa in 2014 presented unprecedent-ed challenges for the international humanitarian…

Reflections on missionary and wider faith-based approaches to development Misean Cara is an Irish and international faith-based missionary movement working with poor, marginalised and vulnerable communities in more than 50 developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle…

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…

The factor "faith" receives too little attention in global development cooperation despite the fact that human development is inseparably interwoven with worldview. The societies and cultures in which development projects are implemented are deeply influenced by religion. At the same…

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.

Brief from Musawah: a global movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family, which advances human rights for women in Muslim contexts, in both their public and private lives. Also see more information on Musawah's course on Islam & Gender Equality…

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…

AJWS has been working in Liberia for more than a decade, and when the outbreak began, our grantees turned to us for help. They told us that the most pressing need in their communities is to address the fear and…

The Capacity for Interreligious Community Action program (CIRCA) was a three-year capacity-building program financed by GHR Foundation and supplemented by Catholic Relief Services (CRS). The overarching goal of the program was to contribute to human development and more peaceful coexistence…

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

This case study will briefly examine MERATH’s localized approach, including a spotlight on child-focused programming in education in emergencies in Lebanon and child protection in Syria, providing quantitative and qualitative evidence of its community-level impact based on focus group discussions,…

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…

LWR outlined its institutional Approach to Resilience in a technical document produced in 2015 (see below). Building on the foundations laid out in LWR’s approach, part II goes one step further: It provides the basis to apply resilience thinking in…

The current crisis in CAR began in December 2012, when the northern-based Muslim Séléka forces overthrew the government, forcing then-president François Bozizé to flee the country. This led to the formation of Christian self-defense militia groups, the Anti-Balaka. Since then…

The harm suffered by refugee children is not limited only to traumatic experiences suffered while in South Sudan or in transit to Uganda but is also especially prevalent in the new settlements, where usual child protection systems and coping mechanisms…

Studies in Muslim-Christian Cooperation This publication presents case studies on interreligious action, highlighting specific approaches and tools that CRS staff members created and the networks they helped forge. They address shortcomings as well as successes and delineate lessons garnered from everyday experience. They…

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…

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.…

The scale of the 2014 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa presented unprecedented challenges for the international humanitarian community, and learning from the successes and failures of the response effort is important for designing future crisis interventions. Lessons…

Channels of Hope research findings presentation- Building the evidence base on the role of local faith leaders to critical issues to enhance outcomes towards SDGs *Presentation for Dec 2016 Mobilization of Local Faith Communities Hub meeting Christo Greyling

This publication is Catholic Relief Services (CRS) training guide on partnership and capacity strengthening. The organization has a rich history of working productively with local organizations, including both Church and non-Church partners. The CRS Partnership and Capacity Strengthening Unit seeks to support Country…

Road Map to Resilient Communities: Church Agencies Network, Disaster Operations.

“Sustained Relational Collaborations”. Rev Bob Mitchell's words on behalf of the Church Agencies Network.

Matthew Frost delivers opening remarks of the Religious & Faith-based Communities Perspectives Panel. To watch the video, please click the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRaCrT3dnJY

Report on the role of religion and development. Download the resource from the download link

A strategic review of Oxfam's work in Haiti between 2011 and 2014. To download this and other Oxfam resources, click here: https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/research-publications/

The recent outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa brought great loss of life and health. The world has responded with great care and attention and the people of impacted countries have shown resilience during these difficult times.…

The  Review of Faith and International Affairs has just published a special series on Religion and Development See Journal here edited by Jill Olivier with a grant from JLIF&LC through DFID support Includes the following articles: Innovative Faith-Community Responses to HIV…

With its focus on faith leaders, this study uses the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone and Liberia to explore the relationship between humanitarianism and religion and seeks to provide evidence, in real time, of the role of faith leaders in…

The African Christian Health Association (ACHA) family planning programme sought to utilize faith communities to improve contraceptive uptake. The program was in part implemented by increasing information, education, and communication on family planning to religious leaders and by them. This program aimed to create a replicable model for strengthening family planning within Christian Health Association’s (CHA’s) in other sub-Saharan countries.

A simple monthly tool was developed to be used by religious leaders for reporting, and a guide for messaging was developed to be used by religious leaders. In each country, the Ministry of Health (MOH) community referral forms and the MOH family planning cards and registers were used to collect data on referral and uptake of family planning services.

Tags:Capacity Building

This case study on the 2014 Ebola epidemic highlights the complex institutional roles of religious actors and positive—and less positive—aspects of their involvement, and, notably, how poorly prepared international organizations proved in engaging them in a systematic fashion. Link to…

WACC facilitates a Development Initiative Programme under which project partners in countries of the global South carry out one-year-long initiatives that place communication (including traditional media and digital technologies) at the centre of strategies to bring about social change.

Tags: Capacity Building, Data Collection by Local Community

World Vision's Ebola Response Summary in Sierra Leone Covers impact on children, community, education, health, child protection, livelihoods, religious leaders, burials, food assistance, lessons learned.

World Vision's Channels of Hope model played an important role in mobilizing faith communities in Sierra Leone to combat Ebola. This work was built on the platform of relationships and Channels of Hope work over years. This fact sheet documents…

This excel spreadsheet contains all of the recommendations recorded by each of the discussion groups during the five working sessions of the conference: Health Systems Strengthening, Ebola & HIV, Sexual and Gender-based Violence, Humanitarian and Disaster Relief, and Large Scale…

With its focus on faith leaders, this study uses the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone and Liberia to explore the relationship between humanitarianism and religion and seeks to provide evidence, in real time, of the role of faith leaders in…