Local Faith Communities and the Promotion of Resilience in Contexts of Humanitarian Crisis

Ager, Joey; Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, Elena; Ager, Alastair

doi:10.1093/jrs/fev001

Cited by 64 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…It is based on two case studies and it is restricted to mediation between international Western and local Middle Eastern Christian communities. Many local Muslim community‐based organisations are deeply involved in humanitarian assistance in Jordan and Lebanon, and often they are recipients of funding from faith‐based and secular donors (El Nakib and Ager, ). Studies that map a large proportion of humanitarian actors could explore the scale of intermediary‐facilitated aid in a particular context of refugee response, and could analyse the makeup and structure of networks that channel large funding streams towards refugees.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is a tender balance to be drawn, however, between perceived professionalisation to activate local capacity and the instrumentalisation of local communities (Baker and Miles‐Watson, ; Baker, ; Ager, Fiddian‐Qasmiyeh, and Ager, ). This study identified a tension between capacity‐building and ‘letting the church be the church’.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although there are many examples of Christian and Muslim faith communities supplying aid to refugees (El Nakib and Ager, ), this study is limited to Christian intermediaries. This permits an exploration of the unique challenges raised by Western donors from historically Christian countries in providing funding to local Middle Eastern Christians, who are offering aid primarily to Muslim refugees.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many of these humanitarian actors, however, have also partnered with national NGOs or other members of local civil society. Since the outset of the crisis, many Muslim and Christian international FBOs have been providing assistance to Syrian refugees and to host communities in Jordan and Lebanon, and not all of these have engaged in some way or to some extent with international humanitarian actors (El Nakib and Ager, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Between international donors and local faith communities: Intermediaries in humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon

Kraft

Smith

2018

Disasters

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This paper explores the crucial part that faith-based organisations (FBOs) play in acting as intermediaries between international donors and local faith communities (LFCs) implementing humanitarian relief projects for Syrian refugees. Humanitarian responses to the mounting Syrian refugee crisis have coincided with greater collaboration between international donors and LFCs. This cooperation often is facilitated by a complex web of non-state intermediaries at the international, national, and local level. This study probes the breadth of roles of these intermediaries, drawing on primary data from case studies of two Christian intermediaries supporting Christian LFCs as they deliver aid primarily to Muslim Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon. The results of the study are connected to the wider literature on LFCs in humanitarian response, revealing how intermediaries address issues of accountability, capacity-building, impartiality, neutrality, and professionalism. The paper concludes by offering suggestions for further research on intermediaries as key actors in the localisation of humanitarian assistance.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Between international donors and local faith communities: Intermediaries in humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon

Kraft

Smith

2018

Disasters

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“…Such an understanding, that situates religious worldviews as departures from a default secular worldview, potentially weakens the authenticity given to religious engagement by aid agencies working with communities affected by humanitarian events (Clarke 2011) and risks religion and religious worldviews being not properly considered and appreciated (see Mavelli and Petito 2014). This is important to note because across a variety of humanitarian events (natural as well as human-induced), that our interview subjects described, that affected communities explains their experience of the humanitarian events through the lens of religious belief (see Ager et al 2015;Hilhorst et al 2015). This was observed in a range of humanitarian events including cyclones, volcanoes, civil war, displacement of populations, tsunamis, earthquakes, drought and epidemics.…”

Section: Religious Worldviews Are Diversementioning

confidence: 87%

Understanding disasters: managing and accommodating different worldviews in humanitarian response

Clarke

Parris

2019

Int J Humanitarian Action

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Over the past decade, humanitarian events affected on average 120 million people annually. Whilst many of these events are human-induced, a large number of the 400 or so complex humanitarian emergencies that require international response each year are natural. Such events result in loss of life, injure and maim survivors, destroy infrastructure and give rise to psycho-social trauma. Aid agencies working alongside affected communities must address all these consequences as part of their responses. What is also required though is an appreciation that worldviews will inform how affected communities both understand the cause of the event, their role in the event and how they will subsequently participate in rebuilding or reconstruction programs. Disasters can be affected by religious beliefs. With more than 85% of the global population self-professing religious belief, these worldviews are often shaped in whole or in part by sacred texts, religious teachings and sectarian practices. In this regard, it is not uncommon for those affected by disasters (particularly natural disasters) to genuinely describe these events as 'acts of God'. Effective responses require the local context to be central in assessing needs and determining capacities. This must include an understanding of and authentic engagement with religious beliefs and how this may affect how the humanitarian event interacts with these beliefs. There is though little evidence as to how professional humanitarian workers accommodate the religious beliefs of local populations in their planning, implementation and evaluation of humanitarian responses. This paper draws on the experiences of humanitarian workers based in the USA and Australia from both faith-based and secular international non-governmental organizations to consider both how these workers themselves accommodate the religious views of affected communities in their responses and also their experience as to how such views affect the effectiveness of responses. This paper will consider why aid agencies must incorporate (and appreciate) different worldviews around disasters in order to more effectively respond to the needs of communities affected by humanitarian events. It will also identify difficulties and opportunities experienced by individual humanitarian practitioners as well as agencies when working in such environments.

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Scaling up climate change finance in Ghana: The role of religious institutions

Mintah,

Ahenkan,

Bawole

et al. 2024

Bus Strat Dev

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The uncertainty surrounding the possibility of generating sufficient funds from international donors and other public financial resources to support climate action calls for the identification of alternative sources of climate finance options. Ensuring a reliable stream of funds to drive climate action requires the identification of diverse funding channels that can supplement existing ones. Also, in light of the proactive approach required to combat climate change, overreliance on a singular funding source could hinder the achievement of climate‐related goals. This is because the existing sources of funding from the central government, local governments, and international agencies remain insufficient to meet the perceived cost of climate change in Ghana. Through a qualitative in‐depth interview, empirical data was drawn from religious institutions to identify their contribution toward climate finance. The study revealed that religious institutions play a significant role in climate finance due to their advocacy capacity, financial resources, and extensive networks. Funding from religious institutions has also been channeled into stock adaptation projects and public education, and this is evident in the areas of agriculture, waste, energy, water, and the support rendered to SMEs in general. Besides, their engagement in climate finance is also motivated by ethical, theological, and moral considerations. The study, therefore, argues that funding from religious institutions toward climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives should be seen as a complementary source of funding to climate finance.

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Local Faith Communities and the Promotion of Resilience in Contexts of Humanitarian Crisis

Cited by 64 publications

References 29 publications

Between international donors and local faith communities: Intermediaries in humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon

Between international donors and local faith communities: Intermediaries in humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon

Understanding disasters: managing and accommodating different worldviews in humanitarian response

Scaling up climate change finance in Ghana: The role of religious institutions

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