Engaging faith-based organisations in development

Faith-based organisations have proliferated globally since the 1980s. The rise of the Christian right in the United States, political Islam, identity politics and public religion have grown in strength with the decline of communism and secular nationalism. Faith-based organisations are increasingly important to development, but donors have so far focused disproportionately on mainstream Christian organisations.

Research from the Centre forDevelopment Studies at University of Wales,UK, draws attention to the political forcesstrengthening the role of faith-based organisations within development, and thevariety of faiths from which they have emerged. Their developmentalsignificance is undeniable, but donors need to build partnerships with a rangeof such organisations to fight global poverty.

The election of Ronald Reaganas President of United States (US) in 1980 was crucial to mobilising theChristian right in opposition to communism. Along with other right-of-centreleaders, Reagan promoted privatisation, market liberalisation and structuraladjustment programmes in the developing world. The role of Christian organisationsin advancing these programmes grew in response to increasing poverty and socialexclusion.

US and Saudi aid to the Mujahidin fighting againstRussian occupation in turn triggered a proliferation of Islamic organisationsin the Arab world. Political parties became increasingly engaged with religion,such as the Hindu nationalist BJP in India. Religious organisations were central to manydemocratic transitions in Asia, Africa and LatinAmerica. Immigration also fuelled the growth of non-Christian faith-based organisationsthroughout Europe and North America.

The research differentiates between five types of faith-based organisation,each with unique implications for development:

• Representative organisations such as the World Council of Churches: their teachingsmay be at odds with current ideas in the development field, but theirinvolvement is critical.
• Charitable or development organisations:World Vision alone had a turnover of over US$600 million in 1999; 20 percent ofEgypt’s voluntary organisations are Islamic.
• Socio-political organisations:moderate Islamic organisations often challenge the state and there is greatpotential for their engagement with the global development policy community.
• Missionary organisations: US Evangelical and Pentecostal missions in Africa are critical toimplementing United States Agency for International Development (USAID) policy.
• Illegal or terrorist organisations:some may be an obstacle to development, but others are indispensable (until2005, Hamas had an annual expenditure of US$70 million, mostly dedicated tosocial services).

Donors still engage primarily with mainstream Christian organisationsand fail to consider the variety of faiths and types of faith-based groupsinvolved in development. In 2005, for example, the UK Department forInternational Development funded Programme PartnershipAgreements with three faith-based organisations: ChristianAid, CAFOD and Progressio – all drawn from mainstreamChristian churches.

Donors are advised to:

• devise strategiesfor engagement with a range of faith-based organisations
• engage even withthose faiths and faith-based organisations whose ideas seem counter-developmentalor culturally alien
• build complex partnerships involving multiple groups, asthis is central to fighting poverty.