Calvin College
Faith & International Development Conference
Conference
Breakout Session #4Sat, Feb 7: 1.45-2.45pm
What is Success? Measuring Transformational Impact in Development
- Michael Pucci, International Director of Academic Programs, Food for the Hungry
Christian development has difficulties with numbers. First, there are those who believe no measurement of transformation should be attempted on the grounds that transformation is spiritual and God's work (which implies falsely that the stuff we can and do measure is our own work). In addition, there are pressures to believe (and prove) any measure will do, secular or otherwise, when it comes to the tangible results of development activities. A rising concern with the dubious efficacy of second-hand assessment tools (developed wholly disconnected from vision and mission and Kingdom aims) and a growing discontent with the habit of rewarding activities instead of outcomes is driving a number of Christian development organizations to wrestle with these hard questions and to seek new forms of assessment and new types of indicators. Food for the Hungry describes its own journey and seeks input for greater measurement integrity.
Rescuing Rape Survivors, Obtaining Land Titles for the Poor, and More: Building a More Just Society in Honduras through Partnership with the Government
- Kurt Ver Beek, Vice President, Association for a More Just Society
NGOs often criticize governments for failing to protect human rights, enforce justice, and provide for the poor. But the Association for a More Just Society (AJS) has found that "slogging in the trenches" alongside government officials makes critiques more credible and produces far more life-changing, concrete results than criticism alone.
The Gift of an Internship
- Aleida Guzman, Intern Coordinator, World Vision US
Would you like to learn more about the Non-profit Ministry field? Do you have a desire to serve in one of the most enriching ministries, but feel that you don't have the hands-on experience to do so? If you answered yes, then I cannot wait to discuss the benefits of an internship with World Vision in Washington, DC, and how you can obtain the skills those who are called to this filed should develop.
Gender, Faith, and Development: A Complex Web
- Katherine Marshall, Executive Director, World Faiths Development Dialogue and Senior Fellow at Georgetown University's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs
Religions have historically had much to say about gender roles and, as these roles are changing in modern times, faith offers both anchors and support in navigating the transitions. Gender has emerged as a central issue on development agendas: many argue that no other change is as important for progress as educating girls and addressing inequities that can dampen women's potential contributions to society and strip their core human rights. But the relationships among religion, gender, and development are often uneasy ones. Far more needs to be done to promote dialogue and deepen knowledge around these issues.
From the frozen Midwest to the burning sands of the SaharaÉ How to prepare for good work [interactive discussion]
- Milton Amayun, Board President, CCIH, & Vice-President of International Programs, International Aid
- Sharon Franzen, Program Associate, CCIH
- Michelle Fraser, Board Member, CCIH
- Moderator: Evelyn Yang Garland, Student Outreach Coordinator, CCIH
If one is called to international health and development work, how does one prepare for it? More importantly, how does one survive and contribute in a meaningful way to community development? What advantages and disadvantages does one have working for a faith-based organization? The presenters will share their experiences and lessons learned and will encourage participants to ask questions and share their own experiences.
Business as Mission for a World without Poverty
- Doug Seebeck, Executive
Director, Partners Worldwide
- Greg Matney, Partnership Facilitator, Partners Worldwide
Partners Worldwide focuses on poverty elimination through business development and spiritual transformation, targeting those in the community most able to impact their community. Conventional microfinance focuses on enabling the poorest of a poor in a country. We view the future of development as a shift away from microfinance, and a move towards empowering small and medium entrepreneurs. These individuals have the greatest ability to positively affect their community by creating wealth and jobs. This session will cover Partners Worldwide's vision of business as ministry for a world without poverty and our organization's expansion to over 20 countries around the world.
Challenges and Opportunities in Working With Grassroots Partners
- Brad Lewis, Development Officer, Floresta USA, Inc.
Explore the challenges and opportunities in working in a broad, partnership-based organizational structure where international partners come to the table as equals. Communication, decision-making, and maintenance of parallel values all become large hurdles to overcome, but there are significant rewards to focusing on relationships rather than results as a primary goal.
Adventure Education and Service-Learning as Tools for Social Capital Development
- Janelle Vandergrift, New Horizons Foundation
- Daniel Heffner, New Horizons Foundation
The New Horizons Foundation (NHF) is a faith based NGO in Romania that combines adventure education and serving learning in unique youth development programs called Via_a and IMPACT. The communist regime in Romania decimated interpersonal trust, the capacity for self organization, community service and the moral and civic values that make cooperation for the common good possible. By empowering youth and building social capital through experiential education methods, NHF can help improve Romania's civic culture.
Being the Leaven for Bread on Your Campus
- Sarah Rohrer, North Central Field Organizer, Bread for the World
Working for social justice is likely an essential part of the way you see yourself in the world, but figuring out how to maintain your advocacy work between sports, classes, and service can be tricky. In this interactive session, we'll talk about how to form of group of people on your campus who are committed to ending hunger, and how to make meetings and events worthwhile for the group and the campus. With just a small amount of time and effort, Bread for the World campus chapters (and other advocacy groups) can be a sustaining force for advocacy, spiritual development, and fellowship. Please come planning to share with each other what has and hasn't worked on your campus.
Development: What's God Gotta Do With It?
- Dave Larson, Medical Teams International
Should our faith merely motivate us to serve others ("Deed"), or should it be integrated into our service? Should some kind of effective proclamation of the Good News ("Word") be part and parcel of what we are living out when we act as God's Hands and Feet in a needy world? Furthermore, what's "Need"? Is it just physical, material poverty, or does it go deeper than that? This presentation and discussion will argue that truly transformational development must include effective integration of Christian Witness that is appropriate to the cultural/context/spiritual soil, and will present Ten Suggestions for achieving such.
From Charity to Development
- Rudy Gonzalez, Church and Community Consultant, Christian Reformed World Relief Committee
Churches have the responsibility to get to the root causes of poverty by addressing individual and/or family needs with the community to help people build skills to become more economically self-sufficient. We are called to be compassionate, which literally means, "to suffer with." Providing relief for immediate needs is not a substitute for being available -- entering into the life of a broken and hurting individual. In doing this, word and deed combine to help church members bring and experience Shalom. Participants will learn development terms, levels of ministry, understand the purpose of relief and development ministries, church and community alignment and ways to transition from relief to development.
Cheap Clean Water: Local Empowerment and Business Development Worldwide
- Scott Rumpsa, Franchise Program Manager, Aqua Clara International
Aqua Clara International exists to aid in the establishment of sustainable locally owned businesses that provide affordable, clean water for children and families worldwide. AC has developed simple, single-family point-of-use water purification systems that can be constructed by local craftspeople with local materials. The standard AC Water Purifier can be constructed o a variety of different local materials, has no moving parts, requires no power, has an estimated life of 10+ years, and passes all W.H.O. water purity standards.