In 2010 the United Nations created the Interagency Task Force on Religion and Sustainable Development (UN-IATF), which today includes more than 20 UN agencies.  Its purpose is to provide policy guidance around engagement with faith- based actors, deepen UN system staff’s understanding of the intersections of religion and the UN pillars of development, human rights and peace and security, as well as provide strategic policy guidance.

In September 2018 the UN IATF established the Multi-faith Advisory Council (MFAC), an informal and voluntary entity which consists of 45 religious leaders and heads of faith-based organizations (FBOs).  The composition reflects the diversity of religions, regional and national presence, and covers different thematic areas that mirror the UN’s mandate.

In 2019, ACT Alliance General Secretary, Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, was elected co-chair of MFAC and has agreed to answer a few questions to explain its role and contribution to the increased participation of FBOs in building peace and sustainable development.

What is the role of the MFAC?

RBF: The MFAC provides strategic advice and support to the IATF on thematic priority areas. The idea is to assist the UN system through human rights-based policy advocacy, interaction and engagement with faith-based and faith-inspired entities, and by strengthening the UN’s religious literacy. The MFAC encourages greater partnership and joint actions between UN entities and faith-based/inspired actors and serves the greater faith-based community by increasing its understanding of the UN mandate and engagement.

What are your main channels for engagement?

RBF: Well, there are many fronts of engagement. In terms of events, every year we contribute to the Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion in International Affairs and organize an event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly called the Kofi Annan Faith Briefings. We also promote and raise awareness on the work of the United Nations within our respective networks through advocacy and outreach initiatives, using both traditional and new media.

The members of the Council also participate in UN meetings, workshops and conferences contributing with their specific areas of expertise. We also prepare a short annual report, where we assess impact and provide practical recommendations to enhance policy coordination and collaboration. The report is part of the broader IATF-Religion Annual Report, which is then shared with the UN System and other stakeholders. Finally, the co-chairs of the MFAC serve as the focal point for communication and collaboration with the UN IATF. We are responsible for the facilitation of the Council’s meetings and for facilitating, coordinating, and ensuring the success of all activities undertaken by the Council to fulfill the Council’s mandate.

Has the MFAC identified specific thematic priorities?

RBF: Yes, the MFAC has identified six thematic areas of engagement, which are in line with the strategic priorities set by the UN and its faith-based partners for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustaining Peace Agenda. They are:  a) environment, including forests, climate change and resource efficiency, b) migration and displacement, including children, trafficking and education, c) gender justice, d) financing for development,  e) peacemaking and security, including food security, peace building and reconciliation, and humanitarian engagement, and f) Health, including our response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why do you think the role of the Multi-faith Advisory Council is crucial to strengthen the faith literacy within the UN?

RBF: The notion and norm of secularization has fostered a sort of religious illiteracy. For many people, religion exists as a separate dimension of life. In the last decade, the United Nations, multilateral organizations and governments have demonstrated increased interest in religion and faith-based organizations, whether to enforce shared values and objectives, as humanitarian and development providers, or to counter terrorism and hate speeches.

The MFAC can help bridge the gap and assist the UN understand the impact of religion and religious beliefs in the different spheres of our lives by using practical examples of our work in communities as FBOs.  We can demonstrate, with evidence, the unique role and positive potential of religious organizations in shaping a world based on social justice and dignity. We can show that religious organizations and leadership can help to localize development and empower people to positively participate and engage in their communities.

Why an inter-faith approach and contribution are critical to sustainable development and justice?

RBF: Religious communities and religious leaders have a strong track record of raising their voices in contexts where economic injustice, extreme poverty and widespread inequality are the norm. They have also been instrumental in denouncing the misuse of political power, racism, violence and religious hate speech that can lead to atrocity crimes. Religion is important not only at a personal and household level, but it can also have an influence on the societal the political values that communities rely on.

The nexus between religion and development has been part of the secular-religious debate, but often religion has been ignored and sidelined in international development theories and strategies. The UN and many governments are increasingly recognizing the important contribution of religious leaders and organizations in political processes, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

They have all come to understand that religion can play both a positive and negative role in the areas of peace and security, sustainable development and human rights. This is why engaging religious actors and leaders is crucial.

What kind of contribution do you expect the council to make concerning gender justice and climate justice?

RBF: Gender justice and climate justice are priority areas of the MFAC. We are aware that our work requires a gender analysis of the roles and relationships of, and between, men and women within society. We also know that transformational development requires equal participation of both men and women in the decision-making. However, due to the diversity of faiths in the membership of the Council, there are still contentious issues that do not allow the Council to speak with one voice around some gender-related issues.  We have a long way to go but opening a constructive dialogue on gender justice is the first step towards walking the talk and changing minds and hearts, both internally and externally.

In terms of climate justice, the MFAC recognizes the importance of moving from a traditional economic analysis to an economic system based on sustainability and justice. Without this shift we risk facing one of the worse crisis humanity has ever been confronted with.  Growing poverty is the result of political mismanagement and greed. We know that climate change will affect the most vulnerable and we need to be bold in imagining a new system that can protect and value all humanity not only the most privileged.  

But, of course, climate justice and gender justice are not separate issues. Efforts to relieve human suffering should use a holistic approach. We cannot operate in a silo and we need to find a nexus that sees humanity’s quest for justice as an overarching goal.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the work of many organizations and shifted their attention to respond to this crisis. How the Council is addressing this topic?

RBF: The magnitude and speed of this pandemic was a surprise but we, as FBOs, have the skills and the experience needed to face it. For instance, during the Ebola crisis FBOs and religious leaders were instrumental in the success of the international response.  The Council has created a working group to help its members have a more coherent understanding of the consequences of this crisis in communities. The initial plan is to produce collated data and information on COVID-19 to help MFAC members and the UN-IATF follow best practices, ensure coherence and leverage potential partnerships between UN agencies and FBOs. For that, it is important to ensure a common understanding and approach around COVID-19 and explore the intersections with the MFAC’s thematic priorities.

Why is it important for ACT Alliance to be part of this body?

RBF: ACT Alliance is one of the world’s largest faith-based networks working on humanitarian relief, sustainable development and advocacy. Our experience and expertise on the priority areas identified by the MFAC allow us to contribute in the debate by providing practical examples of the positive role that FBOs play in these different areas of action.  

Since our establishment more than 10 years ago, we have been engaging with a variety of religious leaders and organizations. We have also been working together with different UN agencies and other stakeholders, as we believe that bringing together different experiences and skills can only strengthen our common quest for justice.

For this reason, I believe that ACT can influence the debate and actions undertaken by MFAC and more broadly by the UN system. 

Our participation can also provide an opportunity for the UN system to better realize the different dimensions of what religions literacy means in practice.

In 2015, a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. ACT Alliance-member Lutheran World Relief (LWR) together with other ACT Nepal Forum members supported affected people like Sunita, a mother of four whose husband worked abroad during the earthquake. The community resilience increased five years ago now helps them also through the Corona-crisis.

On 25th April 2015, in a matter of a minute, Sunita’s house was turned into rubble by the devastating earthquake. When it hit, Sunita was around 20 minutes away from her home in Gorkha district, a hilly region in Central Nepal which was the epicentre of the earthquake.

Hard for children, women and the elderly

After returning home, Sunita was relieved to find that everyone in the family was safe. However, like over 600’000 other houses in the country, the family’s house had collapsed during the earthquake and aftershocks. “I was disappointed when I didn’t find anything in my completely damaged house. There were no clothes, bedding, food, not a single thing found in the rubble was usable”, says Sunita. Soon she realized how miserable the condition of her family was.

Other infrastructure was also destroyed or disturbed in the earthquake-affected districts. Sunita’s village was without food, electricity, water, road connectivity, sanitation, supply chain or communication. Sunita and her children, along with millions of other families in Nepal who had lost their houses or felt insecure due to the aftershocks, slept outside. “As I had no food and no utensils, I was not able to cook for a few days,” remembers Sunita. Rain and wind, along with continuous aftershocks, further aggravated the situation, which was hard especially for children, women, and elderly people.

All ACT-members involved

Five ACT Alliance members were involved in the ACT-appeal issued after the earthquakes: DanChurchAid (DCA), Finn Church Aid (FCA), ICCO Cooperation, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and Lutheran World Relief (LWR). They were organized as the ACT Nepal Forum, working together from day one and meeting daily in the beginning. In the first four weeks following the disaster, they were engaged in life sustaining activities, distributing two-week food rations, non-food items, tarpaulins for emergency shelter, family water treatment and personal hygiene kits to over 42,000 of households. At the same time, they engaged in detailed assessments necessary for focusing the on-going response both geographically and sectorally. Christian Aid (CA), Felm and the Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church (NELC) who joined the ACT Alliance respectively its Nepal forum at a later stage supported the appeal as well.

Agricultural advice with long-term effect

Along with the relief supplies, the families in the area also received agricultural support– seeds, irrigation systems, tunnels, agriculture tools and livestock inputs. People were also trained in improving their agricultural practices.

The program prioritized community participation and mobilization. For the agricultural support, the local government and communities implemented joint actions which not only helped to mobilize the communities, but also increased social harmony. A study showed that through the livelihood intervention families ensured food sufficiency for an average of two additional months per year. Likewise, the livestock provided through the project helped to increase their food security by a further month.

Sustainable improvement on several levels

Sunita’s family immediately received food for 15 days as well as non-food items from LWR. Later on, with the help of local masons trained for the project, they could move to a permanent shelter with earthquake resistant features and were provided an individual toilet. The toilets also have earthquake-resistant features with a bathing space inside. That’s particularly important for women and girls. “We have our privacy now”, states Sunita.

Women were given priority. Partner organizations assured that a minimum of 40% of the program participants were women. Their participation helped to generate income as well as foster social identity, thereby increasing the women’s self-esteem and self-confidence. Tools were developed to measure not only the number of women who benefited through the intervention in general, but also the role of women in social institutions like farmers groups as well as in cooperatives supported and promoted by the program.

Nobody affected by COVID-19 yet

Sunita’s family has a better life than before the quake. They have an earthquake-resilient shelter which is safer than the previous one. By constructing toilets with bathing spaces, awareness for health and hygiene was increased in the village and led to a safer and more hygienic lifestyle. Also, the input and knowledge received in improved agriculture practices have helped to increase productivity.

Of course, Sunita and her family have been affected by COVID-19 like everybody. They are staying in their village and have restricted access to outside communities. Sunita reports: “My husband and I are working in maize farming, and the school-aged children are helping us and assisting in household chores and in the fields.” She further says: “Fortunately, there is nobody affected by the disease in our village and we are supposed to be safe. There is less trouble than in urban areas. Everybody is busy in farming and caring for domestic animals.”

Long history with Nepal

All of today’s ACT Alliance Nepal Forum members CA, DCA, FCA, Felm, ICCO, LWF, LWR and NELC had a permanent presence in Nepal before the earthquake and benefitted from substantial experience in development and humanitarian programming in the country, both directly implemented by them and by Nepali partner organizations.

The completion date of the second Nepal appeal (NPL161) was 31 October 2017. LWR ended its activities on 30 April 2017. Like all the ACT members involved, the organization continues its work in Nepal in times of COVID-19.

(Photos LWR)

Interview with Rabia Sabri, Programme Coordinator, CWSA Afghanistan

Being a woman or a girl in a patriarchal society like Afghanistan has never been easy. In times of COVID, they face even more challenges. However, the main concern of most women is not the virus, but mere survival. What they need most is financial support for their families.

The number of COVID-cases in Afghanistan is relatively low – a fact which like in many countries says more about the number of tests carried out than about the real number of infected persons. The economic effect which shakes the country however is enormous. Therefore, the highest need at the moment is not related to the virus, but to the question of how to feed the family in times of lockdown – especially among the most vulnerable. Rabia Sabri from ACT Alliance-member Community World Service Asia (CWSA) is Programme Coordinator for CWSA’s education projects in Afghanistan and Pakistan describes her current work and the challenges the organization faces in this situation.

Concern over schooling for girls

Overall, Rabia estimates that the COVID-19 impact has doubled or tripled women’s responsibilities. She says: “My worry is that COVID-19 will slow down the access of girls to education in Afghanistan. There are 9 million school children in Afghanistan, and another 3.7 million children are out of school, meaning that they are not going to school due to economic and cultural issues. 60% of these out of school children are girls.”

Rabia also fears that because of the economic impact of COVID-19, families will further prioritise educating boys rather than girls, while the number of out of school children is feared to increase– especially the number of girls. “It is important to continue to support these families financially and convince them to invest in education, especially for girls, which directly impacts their wellbeing,” states Rabia.

Weak education system

The situation is also difficult for children still attending school. There were no plans for tuition after the lockdown. Poor education infrastructure and a lack of resources and manpower have been the main cause of delay. Afghanistan has a poor economy and mainly relies on financial aid. Only 3% of the GDP is allocated to education, and not even those budgets are fully consumed every year. With World Bank funding, the ministry now has introduced alternative distance learning opportunities for students. Rabia says, “CWSA in the past 10 years has invested a lot in girls’ education. But still in Afghanistan people believe that a girl’s place is either at home or in the grave.”

 Device-based learning creates new divisions

Do TV- or e-learning-programs work as distance learning opportunities in Afghanistan? “Online learning is better than nothing, but it has created a digital divide. People who have access to these devices can benefit, but the majority of the students in rural areas do not have access to computers or TVs. For cases where they have a computer or TV but there is no electricity, we are in communication with the Ministry of Education in Afghanistan for introducing different learning pathways for students who do not have access to TV or to the digital world,” explains Rabia.

A country of widows

Afghanistan is a country of widows and therefore has millions of women-led households. It is extremely difficult for them to face the shock of this disaster. Widowed women are already vulnerable as their literacy rate is only at 17%; the overall literacy rate is as low as 31%. This means that the majority of these women has less access to formal jobs and are more dependent on small earnings – mainly livestock management, as this is the only asset they own. With this disaster it has been reported that widows have been selling the poultry which was the only source of income for them during the past weeks of lockdown. Widows also rely on support from their families and communities, but with the current impact of COVID-19, that assistance has also been reduced. Rabia reports that due to a lack of mobility widows do not get proper information on the availability of aid, so “most of the time they are left out unless special programs are designed for them,” she states.

Small signs of change

Everywhere in Afghanistan the life of women is slowly changing and you can see more women and girls as leaders, contributing to the development of Afghanistan in different aspects. But this occurs still very rarely and is restricted to big cities. Women in rural areas still face discrimination, their mobility is limited, they have no decision-making power and face domestic violence and forced marriages. The main source of these problems is girls’ lack of access to education. This fact increases their dependence on men and reduces their decision-making power and empowerment. Rural women generally do not have direct access to information, they follow what the male tells them, and they certainly they do not have the same information and protection as men have.

Increase of domestic violence and child marriage

Violence against women is a major issue in Afghanistan and in the current situation has become worse. Pressure on men is increasing as they have lost their jobs and are lacking a proper family income, and this in turn leads to disputes and fights in the families. It is unfortunately also common in Afghanistan that during financial crises families marry their girls at young age against dowry. In this emergency, those numbers have been reportedly increased as well.

ACT Alliance has responded to the call for submissions issued by the UN Secretary General’s High-level Panel on Internal Displacement by sharing various lessons from its work with internally displaced people (IDPs) in a letter on Friday. In it, ACT identifies the unique role of churches and faith actors in overcoming some of the challenges faced by IDPs, particularly when it comes to including them in policy discussions at all levels.

In order to address these limitations, and to ensure that age, gender and diversity principles will be honoured during the course of the Panel’s work, ACT puts particular emphasis on the need for an inclusive regional consultation process, which its members have pledged to support in the coming months. The key issues identified by ACT Alliance include:

Acknowledging internal displacement:

ACT criticises the long-standing disavowal of internal displacement by certain governments which has impeded humanitarian response and the development of solutions. “In some cases, this is due to the government’s own involvement in triggering such displacement – whether through armed conflict or through promoting public policies that result in displacement,” reads the letter.

“Concepts of welcoming the stranger, caring for the least of these, and loving our neighbour are deeply seated in the Christian tradition,” reads the letter. ACT suggests that the rich resource of moral language of churches and faith actors, which has the potential to promote understanding and change social behavior (as was achieved during the Ebola outbreak), can be used to promote the need to care for IDPs.

Incentivising compliance with human rights norms:

ACT notes that despite the compendium of international human rights laws detailing states’ obligations to human rights, little progress has been made in achieving compliance.

In light of this, “new coalitions of member states and other stakeholders concerned about internal displacement should be forged and reinforced, and various avenues should be pursued to leverage their influence.” As churches and faith actors have a long history of working closely with UN human rights mechanisms, as well as with monitoring intergovernmental processes, ACT encourages the HLP to consider churches and faith actors as useful resources in encouraging state compliance. 

Emphasising the need for a whole of society approach, as outlined in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) and Global Compact on Refugees (GCR):

While the issue of internal displacement was side-stepped in the GCM and GCR, ACT recognises that many of the principles proposed in the Compacts are equally applicable to IDPs.

Therefore, ACT calls for a Whole of Society Approach to addressing internal displacement to ensure an inclusive process in policy development, implementation and follow up. ACT also notes the importance of including churches and faith actors in mobilising communities to care for the most vulnerable, “the combined engagement of mayors and local leaders, including clergy, by national leadership on issues related to IDPs can garner practical localised solutions to displacement.”

Considering the interconnectedness of migration & asylum systems and internal displacement:

The letter also addresses the potential effects of increasingly restrictive asylum and migration systems on internal displacement and notes the impact that COVID-19 could have in the escalation of refoulement, premature returns and denial of access to territory. “We are concerned that this will inevitably exacerbate the scale and complexity of internal displacement, particularly at a time when the pandemic is causing stigmatisation against those infected in many countries, forcing them to abandon their habitual places of residence,” reads the letter.

ACT notes the active role of churches and faith actors in safeguarding these standards and calls on states to fulfil their human rights obligations and to proactively implement the commitments they made under the two Global Compacts.

The full text of the letter is available here.

In addition to the above, ACT Alliance supports the following contributions made to the HLP:

• Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD) submission on “Internal Displacement in the context of disasters and the adverse effects of climate change”.
• Climate, Migration, and Displacement Platform (CMDP) letter to the High-Level Panel on “Addressing the Impact of Climate Change on Internally Displaced People”.
• “Ensuring an Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) Inclusive Approach to Internal Displacement”.

As appeared on Devex.com:

https://www.devex.com/news/opinion-the-coronavirus-response-needs-local-communities-and-faith-leaders-97147

With 84% of the world population identifying with a religious group, faith communities and agencies are essential stakeholders during a pandemic like the one we are facing today, affecting all communities and traditions globally. In such a context, if we are serious about leaving no one behind, we cannot neglect local response and community engagement to reach and empower the most vulnerable.

We know from lessons learned out of the response to the Ebola crisis in West and Central Africa that faith leaders played a crucial role in the local response and were on the front line of multilateral cooperation. As trusted sources of information, they have persuaded and supported communities in embracing the lifesaving advice of health practitioners against perceived stigma, discrimination, and fear. To do so, reports explain, many Christian and Muslim leaders have engaged in education campaigns and gone door to door and village to village to give messages on behavior change.

Therefore, to be effective in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, governments and international aid agencies urgently need to further existing efforts to develop their “faith literacy” by prioritizing training staff in the religious and cultural context of the communities in which they work and encouraging the inclusion of faith leaders in program design and delivery. This will allow for straightforward, informed, and comprehensive health interventions — especially in those settings where neither the local government nor international institutions are perceived as present or trustworthy by the local communities.

In fragile contexts where complex political realities and tensions between state and nonstate actors can quickly escalate, this pandemic will most certainly have catastrophic consequences. While government leadership is essential, the response to public health and humanitarian crises needs to adopt a wider approach in strengthening national health systems, building on government, private sector, and civil society capacities, including those of faith-based organizations and leaders.

As trusted authorities in their communities, they are a lasting presence even when the pressing phase of the emergency is believed to be over. This presence ensures continuity and community preparedness for the next crisis. It would be a mistake not to consult them when designing the humanitarian response to COVID-19 and the development of a shared agenda for preparedness and recovery.

Dr. Denis Mukwege — founder of Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize laureate — has witnessed encouraging reports in Congo of pastors and elders helping to play a key role and of the potential to use church influence to reduce the spread of the coronavirus and support people through the transmission of public health messages and practical assistance to households that need to isolate.

From his own experience, he has seen that in many African nations, religion is a key part of stability and a driver for development. In some countries, it could represent the only viable and legitimate authority when people lose trust in politicians.

In the early stages of the Ebola responses, we saw mistakes when the approach taken was purely medical. When Ebola struck, many thought it needed a wholly medical response. But in fact, the social response was vital for reducing transmissions. To combat COVID-19, we again need to teach people how to protect themselves.

We know that beyond the medical response, strategies to contain Ebola and current coronavirus rely on social mobilization and behavioral change through a careful balance of self-isolation, hygiene measures, and safeguarding well-being — from physical and economic to psychological and spiritual. Many of the practices related to good hygiene and safe bereavement and burial that are central to the health response are informed by belief systems and therefore require the engagement of communities and their leaders — both religious and secular — to reinforce or encourage behavioral change.

The United Nations, European Union, and donors have recognized the needs of the most vulnerable groups and hardest-to-reach in this crisis, and UNICEF has led the way with a global, multireligious COVID-19 response.

This recognition has so far not been matched by a strong partnership with local civil society, including faith-based agencies and leaders. The U.N.-led global COVID-19 response allocates 95% of funding to nine U.N. entities, while local and national civil-society organizations struggle to gain access to the decision-making tables. It is myopic to exclude those who, according to the World Health Organization, are a primary source of support, comfort, and guidance and direct health care and social services for the communities they serve.

Pandemics affect everyone, and everyone has a stake in flattening the curve of contagion. This is a critical moment in our response to COVID-19. World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has cautioned that “this virus will be with us for a long time.” But there is still time to build and strengthen the resilience of communities worldwide.

We must act swiftly and develop locally led, holistic approaches that are able to connect the global to the local level. Who is better-placed than faith-based organizations and local leaders? They are already there.

This article was cowritten by ACT Alliance EU, CARITAS Europa, Islamic Relief Worldwide, and EU-CORD.

The novel Coronavirus has affected every country in the world, bringing massive disruption in its wake. ACT Alliance responded by launching a global appeal and rapid response fund (RRF) programme. 

ACT’s RRF is designed to fund local, national members in responding to humanitarian need in the face of crises.  Over 35 national members submitted proposals to the RRF, and today, ACT is announcing funding to the first 14 projects, totalling over 1.2 million USD in programming.

Through the projects, ACT members will be supporting national health services, working with faith leaders in providing accurate and timely information to communities, and providing sorely needed support to the most vulnerable people in communities.  Much of ACT’s work through this appeal includes a focus on gender justice, the important role of local faith actors and churches, and the protection of highly vulnerable populations.

The 14 projects are:

Afghanistan: Community World Service Asia (CWSA) will provide cash to 580 at risk households to support their basic needs, as well as 200 PPE kits for 2 health facilities.

Bangladesh: Christian Commission for Development (CCDB) in Bangladesh will provide food and hygiene supplies to 5000 households of daily workers who have lost their livelihoods during the lockdown.

Brazil: Coordenadoria Ecumênica de Serviço (CESE) will provide food packages to 4200 indigenous households in the Amazon region, Mato Grosso do Sul and Rio Grande do Sul.

Cuba: Cuban Council of Churches (CIC) will provide protection kits for health personnel from 2 isolation centres, 880 people with personal hygiene kits, food to 140 patients at an isolation centre, and psychosocial support to 2000 people.

Egypt: The Bishopric of Public, Ecumenical and Social Services (BLESS) will provide hygiene kits and food to 3000 households, and will work with local faith leaders to disseminate key messages on infection prevention and good hygiene, as well as reducing fear and stigma.

Ghana: The Presbyterian Church in Ghana- Relief Services and Development (PRS&D) will provide food to 1500 households, handwashing stations in 10 communities, and protective equipment to vulnerable households and three health centres.

Haiti: Service Chrétien d’Haïti (SCH) will engage in a community-led response to raise awareness of COVID-19, encourage families to take appropriate steps to prevent the disease, and provide food to support 420 families losing their daily wage income during lockdown.

Honduras: Comisión de Acción Social Menonita (CASM) will provide biosecurity kits to 40 medical staff in 10 primary health units, cash transfers for food purchases to 1650 families, and COVID-19 prevention and anti-stigma information to 7000 people.

Indonesia: Pelkesi, Yakkum Emergency Unit (YEU) and the Centre for Disaster Risk Management and Community Development Studies will provide PPE and psychosocial support to staff at five COVID-19 referral hospitals, and will reach 10,000 with an information campaign about prevention and mitigation of COVID-19.

Malawi: Christian Agency for Rural Development (CARD) and Evangelical Lutheran Development Service (ELDS) will provide an awareness campaign to reach 2.4 million people with accurate information about COVID-19 and its prevention, and will work with local faith leaders to provide psychosocial support to affected families.

Peru: Diaconia Peru will provide free virtual counselling to 12,000 vulnerable people in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Colombia, with an emphasis on the prevention of gender-based and family violence.  Local faith leaders will be trained in GBV prevention and pastoral responses to illness and bereavement.  Additionally, 600 vulnerable families will receive food and PPE support.

Philippines: The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) will provide food packs, sanitation and hygiene kits, and unconditional cash grants to 1500 vulnerable families.

Serbia: Ecumenical Humanitarian Organization (EHO) and Philanthropy- The Charitable Fund of the Serbian Orthodox Church will provide food packages to 3000 people, hygiene packages to 4300 people, PPE for frontline workers, shelter for homeless people, psychosocial support to 130 people (focusing on gender), and engagement with faith and religious leaders and groups to provide awareness raising.

Tanzania: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT), through its network of hospitals and local health facilities, will provide PPE for 480 frontline medical professionals, work with 50 bishops and high-level religious workers on information and awareness messaging, and medical interventions for 25,000 high-risk people to reduce new infections and allay fears and anxiety.

The full ACT Appeal can be found here.  

ACT Alliance member Finn Church Aid has launched a preventative campaign against the spread of COVID-19 in schools and Internally Displaced People (IDP) settlements in the South West State of Baidoa, Somalia.

In light of the global outbreak of COVID-19, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education (MOECHE) of the South West State of Somalia decided that all schools, universities, and other learning institutions would close as of March 18^th as a precautionary measure.

As Baidoa hosts one of the highest numbers of IDP settlements in Somalia, the closure of schools has exposed children from vulnerable communities, particularly those living in IDP settlements to a high risk of being affected by the spreading pandemic.

To contribute to the reduction and prevention of the spread of COVID-19, FCA with the support of MOECHE conducted various community sensitisation and awareness-raising activities, sharing accurate information on COVID-19 in line with the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health. The activities targeted caregivers, teachers, host community children from six primary schools in Baidoa, and other members from the IDP settlements. The sensitisation initiatives were carried out by 72 experienced community mobilisers and various school-based Community Education Committees and are anticipated to run until May 2020.

FCA conducted door-to-door campaigns in the IDP settlements and surrounding communities to inform individuals on how to protect themselves from COVID-19 through proper handwashing techniques, and how to prevent its spread through social distancing. Additional educational materials were developed in English and Somali and were distributed to community members.

In addition to these efforts, preventative and precautionary information on the dangers of the outbreak was broadcast on Baidoa’s radio station for two weeks. The radio messages were an important source of information for the town of Baidoa, as the majority of the community rely on gathering information through the radio, particularly as schools remain closed.

The Director-General of MoECHE South West state of Somalia, Mr Fadal Abdullahi Mursal noted his appreciation for FCA’s timely sensitisation and awareness initiatives for school children and their parents during the school closures. Mr Abdullahi Mursal encouraged FCA to further its sensitisation initiatives to the surrounding communities so that all children and their parents are informed on preventative strategies of the pandemic.

The Minister of MOECHE of the South West state of Somalia, Mr Mohamed Yusuf Hassan, also commended FCA for its swift action, particularly in the IDP settlements. While overseeing one of FCA’s awareness sessions, the minister encouraged all other education partners in Baidoa to take note of FCA’s initiatives and to implement them in other schools within the Baidoa district and across the whole South West State of Somalia.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many faith actors are on the frontline. ACT Alliance is standing together with religious leaders and faith-based actors around the world to advocate to governments and civil society, for urgent responses that protect women’s rights and achieve gender equality.  

The crisis does not operate in a vacuum and, as a result, the pandemic is increasing pre-existing gender inequalities. Around the world, gender roles have a marked impact on exposure, transmission, and outcome patterns of COVID-19. Women and girls are experiencing intersecting injustices in political, social and economic spheres.

Sexual and Gender Based Violence

In the statement published today, Faith in Beijing, who are a collective of religious actors and faith-based networks, call for COVID-19 responses to include strategies to address and prevent Sexual and Gender Based Violence. Under lockdown policies, many women are forced to stay at homes where they are not safe or secure. They are forced to live with abusive partners or parents, while services to survivors of gender-based violence are harder to access. In some communities around the world, violence against women during the pandemic has been perpetrated by the security agencies enforcing the lockdown, using undue force.

Faith on the Frontline

Faith communities have a strong base from which to promote social distancing (to reduce transmission of the virus causing COVID-19), while also practicing solidarity. Many religious actors hold significant power and trust, sometimes more than the government. Thus, religious institutions can play a vital role in distributing accurate key public health information to their communities. Religious leaders can play a positive role in promoting messages of gender justice, challenging stigma and harmful gender norms.

Equality and Justice for All

As business as usual is paused, we have an opportunity to reflect upon the brokenness in our world and our economic system. In these spaces, we can begin to imagine a world rooted in equality and justice for all. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how globally interconnected we are and how gender injustice reveals itself at an individual and a collective level. 

ACT, along with Faith in Beijing members, were due to participate in the UN Commission on the Status of Women 64. While the international gathering of UN Member States and civil society was postponed last month, our work for gender justice remains important, to ensure a just and sustainable future for all.

Read the statement on Gender, Faith and COVID-19 here (add link to your webpage).

NOTES:

Religious Actors and Faith-Based Organisations who have signed the statements include (in alphabetical order):

1. ACT Alliance
2. Act Church of Sweden
3. Anglican Communion
4. Association of Presbyterian Women Aotearoa New Zealand
5. Christian Aid
6. DanChurchAid
7. The Girls’ Brigade International
8. Islamic Relief Worldwide
9. Side by Side: Faith movement for gender justice
10. United Society of Partners in the Gospel
11. We Will Speak Out South Africa
12. World Council of Churches

ACT Alliance joins the message from the Interfaith group active at UNFCCC in response to the postponement of COP26

As faith-based organisations and movements calling for fair and just policies able to tackle the climate emergency, we understand and support the UNFCCC decision to postpone COP26 in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic that is affecting the whole of humanity. We nevertheless call on ourselves and on all stakeholders to not delay ambitious and urgent climate action.

We see the trauma, anxiety, vulnerability and loss of life around the world caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among already vulnerable communities. We are appalled by the increase in human rights violations, including racism, extreme surveillance, xenophobia, misuses of emergency powers and domestic violence.

We remain hopeful as we see people of all faiths and across all borders rising to a powerful call of solidarity, kindness, and support, adjusting our lives for the greater good, looking into creative and simple solutions to show care for one another. We also witness more time for reflection.

We proclaim loudly that we were already living in a state of emergency prior to COVID-19. We have a responsibility to ensure we do not return to behaviours which, as the current crisis has shown, leave the vast majority extremely vulnerable to hardship and suffering after only a few weeks of economic stagnation. Here we see the role of faith in learning from the COVID-19 crisis and to advocate for a just recovery to build a healthier future where the human family lives in a way that respects nature and Mother Earth on which we all depend.

The choices we now make will shape our society for years and it is crucial that efforts to rebuild economies put people’s health before profit. Governments have pledged extraordinary amounts of money to prevent economic disasters because of this pandemic, but that money must not be used to finance future environmental degradation. We must not return to relaunching fossil fuel subsidies and unhealthy consumption patterns. The plans for a just recovery from COVID-19 must take into account the necessary measures to tackle climate change with a managed, planned and fair approach. We call for a rebuilding which upholds the human rights, health and wellbeing of citizens as critical to the stability and security of all countries.

We are moved by our faiths to see beyond this moment of fear and call on solidarity, community action and moral courage. We call on the UNFCCC, all governments and all people, to build a sustainable, just and healthy society that is resilient in times of crises such as COVID-19 and climate change, and to act early enough to prevent greater hardship and suffering in the future. This is the time to create a healthier and more resilient society together.

The Interfaith Liaison Committee to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Earth Day of 2020 marks the significant Golden Earth year since the UN initiated Earth Day in 1970. The Golden Earth year takes place amidst the global pandemic of COVID -19, which is inflicting great challenges on the human race, including loss of life and conflict on our earth.

Earth is life – life in all its fullness.
Earth is a gift, one that is intertwined with life.
Earth is precious and valuable, and it is not to be plundered nor exploited.
If done so, our gift of earth and life will be destroyed.

Oikumene refers to all life on earth, including the flora, fauna and the human race. All that is under the sky is equal, and the earth is an equal gift to all. In an ecosystem, there is no hierarchy, as interdependence, harmony and living together are the norm. Earth is a gift in the purest form, and it should be protected from generation to generation.

Humans have taken over parts of the earth, forgetting that it is for all and for the generations to come. Over time, humans have also excluded other humans from enjoying the beauty and bounty of the earth in the name of caste, creed, gender, age, race and ability. These inequalities and injustices are reflected in various ways around the world, leading to the destruction of the earth and the human race.

Earth has enough for everybody’s needs, not for every body’s greed.

As people around the world fight a global pandemic this earth day which has kept many people in a state of lockdown, the earth is breathing a little easier.

This raises critical questions; do we need a virus to tell us to stay indoors and to treat the earth with care? This Earth Day presents us with a good opportunity to reflect on what is essential and what is not, on how we can treat the earth more gently and live a holistic life with only the essentials. A motto of minimum and essential for all, in all, could save the earth and humans too.

“Joyful joyful we adore our Earth in all its wonderment
Simple gifts of nature that all join into a paradise
Now we must resolve to protect her
Show her our love throughout all time
With our gentle hand and touch
We make our home a newborn world
Now we must resolve to protect her
Show her our love throughout all time
With our gentle hand and touch
We make our home a newborn world.”

Blog written by Joycia Thorat, CASA India