Faith-Inspired Organizations and Global Development Policy a Background Review “Mapping” Social and Economic Development Work
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BERKLEY CENTER for RELIGION, PEACE & WORLD AFFAIRS GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY 2009 | Faith-Inspired Organizations and Global Development Policy A Background Review “Mapping” Social and Economic Development Work in Europe and Africa BERKLEY CENTER REPORTS A project of the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University Supported by the Henry R. Luce Initiative on Religion and International Affairs Luce/SFS Program on Religion and International Affairs From 2006–08, the Berkley Center and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) col- laborated in the implementation of a generous grant from the Henry Luce Foundation’s Initiative on Religion and International Affairs. The Luce/SFS Program on Religion and International Affairs convenes symposia and seminars that bring together scholars and policy experts around emergent issues. The program is organized around two main themes: the religious sources of foreign policy in the US and around the world, and the nexus between religion and global development. Topics covered in 2007–08 included the HIV/AIDS crisis, faith-inspired organizations in the Muslim world, gender and development, religious freedom and US foreign policy, and the intersection of religion, migration, and foreign policy. The Berkley Center The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, created within the Office of the President in March 2006, is part of a university-wide effort to build knowledge about religion’s role in world affairs and promote interreligious understanding in the service of peace. The Center explores the inter- section of religion with contemporary global challenges. Through research, teaching, and outreach activities, the Berkley Center builds knowledge, promotes dialogue, and supports action in the service of peace. Thomas Banchoff, Associate Professor in the Department of Government and the School of Foreign Service, is the Center’s founding director. The Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service Founded in 1919 to educate students and prepare them for leadership roles in international affairs, the School of Foreign Service conducts an undergraduate program for over 1,300 students and graduate pro- grams at the Master’s level for more than 700 students. Under the leadership of Dean Robert L. Gallucci, the School houses more than a dozen regional and functional programs that offer courses, conduct research, host events, and contribute to the intellectual development of the field of international affairs. In 2007, a survey of faculty published in Foreign Policy ranked Georgetown University as #1 in Master’s degree programs in international relations. About this report This paper was prepared as background for a consultation focused on faith and development on June 24–25, 2008 at the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. A report on that event is pub- lished separately. The June 2008 event focused on Europe and Africa, as part of a broader comparative project on Religion and Global Development within the Luce/SFS Program on Religion and International Affairs. The program examines both the role of religious groups and ideas in donor and developing countries, and the prospects for greater religious-secular cooperation in the development field. Its components include graduate student research fellowships; a religion and development database; and the creation and dissemination of “religious literacy” materials for development professionals in government, NGOs, and international organizations. Through a series of meetings with stakehold- ers and background reports, the Luce/SFS Program on Religion and Global Development maps 2009 the role of faith-based organizations around the world and points to best practices and areas for | collaboration. Prior events in Washington DC in April 2007 focused on the United States and in December 2007, in Doha, on the Muslim World. A January 2009 event in Antigua, Guatemala focused on Latin America. About the authors: The report was prepared by a team comprising Alex Thurston and Vanda de la Mata, working under the supervision of Katherine Marshall, Senior Fellow, Berkley Center and Visiting Associate Professor of Government, Georgetown University. Esther Brazil, World Faiths Development Dialogue, provided significant input. Contributions from Melody Fox Ahmed are gratefully acknowledged. Comments are welcome to [email protected]. The partnership of Professor Gerrie Ter Haar, Institute of Social Studies, and comments from June Consultation participants were invaluable. BERKLEY CENTER REPORTS Copyright 2009, Georgetown University. 1 Table of Contents Introduction. 5 Part 1: Europe. 9 Religion in Europe. 10 Faith-Inspired Organizations and the EU: ECHO and EuropeAid. 10 Religion in Europe: Demography and Politics. 10 Case Studies by Country: The Netherlands . 14 Germany. 16 The United Kingdom. 17 Some Major European Faith-Inspired Organizations: . World Vision Germany: Focusing on Children 20 GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY GEORGETOWN | Caritas Internationalis: A Political Force. 20 Solidaridad: Development Through Economics . 21 Part 2: Africa . 25 Religious Organizations in Africa: A Brief Historical Overview . 25 A Current Profile of Faith-Inspired Organizations in Africa. 27 International Players in African Development. 31 Emerging Issues Related to Faith and Development in Africa. 33 Country Profiles: BERKLEY CENTER Ethiopia. 35 Ghana. 36 Nigeria . 37 South Africa. 39 Uganda . 41 2 Boxes Box 1: The Public Face of Muslim Charities in Europe. 13 Box 2: The Political Face of FIOs . 14 Box 3: Abdullahi Ahmed an-Na’im and Interpretations of Shari’a. 28 Box 4: Conflict Resolution and Christian Organizations in Angola and Mozambique. 28 Box 5: Dr. Abdoul Aziz Kebe: A Progressive Faith Voice. 30 Box 6: Baha’i Development Work in Africa. 30 Box 7: The Traditional Health Practitioners’ Association of Zambia. 31 Box 8: Kuwaiti Influence in African Islamic Development. 32 Box 9: Muslim Leaders Contribute to the Success Stories of Senegal, Mali, and HIV/AIDS. 34 Box 10: HIV-Positive Christian Pastors in Eastern and Southern Africa. 34 Box 11: Ayesha Imam, Sindi Medar-Gould, and BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights. 39 2009 | Tables Table 1: ECHO FBO Partners. 45 Table 2: ECHO Grants to Faith-Based Organizations, 2006. 46 Table 3: External Cooperation Grants to Faith-Based Organizations, Civil Societies, and Local Authorities. 52 Appendix 1: Annotated Bibliography. 57 Appendix 2: Acronyms Used in the Report. 65 Endnotes . 66 BERKLEY CENTER REPORTS BERKLEY CENTER REPORTS 3 Faith-Inspired Organizations and Global Development Policy A Background Review “Mapping” Social and Economic Development Work in Europe and Africa Introduction presents new challenges and concerns. The European his report explores issues confronting organiza- Union, with its stated goals of promoting democracy, tions working on international development peace, and prosperity, has absorbed many of the aid- Tthat are, in different ways and to varying granting capacities of its member nations. degrees, inspired by religious faith. Part of a global review of such work, this particular paper focuses on The many faith-inspired aid organizations in Europe are Europe and Africa. The overall project responds to known and trusted partly as a result of Europe’s history, mounting evidence of the significance of faith dimen- the development of individual members’ welfare states, sions and institutions in development activities and and the long-standing presence of these organizations. gaps in knowledge about their work. Some faith-inspired organizations (FIOs) possess large budgets and employ large numbers of (predominantly) The diverse issues that arise have profound implications. Europeans. Nonetheless, using FIOs as instruments 2009 Some involve political challenges, shaping relations of aid often presents a thorny problem for Europeans. | between governments and faith-inspired organizations; The Enlightenment tradition’s emphasis on scientific, others are social, particularly involving public percep- “objective” approaches to problems has at least left the tions of how religious faith and its organizational forms impression of Europe as a continent on which religion intersect with approaches to charity, relief, and broader must be strictly separated from the public arena, which development. Many operational issues arising are com- includes the fields of political and economic develop- mon to civil society organizations, but others apply ment. Philosophical currents have even painted the use more specifically to faith-inspired organizations as they of FIOs as a form of neocolonialism, and governments engage in what is seen, from a religious perspective, as often require that there be clear differentiation between “secular” work. In different ways, by place and organiza- development or humanitarian activities (which they tion, these issues spark public dialogue about religion’s are willing to fund), and missionary or faith-inspired role in daily life. activities (which they will not). However, this image of Europe as an entirely secular society is inaccurate in This report has a geographic focus in Africa and Europe, many respects, and the boundary between Church and BERKLEY CENTER REPORTS both as distinct entities and with respect to their inter- State is not as entrenched as many assume. As Muslim section as a result of historical and contemporary inter- immigrants comprise increasingly larger percentages of actions. As in other