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 East. Its 91 members are drawn from the breadth of the Irish missionary movement; between them have a presence in over 100 countries worldwide, and implement an estimated 4,000 projects annually. They do not necessarily see themselves as development workers in the commonly understood sense of the term, but they do the work of development and humanitarian relief. Informed by their identity as missionaries, inspired by the Gospel, and responding to God’s call to work for a better life for all, they adopt a particular approach to the work that they do.