Calvin College
Faith & International Development Conference
Luis Noda
Sustainability of Development Actions under a Christian Perspective
Saturday, February 2; 9.30-10.45am
The sustainability of development actions is a high desired goal from the beginning of any project or program. However, this is an element that does not come spontaneously unless it is planned for and foreseen. But, what do we mean by sustainability? In my professional experience working in development projects and programs, sustainability has to do with the local context, institutional settings, ownership and participation of beneficiaries. Moreover, under a Christian perspective, sustainability has to do with personal beliefs, attitudes and actions (behavior change) that shape the final result of development efforts. Some basic values that we take for granted, such as “human life is sacred,” are non-existent to sustain humanitarian efforts and development actions in developing contexts. Therefore, some assumptions (life principles) upon which our development efforts rest need to be emphasized to keep and sustain development results in a community. In the end, these principles become the inspirational fuel that feeds community efforts to continue to improve their lives.
In my presentation I will discuss this and other related topics. As a case study, I will give a brief description of a sustainability plan that was developed by Food for the Hungry / Bolivia to phase-out a 10 year Food Security Program funded by USAID, and the impressive results and impacts achieved during this time. I will give details about the philosophical foundation that supports it and the integrated approach of the Program: Health and Nutrition, Income Generation related to Agriculture, and Natural Resource Management.