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Interviews (272)
"What is the role of faith in your work?" These interviews conducted by Berkley Center faculty ask this fundamental question of leaders in the fields of religion and development and foreign policy. The assembled in-depth conversations with activists, scholars, and policy specialists examine best practices and collaborative strategies across a range of contemporary challenges, including HIV/AIDS, malaria, education, governance, shelter, gender, and international religious freedom. For more information on the Berkley Center's interview series on religion and development, see here.
Background: This conversation (by Skype) between Dr. Cheema and Katherine Marshall focused on an ongoing review of religious roots and dimensions of philanthropy. The conversation focused on the history and mission of the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists (which he founded), and on the principle characteristics of and challenges facing philanthropy by Muslims in the US and around the world, today. Dr. Cheema highlights the importance of professionalizing giving, of broadening the...
This conversation (by Skype) between Barbara Ibrahim and Katherine Marshall focused on an ongoing review of religious roots and dimensions of philanthropy. Ibrahim describes the current focus of the Gerhart Center on documenting trends in philanthropy since the start of the Arab uprising. She stresses the rising importance of citizen engagement, and the obstacles to youth participation. This is one route to overcome the acute polarization between secular and Islamist factions that...
Background: This discussion between former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo and Angela Reitmaier, an affiliate of WFDD, took place in Berlin on February 12, 2012, when the former president gave an introductory keynote on “Africa and Good Governance” at the Humboldt-Viadrina School of Governance. Former president Obasanjo reflects on ways to fight corruption, including for faith-based organizations, and to end the conflict with Boko Haram. He describes his relationship to God and speaks...
Background: This discussion took place on November 14, 2012 between Margaret Bell, Andrew Castillo, Katherine Marshall, Michael Bodakowski, and Ariel Gleicher via conference call, as part of a joint review of a Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) interfaith pilot by the World Faiths Development Dialogue and HFHI. The interview is a component of the larger evaluation and a series of interviews forms a baseline. Tom Jones, ambassador-at-large and senior leadership team member of HFHI...
Background: During the July 31, 2012 WFDD workshop on religion and development in Cambodia, the Patriarch spoke with participants, including Katherine Marshall, Jenny Cimaglia, and Laura Hodges. The interview reflects the Patriarch’s comments and exchange on why and how religion, especially Buddhism, matters for Cambodia’s development. He recounted his background and reflected on why he became a monk and why he loves Buddhism, including his choice of the Dhammayut order (which he now heads)....
Background: This discussion took place on November 14, 2012 between Andrew Wilkes, Katherine Marshall, Michael Bodakowski, and Ariel Gleicher via conference call, as part of a joint review of a Habitat for the Humanity International (HFHI) interfaith pilot conducted by the World Faiths Development Dialogue and HFHI. The interview is a component of the larger evaluation and series of interviews that form a baseline. Tom Jones, ambassador-at-large and senior leadership team member of Habitat...
Background: This discussion took place on November 14, 2012 between Mark Ogland-Hand, Katherine Marshall, Michael Bodakowski, and Ariel Gleicher via conference call, as part of a joint effort between Habit for Humanity International (HFH) and the World Faiths Development Dialogue. It forms part a year long evaluation of the HFH Interfaith Toolkit Pilot Project--a guide for HFH affiliates to implement interfaith approaches through organizational strategy and outreach. Tom Jones,...
Background: This discussion took place on November 12, 2012 between Andrew Johnson, Katherine Marshall, Michael Bodakowski, and Ariel Gleicher via conference call, as part of a joint effort between Habit for Humanity International (HFH) and the World Faiths Development Dialogue. It is a component of a larger evaluation of the HFH Interfaith Toolkit Pilot Project--a guide for HFH affiliates to implement interfaith approaches into organizational strategy and outreach. Tom Jones,...
Background: This discussion took place on November 2, 2012 between Chris Untiet, Katherine Marshall, Michael Bodakowski, and Ariel Gleicher via conference call, as part of a joint effort between Habit for Humanity International (HFHI) and the World Faiths Development Dialogue. It is a component of a larger evaluation of the HFHI Interfaith Toolkit Pilot Project--a guide for HFHI affiliates to implement interfaith approaches into organizational strategy and outreach. Tom Jones,...
Background: This discussion between the Venerable Dr. Phramaha Boonchuay Doojai and Katherine Marshall took place on October 23, 2012 in Tokyo, where both were participating in the Niwano Peace Prize International Selection committee. Dr. Doojai focused on how his groundbreaking work with interfaith networks on HIV and AIDS began and developed over the years. His base is currently the Buddhist College in Chiang Mai but he travels widely, part of a global network whose initial focus is HIV and...
Background: This exchange between Katherine Marshall and Jørn Lemvik builds on a discussion titled “Norway Takes God Seriously” that was held on October 12, 2012 at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs in Washington DC. The discussion was led by Jørn Lemvik, Secretary General of Digni and a visiting fellow at World Faiths Development Dialogue. In this follow-up to the event, Mr. Lemvik recounts a series of exchanges about religion and development among the leading...
Background: This conversation took place on September 26, 2012 between Michael Bodakowski and Dr. Jacques Sebisaho as background for a workshop on the roles of faith-inspired actors in energy access initiatives. Dr. Sebisaho spoke of his work at the intersections of health care, faith, and energy through the founding of Amani Global Works, which provides accessible and affordable health care on Idjwi Island, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He shared a powerful anecdote about how light...
Background: This discussion (by Skype), on September 19, 2012, between Valeria Martano and Katherine Marshall, focused on her work with the Community of Sant’Egidio and, more specifically, how the Community, in its internal workings and in its work in various countries, sees women’s roles. She points to the active roles that women play within the Community, even if they do not generally hold formal leadership positions. The Community’s work (by women and men alike) is driven by a deep...
Background: This conversation took place on September 7, 2012 between Michael Bodakowski and Bishop Alden Hathaway as background for a workshop on the roles of faith-inspired actors in energy access initiatives. Bishop Hathaway spoke of his work in founding Solar Light for Africa, a Christian faith-inspired NGO whose stated mission is to transform lives and empower the people of Africa by providing light and energy through solar power. He reflects on the theological, spiritual, and practical...
Background: This conversation was between Reverend Mitchell Hescox and Michael Bodakowski on August 29, 2012 as background for a consultation on faith and energy access. Reverend Hescox discusses his work with the Evangelical Environmental Network, primarily related to energy access. Access to energy, Mitch notes, is a necessary component to fulfill the Christian obligation to serve Jesus through serving the poor. He sees clear links between those working on the environment and energy access,...
Background: This exchange is based on a presentation by Tim Lankester at the London Symposium on Olympic Values on July 1, elaborated in subsequent exchanges with Claudia Zambra and Katherine Marshall. He emphasizes the significance of the core values that lie behind the Olympic Movement, and their broader implications both for British and global society. Above all he stresses the potential good that can come from emphasizing enjoyment from sport and social inclusion, as a foundation for...
Background: This discussion (via Skype) between Alex Goldberg and Katherine Marshall focused on the roles of UK faith groups in the lead up to the London 2012 Olympics. He has been part of planning and events over a four year period and will serve as a chaplain during the Games themselves. Long involved in interfaith work, Goldberg highlights the many activities that faith linked NGOs and communities have organized, and the special focus on assuring a lasting legacy for London’s East End,...
Background: Tim Shriver reflected, speaking with Katherine Marshall, on his long history of engagement with Special Olympics and the values that have inspired them and him in his work. He met the earliest form of Special Olympics in his own home, as his mother worked with children with disabilities. Fun and an understanding of how to bridge divides among very different people came from this early experience. His early professional work in education and with programs addressed to disadvantaged...
Background: This conversation took place on June 21, between Michael Bodakowski, Claudia Zambra, and Eli Wolff. The context was an ongoing exploration of Olympic Values for the 21st century. Eli reflected on his role working at the intersection of sport, academia, and policy, and the important overlaps among the three. Eli is himself a Paralympian, and that experience has helped to guide his professional work which has focused on sports as a human right, particularly disability sport. He...
Background: Sister Agatha is intensively involved in the search for peace in Northern Nigeria and especially in building a movement of women of faith who will stand up against violence and truly work to build peace. This exchange with Katherine Marshall began in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on June 18, 2012, while they were participating in a conference on religion and children, and was continued by phone and email. Sister Agatha’s deep understanding of the sources of conflict in Nigeria...
Background: Speaking with Michael Bodakowski and Claudia Zambra on June 1, 2012, Mori Taheripour reflected on her history of engagement with sports and social development. The context was the June 2012 WFDD co-supported symposium on the Olympic Values in London, shortly before the London 2012 Games. Taheripour’s involvement stems from her role as a faculty at the Wharton Business School, where she has worked with sports leagues and athletes in a variety of disciplines including channeling...
Background: Speaking with Katherine Marshall, Bishop Chane reflected on his long history of engagement with the values underlying the Olympic Games. The context was the June 2012 WFDD co-sponsored symposium on the topic in London, shortly before the London 2012 Games. Chane’s involvement dates from his role as a chaplain to the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympic Games and has involved various engagements with both the US and the International Olympic Committees and their Academies. He stresses...
Background: This discussion took place on May 10, 2012 in Tokyo and continued in Guatemala, as Rosalina Tuyuc Velásquez received the 2012 Niwano Peace Prize. She spoke to Katherine Marshall of her inspiration as a fighter for human rights, for women, and for the Mayan people and traditions. She focuses on how she sees the roles of women working for peace, and the special place of Mayan spirituality in Guatemala's struggle for peace. She speaks of her own path, the despair and guilt that...
Background: This exchange is based on discussions between Ed Scott and Katherine Marshall on April 25, 2012, followed up in subsequent emails. The context was the Berkley Center reflection on its five-year research and policy work on development and religion, but the exchange also focuses on Scott’s philanthropic work and philosophy. He describes his long-standing conviction that religious institutions and ideas are central to development work, but almost always underappreciated. He reflects...
Background: This discussion between Dr. Mamphela Ramphele and Angela Reitmaier took place in Cape Town on February 9, 2012 during a conference on "Investing in Africa Mining - Indaba," where Dr. Ramphele gave a keynote address on "Mining's Contribution to Sustainable Development" as Chair of Goldfields and Director of Anglo American.
Dr. Ramphele reflects on the spiritual dimension that is needed to heal the many wounds that Apartheid inflicted on black citizens of South Africa. She touches...
Dr. Ramphele reflects on the spiritual dimension that is needed to heal the many wounds that Apartheid inflicted on black citizens of South Africa. She touches...
Background: Lord Carey visited Washington for a World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) trustees meeting in February 2012. In this exchange with Katherine Marshall, he reflected on his longstanding interest in international development, his role in these matters during his tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury, and his vision and the history of his role as a founder of WFDD, as a partner with James D. Wolfensohn in the venture. He emphasizes that his understanding of his Christian faith puts...
Background: This conversation between Kingsley Bangwell and Katherine Marshall took place by Skype on December 20, 2011. He is from Imo State in Nigeria but was born and brought up in Jos, in Plateau State, the site of some of Nigeria’s most bitter conflicts where religion is at least a part of the story. Bangwell is a well recognized voice of youth, and pursues a range of creative initiatives, using media and other approaches, and his efforts to address Africa’s youth challenges stand out....
Background: This conversation between Venerable Loun Sovath and WFDD research fellows Nathaniel Adams and Laura Hodges took place in Phnom Penh on November 20, 2011. In it Venerable Sovath discusses his personal history and the events that inspired him to become a human rights advocate. He talks about the importance of harnessing technology and the negative response that the government and Sangha authorities have had to his activities. He shares his vision of broad-based and equitable...
Background: During two UN staff training events in Turin, Italy (November 2010 and September 2011), Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda and Katherine Marshall reflected on Ms. Gumbonzvanda’s path and her perspectives on roles that religion plays in advancing her multi-faceted agenda. She argues passionately that these agendas, especially bringing young women into global discussions, working for peace, and fighting discrimination against women, are agendas for all of us, not for “them”, out there. And...
Background: This discussion between Bishop Dandala and Angela Reitmaier (who worked with the Kenyan Secretariat of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development from 2007-2009) took place in Berlin on November 14, 2011, when Bishop Dandala gave the sermon at the ecumenical service to mark the 50th anniversary of the German Development Ministry. Bishop Dandala explains how he was exposed to the ecumenical movement in South Africa and in the UK, and how he had been formed by the Black...
Background: This discussion November 2011 between Samia Huq and Katherine Marshall and Michael Bodakowski came during a WFDD/Berkley Center conference that took stock of research and policy work on development and religion and drew on Huq’s co-moderation of the January 2011 consultation (held in Dhaka, Bangladesh) on faith and development in South and Central Asia. She reflects here on gender and Islam in Bangladeshi society. She recounts how her participation in women’s Islamic discussion...
Background: Lyn Lusi and Katherine Marshall spoke in Los Angeles as Lyn was honored with the Opus Prize, on November 2, 2011. The Prize, one of the world’s largest humanitarian awards (one million dollars), honors extraordinary social entrepreneurs who are inspired by their faith. This interview reflects conversations in Los Angeles, amplified by email exchanges, and includes some gems from her acceptance speech at Loyola Marymount University. Lyn focuses on her challenge to the churches to...
Background: James Wuye and Imam Ashafa visited Washington, DC in October 2011 to launch the documentary An African Answer (about their mediation work in Kenya following the violence aftermath of 2008 elections) and met with Katherine Marshall on October 31, at the Berkley Center at Georgetown University. The discussion centered on how they came to work together, their sense of where Nigeria is today (including reflections on the roots of conflict), issues around health and faith in Nigerian,...
Background: This discussion between Azza Karam (in New York) and Katherine Marshall and Michael Bodakowski in October 2011 builds on an earlier exchange on April 29, 2010. Dr. Karam highlights the complex evolution of thinking and approach within the United Nations system in relation to religion, seen from the vantage point of UNFPA. This has involved specifically intensive work to establish a network of faith-based organizations working especially on population issues; and simultaneously to...
Background: This discussion between Angela Reitmaier (who worked with the Kenyan Secretariat of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development from 2007-2009) and Hon. Abdikadir Hussein Mohamed took place in Berlin on October 21, 2011, when German President Christian Wulff presented the German Africa Award 2011 to Hon. Abdikadir, in recognition of his contribution to implementing constitutional reform in Kenya and of his fact-oriented and conciliatory way of working for equal opportunities and...
Background: This discussion between Ian Linden (in London) and Katherine Marshall and Michael Bodakowski (Washington, DC) took place on October 19, 2011 by telephone. It was part of the preparatory work for the Berkley Center/WFDD conference on November 7 that took stock of research and policy work on development and religion. In this interview, Ian Linden reflects on the nexus of religion and development from his seat within the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. He sees religious communities as...
Background: This conversation between Albeiro Rodas, Nathaniel Adams and Jennifer Cimaglia took place at Don Bosco Technical School in Sihanoukville, Cambodia on October 18th 2011. Albeiro Rodas is one of a handful of Salesians that operate Don Bosco schools in Cambodia. Don Bosco has facilities in Phnom Penh, Poipet, Battambang, Sihanoukville and Kep. These schools provide training to disadvantaged students in a range of technical subjects from automotive repair to audio/visual production...
Background: This conversation between Marguerite Barankitse, Aline Ndenzako, and Katherine Marshall, during an October 2011 visit to Washington DC, focused on Maggie’s work for peace in Burundi: her vision of what is needed, how peace is linked to justice, and what women can and do bring to the cause of peace. She returned constantly to her central preoccupation with children, both the 20,000 who have come under her direct care through the Maison Shalom (which she founded and leads) and all...
Background: This discussion between Carole Rakodi (who was in Cape Town, South Africa) and Katherine Marshall and Michael Bodakowski took place on October 13, 2011 by Skype. It was part of the preparatory work for the Berkley Center/WFDD conference on November 7 that took stock of research and policy work on development and religion. Carole Rakodi was the leader of an ambitious research program into the relationships between religion and development, based at the University of Birmingham....
Background: Tom Jones worked with the Berkley Center soon after it began, with a joint December 2006 Forum on faith and housing. He also participated in the first Luce-supported conference, on the US and his earlier interview was in preparation for that meeting. This discussion with Katherine Marshall and Michael Bodakowski in Washington on October 12 reflected on both Habitat’s experience in its intended expansion to interfaith work and the follow-up to the Berkley Center Forum. He concludes...
Background: This interview, on October 7, 2011 at the World Bank offices in Washington, DC, with Katherine Marshall and Michael Bodakowski, was part of preparations for the Berkley Center/WFDD conference on November 7 that took stock of research and policy work on development and religion. Quentin Wodon’s leadership in this work in the World Bank is an important part of the recent history of such endeavors. He reflects on progress made, on issues that confront the efforts, on what led him to...
Background: Mohamed Sahnoun inspired the Caux Forum on Human Security, which has met each year since 2008 in an endeavor to galvanize a comprehensive and meaningful call to world action that can assure physical, economic, cultural, environmental, and political security for the world’s people. During the 2011 Forum, on July 16 and 17, 2011, he discussed the Forum’s objectives and perspectives for the future at Caux, Switzerland, with Katherine Marshall. The challenges, he argues, are above all...
Background: Rabia Mathai participated in the January, 2011 BRAC/Berkley Center/WFDD consultation on South and Central Asia, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and this exchange was initially in that regional context. The discussion, however, extended beyond to a wide range of other issues, notably HIV and AIDS and maternal and child health. Dr. Mathai reflects on the pioneering role of faith-inspired organizations on these topics and on efforts to bring those efforts more into the limelight. She describes...
Background: Kpakilé Félémou and Katherine Marshall spoke in Munich, in the context of the Sant’Egidio Prayer for Peace meeting, on September 13, 2011. The meeting focused on the work of Sant’Egidio in Guinea, which offers a vivid example of the way this unique group links the commitment of its members, working as volunteers, to work with the poor, its engagement with conflict resolution, and its intensive efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. In the recent political turmoil and transition in Guinea,...
Background: Musimbi Kanyoro and Katherine Marshall spoke by telephone on June 20, 2011, following up by email. The context was the Berkley Center and WFDD exploration of faith dimensions of global efforts to address maternal mortality. Dr. Kanyoro brings a rare combination of rigorous experience in policy and advocacy in secular institutions and deep knowledge of the world of faith institutions at national and international levels, especially ecumenical institutions. She thus reflects on the...
Background: In an interview conducted on June 16, 2011 between Tom Dannan, Executive Director of the John Dau Foundation, and Anny Gaul, of the Berkley Center, Dannan recounts the origins and operations of the John Dau Foundation clinic in Southern Sudan and focuses on their work with traditional birth attendants. He reflects on the pros and cons of working with midwives versus traditional birth attendants. He highlights the practical and cultural obstacles to encouraging women to come to...
Background: This interview was conducted on June 8, 2011 as part of the Berkley Center’s exploration of the faith dimensions of maternal mortality. Anny Gaul sat down with Sonya Funna at the headquarters of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency in Silver Spring, Maryland, to discuss ADRA’s approach to maternal health and how faith-inspired healthcare providers approach and measure success. Ms. Funna reflects on ADRA’s extensive experience with health and related programs in different...
Background: As part of the Future of Track-Two Diplomacy Undergraduate Fellows Seminar, in fall 2010 Saaliha Khan interviewed Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Chairman of the Cordoba Institute, about the intersections of US foreign policy, religion, and Track II diplomacy.
Background: As part of the Future of Track-Two Diplomacy Undergraduate Fellows Seminar, in fall 2010 Valerie Oliphant interviewed Maryann Cusimano Love, Associate Professor of Politics at the Catholic University of America, about the intersections of US foreign policy, religion, and Track II diplomacy.
Background: As part of the Future of Track-Two Diplomacy Undergraduate Fellows Seminar, in fall 2010 Lucy Stephenson interviewed Thomas Banchoff, director of the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, and Associate Professor in the Government Department and the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, about the intersections of US foreign policy, religion, and Track II diplomacy.
Background: This conversation between Ray Caggiano (SIM Special Projects Manager), Bob Blees (SIM Medical Advocate), John Barnshaw III (SIM Health Advocate), and Anny Gaul (Berkley Center) took place on May 11, 2011 in Charlotte, NC, at SIM’s U.S. headquarters. The interview was conducted as research for a series of issue surveys done by the Berkley Center with the support of the Luce/SFS Program on Religion and International Affairs. Anny Gaul sat down with the SIM staff members responsible...
This conversation between John Lewis and Katherine Marshall, Thomas Bohnett, and Hahna Fridirici took place on March 15, 2010 as part of a World Faiths Development Dialogue investigation of faith and agriculture and was updated in March 2011 by email. Lewis’ core argument is that agricultural strategies for Africa can and should press for carbon-intense food security agriculture as opposed to outdated Green Revolution approaches that involve clearing land, chemical fertilizer, pesticides, and...
Background: This exchange is based on a November 3, 2009 telephone conversation between Stephen Carr and Thomas Bohnett, in advance of a World Faiths Development Dialogue-sponsored consultation held at Georgetown University on links between faith and agriculture. The interview was updated by email correspondence in March 2011. Mr. Carr starts by highlighting his experience working with smallholder agriculture in Southern Sudan, Uganda, and Malawi, and stresses that working through religious...
Background: This discussion preceded a consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 10-11, 2011. The interview was conducted by telephone between Katherine Marshall, Michael Bodakowski and Bedreldin Shutta, and was finalized following an email exchange in March 2011. In this interview, Mr. Shutta discusses his motivations to work with a faith-inspired organization after a long career with secular development organizations. He reflects on his...
Background: This discussion took place in the context of preparation for a regional consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia, held in Dhaka, Bangladesh January 10-11, 2011. A December 13 interview was conducted by telephone between Michael Bodakowski and Francis Halder, amplified through email correspondence in March, 2011. A Catholic Bangladeshi, Mr. Halder describes the challenges and history of the Chittagong Hill Tracts region and the peacebuilding efforts of...
Background: This discussion preceded the January 2011 consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A December 15 interview was conducted by telephone between Michael Bodakowski and Farida Vahedi, amplified through email correspondence with Katherine Marshall in March 2011. Ms. Vahedi describes the diverse programs, teachings, and initiatives of the Baha’i community in India and South Asia. She plays leading roles on many fronts; education and women’s...
Background: This discussion preceded the January 2011 consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The interview supplements a conversation in December 2008; it was by video conference between Katherine Marshall and Michael Bodakowski, and Swami Agnivesh followed up during the Dhaka consultation and by email. Swami Agnivesh discusses his involvement in peace processes in India, with the Maoists and in Kashmir; his mediation efforts with the Maoists...
Background: This discussion between Dominique Peccoud and Katherine Marshall took place at Georgetown University on February 3, 2011 and focused on Father Peccoud’s reflections on his work at the ILO and his reflections following his retirement from the ILO after his 12-year term. He explores the unique and historic role of the advisory position he held at the ILO, as a Jesuit within a United Nations institution. He highlights how the significance of decent work, the mantra of the ILO, is...
Background: Background: This discussion preceded a consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 10-11, 2011. The interview was by telephone between Michael Bodakowski and Batir Zalimov, with Russian/English interpretation provided by Manizha Haitova. In this interview Mr. Zalimov discusses development in Tajikistan, the role of civil society, religious leaders, and the government, and the sometimes tense interactions between and among them....
Background: This conversation between James Pond and Ethan Carroll took place in Phnom Penh on February 2, 2011. James discusses the formative experiences that led to his founding Transitions Global, including his realization that victims of human trafficking deserve the opportunity to realize their dreams. He explains his inquiry into the nature of success in aftercare, the need to professionalize service-provision, and Transitions’ aim to rehabilitate trafficked girls to the point that they...
Background: This discussion is background for a consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 10-11, 2011. The interview was by telephone between Michael Bodakowski and Abdurakhim Nazarov; Tajik-English interpretation was provided by Manizha Haitova. In this conversation, Imam Khatib Nazarov discusses his role as a Muslim leader engaged in social welfare programming in Tajikistan. He describes programs on HIV/AIDS prevention, imam training,...
Background: This discussion preceded a consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 10-11, 2011. The consultation, an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), and the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, took stock of the range of ongoing work by organizations that are, in varying ways, inspired by religious faith, but more important, explored policy implications that emerge from...
Background: This discussion, conducted by telephone between Michael Bodakowski and Mr. Olcott Gunasekera was finalized following an email exchange in February 2011, and served as background for a consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 10-11, 2011. Stressing that historical conflict in Sri Lanka arises more from colonial policies than from religion or ethnicity, Mr. Gunasekera recounts his experience on issues of faith and development...
Background: The context for this discussion is preparation for a consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 10-11, 2011. The consultation is an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) and the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, Washington DC, with support from the Henry R. Luce Foundation. Its aim is to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations that...
Background: This conversation occurred between Farina So and Nathaniel Adams and DC-Cam's office in Phnom Penh on December 10, 2010. In it, Ms. So discusses issues of religion and identity in Cambodia's Cham community, including the role of women in safeguarding and transmitting these traditions. She also explains the importance of oral history, or as she calls it “history from below”, for empowering marginalized groups in Cambodia. She discusses how the Cham Oral History Project...
Background: This discussion preceded a consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 10-11, 2011. The interview was by telephone between Michael Bodakowski and Keshab Prasad Chaulagain, and expanded upon by email exchange on February 16, 2011. In this interview Mr. Chaulagain discusses the peace process in Nepal, the diverse actors, and the importance of engaging faith communities. He describes his collaboration with UN WOMEN and the crucial...
Background: The context for this discussion is preparation for a consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 10-11, 2011. The consultation is an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) and the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Henry R. Luce Foundation. Its aim is to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations that are, in varying...
Background: During this exchange with Michael Bodakowski and Katherine Marshall in November of 2010, Visaka Dharmadasa discusses her work to build sustainable peace in Sri Lanka. She recounts how she came to establish the organizations Parents of Servicemen Missing in Action and the Association of War Affected Women after her own son was declared missing-in-action. Describing the role of the Catholic Church in building bridges in Sri Lanka, Ms. Dharmadasa highlights the universal religious...
Background: The context for this discussion is preparation for a consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 10-11, 2011. The consultation is an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) and the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Henry R. Luce Foundation. Its aim is to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations that are, in varying...
Background: Thoraya Obaid and Katherine Marshall sat down to reflect on Dr. Obaid's engagement with faith actors during a UN staff workshop in Turin, Italy in November 2010. In addition to discussing the upcoming stages of her career, after she leaves UNFPA in December 2010, the conversation builds on earlier exchanges and explores both the positive and less enthralling aspects of Dr. Obaid's longstanding determination to actively take culture and religion into account in pursuing UNFPA's...
Background: In a conversation with Nathaniel Adams and Ethan Carroll on November 24, 2010, Adam Hutchinson, director of Prison Fellowship Cambodia (PFC), discusses his faith and current work in prison education and reintegration in Cambodia. Providing services in 25 prisons in partnership with 22 churches across the country, the PFC seeks to serve one of the neediest and most neglected populations in Cambodia by providing primary and secondary education, vocational and practical skills...
Background: Background: This discussion took place in preparation for a consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia, held in Dhaka, Bangladesh January 10-11, 2011. The consultation is an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) and the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Henry R. Luce Foundation. Its aim is to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations that are,...
Background: This discussion between Reverend Karpf and Katherine Marshall took place in Washington DC, soon after Ted Karpf retired from seven years at the World Health Organization in Geneva. The interview focuses on his extraordinary life journey, exploring his understanding of the church and his pastoral role. He describes his central role in the earliest understandings of the implications of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and how that led to his work on national and international public health...
Background: The context for this discussion is preparation for a consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia, held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 10-11, 2011. The consultation is an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) and the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Henry R. Luce Foundation. Its aim is to take stock of the wide range of ongoing development work by different organizations...
Background: Background: The context for this discussion is preparation for a consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia, held in Dhaka, Bangladesh January 10-11, 2011. The consultation is an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Henry R. Luce Foundation. Its aim is to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations that are,...
Background: The context for this discussion is preparation for a consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 10-11, 2011. The consultation is an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) and the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Henry R. Luce Foundation. Its aim is to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations that are, in varying...
Background: This discussion took place in preparation for a consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia, held in Dhaka, Bangladesh January 10-11, 2011. The consultation is an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) and the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Henry R. Luce Foundation. Its aim is to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations that are, in varying...
Background: This conversation between Venerable Hoeurn Somnieng and WFDD researchers Ethan Carroll and Nathaniel Adams took place at Wat Damnak in Siem Reap. Venerable Somnieng discusses the centrality of education and the role of the temple in inspiring meaningful social and political change, as well as the importance of vocational training for vulnerable women. He explains how the leadership at Wat Damnak has made the temple a more welcoming space for women, and shares his desire that...
Background: This conversation between Ethan Carroll, Prom Pauv and Pich Sovann took place at TASK's office in Mean Chey District, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. David Crooks, Tearfund International's Cambodia Country Representative, was also present. In this interview Prom, TASK Executive Director, and Pich, the Self-Reliance & Community Mobilization Program Coordinator, discuss the development of TASK's AIDS Homecare and orphan programs. Emphasizing the importance of partnership and building local...
Background: The context for this discussion is preparation for a consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia, held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 10-11, 2011. The consultation is an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) and the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Henry R. Luce Foundation. Its aim is to take stock of the wide range of ongoing development work by different organizations...
Background: Theary Seng, founder of the Cambodian Center for Justice and Reconciliation and an alumna of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, discusses her faith and her current work in reconciliation and civic education in Cambodia. Emphasizing the need for more creativity in disseminating the documentation and testimony from the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in ways that foster civic conversation, she describes her mission as transforming Cambodians from subjects' and survivors' into...
This conversation between Ted Olbrich and Ethan Carroll took place over three-and-a-half hours on August 30, 2010, and also includes information from a brief follow-up phone call. Pastor Olbrich discusses the structure of Foursquare Cambodia while conducting a tour of the Church's Phnom Penh training facility, contributing enlightening insights into Pentecostalism's approach to reaching the “poorest of the poor.” He also discusses his belief in the failures of “humanist...
Michael Scharff and Augustina Delaney met with Heng Monychenda and Mike Clarke in Battambang in October 2009, as part of WFDD's review of faith and development in Cambodia. Their discussion focused on what unique attributes Cambodian Buddhism offers for the development process, and, more specifically, on the origins and current work of Buddhism for Development (BFD, the organization that Monychenda founded and where Clarke serves as Management and Business Advisor). The text was finalized...
Background: This conversation between Phil Bowden and Sarah Chhin of International Cooperation Cambodia (ICC) and Katherine Marshall, Augustina Delaney, Michael Scharff, and Ethan Carroll of WFDD took place in August 2010 in Phnom Penh. The discussion focused on the legitimacy of and challenges facing orphanages in Cambodia, and on issues of donor coordination and roles of donors and NGOs. Both issues highlight the practical challenges in Cambodia today that surround the practice of...
This interview between Sarah Chhin and Augustina Delaney took place in October 2009 as part of the WFDD Cambodia country review of Cambodia; a further discussion with the WFDD team in August 2010 is also reflected. The interview focuses on the thorny issue of orphanages and programs to help children at risk, and more specifically, on the experience of Project Sky.
This discussion took place in Phnom Penh between Kim Vuth and Katherine Marshall in the context of WFDD's review of faith-inspired work in Cambodia. It focuses on Kim Vuth's work with Initiatives of Change and, more broadly, on different approaches of groups working on conflict resolution in Cambodia. He focuses on work addressing conflicts that are primarily about ethnicity, but describes how tightly ethnic, cultural, and religious identities are bound together. He reflects on the...
This discussion took place in Phnom Penh between Rev. Heng Cheng and Katherine Marshall, Augustina Delaney, and Ethan Carroll, in the context of WFDD's review of faith-inspired work in Cambodia. The interview focuses on Reverend Heng Cheng's work with the Evangelical Fellowship of Cambodia: from his assumption of the directorship of the organization in 1996, up to the organization's current role as the leading voice of the ecumenical community. Heng describes EFC's work on leadership...
This discussion between Venerable Yos Hut, Katherine Marshall, Augustina Delaney, and Ethan Carroll took place in Phnom Penh. Ven. Yos Hut makes a case for the centrality of Buddhist practice, particularly wisdom and compassion, for both promoting development and healing the wounds of Cambodia's past. He suggests that the Cambodian sangha should continue to improve its organizational capacity to promote development in a strategic way. He reflects on the trial and verdict of former S-21 warden...
This discussion between Agneta Dau Valler, Katherine Marshall, Augustina Delaney, and Ethan Carroll took place on July 30, 2010 in Phnom Penh. The interview highlights the work and role of Church World Service, Cambodia, on a wide range of issues: capacity building of local partner organizations; village-level development in Cambodia's poorest regions; disaster risk reduction; and work to support peace and reconciliation. Ms. Dau Valler explains how CWS puts programs together and invests in...
Background: This exchange reflects two separate discussions, the first in September 2009 with Augustina Delaney, and the second in July 2010 with Katherine Marshall and Ethan Carroll, both in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The context was primarily WFDD's review of development and religion in Cambodia, but the aim was also a broader exploration of issues of peacebuilding and women, peace, and development, and the evolution of the unique role of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). Ms. DeBoer...
This discussion between Shanti Sattler and Katherine Marshall took place on July 28, 2010 in Phnom Penh, and focused on the work and role of the International Center for Conciliation in Cambodia, where Ms. Sattler spent two years. In this interview, she discusses ICfC's approach to memories of history and conflict, how it got started in Cambodia, and what the Cambodian experience has taught. She describes the work on village dialogues, highlighting the depth of remaining tensions and the need...
Background: This exchange between Scilla Elworthy and Katherine Marshall took place in July, 2010 and traces Elworthy's multifaceted work over the years on women and peace. She began decades ago, sparked by a report she was asked to compile for UNESCO reviewing its contribution to the 1980 UN Mid Decade Conference on Women. She highlights the many threads that link work at the most global level, for example on nuclear disarmament, with actions at the local level, where women play prominent...
Background: This July 2010 exchange with Katherine Marshall took place outlines the origins of Amina Sasul-Bernardo’s work to bring Filipino Muslim women more visibly and centrally into peace work. She emphasizes that Southeast regional dimensions of this work have grown, highlighting the ways in which often invisible potential for social action can be transmitted into new domains. She explores why women, when given the opportunity and sound tools, can be the most effective peacebuilders.
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Background: This discussion between Bilkisu Yusuf and Thomas Bohnett took place on July 8, 2010 during the WFDD/USIP/Berkley Center symposium on women, religion, and peace. Yusuf recounts highlights from her career as a journalist in Nigeria, during which she frequently ran into government opposition against her coverage. She discusses the resurgence of Islam in Northern Nigeria and the deficits she sees in Islamic leadership in the region. Created with an Islamic perspective by Muslim women,...
Background: This exchange between Scott Appleby and Katherine Marshall in July, 2010 focused on the USIP/Berkley Center/WFDD review of women, religion, and peace but also on Appleby's longstanding work on peacebuilding and how religion is woven through it. Appleby's pleads for us to stick to the term peacebuilding (in contrast to peacemaking or conflict resolution): “Peace is never fully made, but always being built”. We need to avoid essentializing gender roles. Fragmentation of the subfield...
Background: As part of the Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding Fellowship, Consuelo Amat interviewed S. K. Maina, National Coordinator for Peacebuilding and Conflict Management (National Steering Committee) Secretariat at the Ministry of State for Provincial Administration Internal Security, in July, 2010. Mr. Maina describes the work of the Peacebuilding and Conflict Management Secretariat and its efforts (summer 2010) activities to prevent violence around the constitutional referendum....
Background: This June 2010 conversation between Maryann Cusimano Love and Susan Hayward focuses on Maryann's academic work in seeking to bridge the U.S. Government and organizations within the international relations field that have often failed to engage “religious actors and factors” with faith-based organizations and communities that are involved in peacebuilding and development. Though religious groups are not powerful economic actors, they have significant clout with grassroots networks...
Background: This July 2010 discussion between Afeefa Syeed and Katherine Marshall focuses on Afeefa's pioneering role within USAID and her rich experience there. She highlights the importance of listening to what communities want and driving programs from that perspective. Women are natural peacemakers, she argues, across many regions, from family to community to regional levels, sought out in conflicts because of their skills and approach. She also speaks to the active roles of youth, many...
Background: This exchange between Ginny Bouvier and Susan Hayward on July 2, 2010 focuses on Bouvier’s experience growing up within the Catholic Church, her exposure to liberation theology, and her growing commitment to issues of human rights and gender in Latin America. She emphasizes ways in which women have used and defied gender expectations to seek justice and to form bonds of solidarity. Women in the Catholic Church in Latin America have distinctive experiences that arise from the...
Background: This July 2010 discussion between Filiz Odabas-Geldiay and Katherine Marshall was in preparation for the USIP/Berkley Center/WFDD review of women, religion, and peace. Filiz traces her path to her present roles, which took her from Istanbul, Turkey, to many places and professional challenges, and highlights her commitment to the humanistic approach of His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Support for women is integral to his approach and thus his movement. That approach to peace is...
Background: This discussion (on June 30, 2010) focuses on the Women PeaceMakers Program at the University of San Diego, which Dr. Aker created and directs. It involves intensive efforts to document and share the work of women from all world regions who are practitioners working for peace. While religion is not an explicit element of the program, Aker observes that very different world religions often provide a common unifying thread among the women and many cite the personal inspiration of...
Background: In this June 2010 exchange with Katherine Marshall, Karen Torjesen reflects on the evolution of her intellectual interest in religious history towards a focus on the role of women in the early church. That interest in religion and its gender dimensions paralleled a growing interest in women's studies. The two threads found themselves united in the development of Claremont's interreligious studies program and rooted in the social realities of the Los Angeles community. Her focus...
Background: In this June 2010 telephone discussion between Elana Rozenman and Katherine Marshall Rozenman outlines her work through Trust-Emun, the NGO she co-founded. It brings together women from different religious communities in Israel and Palestine, so that they can understand each other and work for peace in Israel and the Middle East. Rozenman highlights the strengths that women bring, including their focus on family and community, and the inclusiveness and trust that is involved in...
Background: This June, 2010 discussion between Ashima Kaul and Katherine Marshall reflects above all on women’s roles in the Kashmir conflict and how religion is involved. Ms. Kaul tells how she reengaged in Kashmir after 1995, (born there, she left as a child). She was drawn by her insight that women's stories were absent in media coverage of conflict there. She realized that fundamental changes in how Kashmiris saw themselves were related to changes in Kashmiri Islam. Positive change is...
Background: This June, 2010 discussion between Marilyn McMorrow and Katherine Marshall focuses on her career and the factors that motivate her mission, and her keen interest in justice and peace. McMorrow describes the path that has led her to focus on education and global ethics. She notes that her religious order, which is above all focused on education, has been actively engaged in movements for peace. She argues that conflicts worldwide are often fueled by religion or religious...
Background:
"It is not what the mind knows; it is what the heart knows that changes the world."
“Women are the boldest and most unmanageable of revolutionaries.”
This exchange with Katherine Marshall (in June, 2010) explores Sister Joan's path to her present work. Her focus on peace processes and the women’s movement stems from her Benedictine faith; Benedictines, she explains, strive for stability, which goes hand in hand with peace. Her most urgent call is to include women in policy processes...
"It is not what the mind knows; it is what the heart knows that changes the world."
“Women are the boldest and most unmanageable of revolutionaries.”
This exchange with Katherine Marshall (in June, 2010) explores Sister Joan's path to her present work. Her focus on peace processes and the women’s movement stems from her Benedictine faith; Benedictines, she explains, strive for stability, which goes hand in hand with peace. Her most urgent call is to include women in policy processes...
Background: This exchange in June, 2010 between Mari Fitzduff and Susan Hayward focuses on her experiences living and working in Northern Ireland. She highlights the importance of space for ecumenical engagement across sectarian barriers in moving towards resolution of that long-standing conflict and the important roles of women in building coexistence. One specific contribution was women’s roles in the push for integrated schools in Northern Ireland, with nuns, especially, taking a leading...
Background: This exchange between Mohammed Abu-Nimer and Susan Hayward on June 13, 2010 focused on his experience as a participant and facilitator in a range of interfaith dialogue in the Middle East and beyond. Believing in dialogue as a tool for social change, Abu-Nimer works to leverage the dialogue process as a tool for political action and impact. He highlights the limiting factors for organizations working in the Israel-Palestine conflict: many organizations have feared having the “...
Background: This June 2010 discussion between Andrea Blanch and Katherine Marshall focuses on Dr. Blanch's work as a supporter and partner in the Women Reborn Project in Israel. The project centers on the Palestinian village of Fureidis and is a remarkably successful example of women’s empowerment that starts with leadership and has engaged a wide range of partners, including secular women’s organizations and both Muslims and Jews. Blanch highlights the importance of a path that women...
Background: This June 2010 exchange between Qamar-ul Huda and Susan Hayward focuses on Huda’s experiences as a Pakistani-American, which led him into the field of Islamic peacemaking, and his work for USIP in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Background: This June 2010 exchange between Kathleen Kuehnast and Susan Hayward focuses on Kathleen's experiences working in Northern Ireland and in Kyrgyzstan, which in turn led her into the field of conflict resolution, with a particular focus on gender dynamics in conflict. Kathleen presses for religion to be better understood and examined as it relates to gender dynamics in conflict and peace.
Background: This June 2010 exchange between Manal Omar and Susan Hayward highlights Omar’s experiences and insights into religion and its intersection with women's empowerment, development, and peacemaking, particularly with respect to Muslim women in the Middle East. She speaks to the challenges she herself faces as a spiritually devout Muslim woman operating in an often secular-biased development field, and she emphasizes the need to build relationships between secular and religious women.
Background: In this exchange between Joyce Dubensky and Katherine Marshall in June, 2010, Ms. Dubensky highlights Tanenbaum's longstanding efforts to fill gaps in awareness and understanding of women's important roles in peace processes. She stresses the deeply entrenched societal patterns of bias which deflect this understanding, and her ideas for changing the situation. Much of her work at Tanenbaum has been dedicated to finding those women practitioners who were placing themselves at risk...
Background: In this telephone discussion between Dekha Ibrahim and Katherine Marshall in May, 2010, Ms. Ibrahim recounts how she first began to work on peace issues in northern Kenya and how her ideas and organizational base developed over time. As a teacher and educator, she focused her efforts on pastoral education, recognizing the limits of the traditional workday and traditional school day. She had to adapt and meet people when and where she could. At first, she and her colleagues went in...
Background: This exchange in May 2010 between Sister Denise, Michael Bodakowski, and Katherine Marshall explores issues that link women, religion, and peace. Sister Denise reflects on her more than twenty years working in Cambodia and how her faith and her sense of justice motivate her work from start to finish. She highlights the challenges facing people with disabilities, of post-conflict reconciliation, and rebuilding trust. At Jesuit Refugee Service programs, the people seeking aid are...
Background: This May 2010 telephone discussion with Katherine Marshall focuses on Ogega’s work to support and develop the Religions for Peace Women of Faith network and her ongoing research in Kenya. That research investigates roles women of faith have played as peacebuilders in the ethnic conflicts among the Gusii and Masaai. Her analysis builds from the argument that women's multifaceted roles are important and often invisible, underplayed, or ignored. She sees peacebuilding as extending...
Background: This May 2010 discussion between Marc Gopin and Katherine Marshall focused first on Marc Gopin's positive and varied experience of working with women engaged in peace work in many places and of diverse natures. Women's capacity to focus on relationships and on sticking to goals is one reason for their success in many areas. Women led efforts seem to have fared relatively well in the catastrophe of the economic downturn, a testimony to their pragmatism and stamina. A key to...
A Discussion with Ayse Kadayifci-Orellana, Associate Director, Salaam Institute, American University
May 18, 2010
Background: This May 2010 exchange between Ayse Kadayifci-Orellana and Susan Hayward focuses on Dr. Kadayifci-Orellan's experience leading workshops on Islamic peacemaking in the Middle East, and her observations of women's roles, absences, and strengths for peacemaking. She also reflects on the challenges women religious peacemakers face, and gulfs that separate secular and religious women working for empowerment and peace.
Background: This June, 2010 discussion between David Smock and Susan Hayward focuses on David's experiences in international development and as a Christian minister that led him to work in the field of religious peacemaking. Smock speaks about his religious peacemaking work and the ways in which women have often been excluded from that work.
Background: This discussion between Ela Bhatt and Katherine Marshall took place in Tokyo in May 2010, as Ela Bhatt celebrated her award of the prestigious Niwano Peace Prize. Ela Bhatt worked with colleagues to found the Self Employed Women’s Association, with the aim of documenting, validating, and monetizing women’s contributions to the workforce and the economy. She has long worked to effect change through political action. The discussion reflects on Ela Bhatt's career and explores how she...
Background: This May 2010 telephone exchange between Kathryn Poethig and Katherine Marshall explores Dr. Poethig's academic and professional experience with women's struggles for social justice and peace, particularly in the Philippines and Cambodia. She urges a particular focus on the role and efficacy of networks in both religious and non-religious contexts. Noting that the gulfs between secular and religious tend to be less pronounced outside the United States and Europe, she sees...
Background: This June, 2010 exchange between Susan Hayward and Katherine Marshall focuses on experiences that have inspired Susan Hayward to press for more purposeful exploration of the issues of women, religion, and peace, notably drawing on her work in Colombia, Sri Lanka, and Iraq. She highlights her growing concern about the sidelined roles of women in work for peace and the need to turn women’s issues into a central, not a peripheral concern. Instead of favoring the plans and agendas of...
Background: This discussion with Emma Leslie took place in two parts, with two distinct areas of focus. A September 2009 discussion with Michael Scharff and Augustina Delanney was part of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) review of faith-inspired organizations' work in Cambodia and thus focused on how faith influences development action and thinking in Cambodia. The second, May 2010, discussion with Katherine Marshall and Susan Hayward, focused on women, religion, and peace. The...
Background: This exchange with Azza Karam was part of preparatory work for a WFDD/Berkley Center/USIP conference on women, religion, and peace on July 7-8, 2010. Ms. Karam and Katherine Marshall spoke by telephone on April 6, 2010 in preparation for the interview conducted on April 29, 2010. The discussion focuses on Ms. Karam's experience in building networks of women involved in peace, and her ongoing research on the topic. Her interest in the topic stems both from her lifelong commitment...
Background: This exchange, in April, 2010, between Marie Dennis and Katherine Marshall focuses on the different ways in which Ms. Dennis has engaged on issues of peace and justice in areas stretching from personal lifestyle to global issues. She discusses her own efforts to link her growing commitment to social justice to her family's lifestyle. Her role with the Maryknoll Global Concerns office brings to light many dimensions of women's roles as those who suffer in conflicts, especially at...
Background: This discussion was part of a WFDD investigation of connections between faith and agriculture. Dr. Barrett Brenton spoke by phone with Katherine Marshall and Thomas Bohnett on April 28, 2010 about controversies around agricultural technology adoption in sub-Saharan Africa, especially as they relate to religious beliefs and the advocacy of religious leaders in the region. Dr. Brenton began by talking about his background in agricultural/nutritional anthropology and policy,which...
Background: This conversation between Luis Arancibia and Lillie Marshall is part of a series of explorations by the Berkley Center and World Faith Development Dialogue (WFDD) looking at how leaders perceive the interconnections of development work and religion. WFDD has a long-standing relationship with Fe y Alegria and with the Centro Magis, which has worked as a Fe y Alegria partner. The European and Spanish perspectives on Fe y Alegria have, however, been little explored. In this...
Background: This telephone conversation between Robin Denney, Katherine Marshall, Thomas Bohnett, and Hahna Fridirici took place on April 16, 2010, as part of a World Faiths Development Dialogue investigation of connections between faith and agriculture. Ms. Denney grew up on a farm and was trained as an agronomist, then decided to work as an Episcopal missionary. She worked in Liberia, and is currently based in Juba, in the southern Sudan. She describes the difficult challenges but also the...
Background: Agnes Appiah is a true social entrepreneur with a passion and mission to help neglected and marginalized children. This discussion took place between Ms. Appiah and Lillian Marshall in Sogakope, Volta Region, Ghana on March 21, 2010 as part of the World Faith Development Dialogue's exploration of how religion and development work intersect in Ghana. In this interview, Ms. Appiah, who has created an independent school and residential home focused on needy and orphaned children,...
Background: This May 2010 exchange between Dena Merriam and Katherine Marshall highlights Ms. Merriam’s pioneering work in creating a Global Initiative for women that centers on women. She recounts how she has come to see women's spiritual voices as critical to global peace, and why their voices and the agendas and energy they reflect result in differences in approach and outcome. Her initiative has taken shape over the past decade, born of the glaring gap in women's roles at the pivotal...
Background: Etienne De Jonghe's career has focused on working for world peace. He was Secretary General of Pax Christi International for nearly 30 years. (Pax Christi is a Catholic international peace movement, autonomous with respect to church authorities with a very strong lay input. Its international secretariat is currently located in Brussels.) In the first part of the interview, De Jonghe reflects on the evolution of Pax Christi over the years and his role in guiding and shaping the...
Background: In this April 2010 telephone and email exchange with Katherine Marshall, Wendy Tyndale recalls how she came to be engaged with the start-up of the World Faiths Development Dialogue in 1998 and reflects on the experiences, especially in Central America, that inspired her interest in issues for women’s roles in peace. Over her long career as a journalist and leader in Christian Aid, Tyndale was often and deeply exposed to conflict situations, especially in Central America. Mayans...
A Discussion with Reverend Wisdom Shelter Ameku, Executive Director, Good News for Africa Ministries
Background: In the following discussion, which took place between Reverend Ameku and Lillie Marshall in Ghana, the Reverend recounts his life and explores his personal motivation for entrepreneurial advocacy work. He also shares his vision of its purpose and direction and sketches the partnership arrangements that allow his work to advance. The interview was conducted at the First Baptist Preparatory School and Orphanage in Aflao, Ghana where Reverend Ameku is currently the Executive...
Background: This discussion between Milton Amayun and Katherine Marshall recounts Dr. Amayun's extraordinary career in international public health that is continuously and across many dimensions inspired by Christian faith. Dr. Amayun was trained in medicine in Manila, Philippines and later received his Master's degree in public health from Harvard University. He has just taken up a position directing USAID's public health programs in Benin, after a career largely spent working for World...
Background: As part of the Foreign Policy Practitioners Interview Series, Dr. Thomas Farr interviewed Elliott Abrams, former member and Chairman of United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and current Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations Washington Office. In this interview, Abrams speaks about how his professional and religious experience led to his involvement with the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. Additionally,...
Background: John Borelli currently serves as Special Assistant for Interreligious Initiatives to Dr. John J. DeGioia, President of Georgetown University. He earned his Ph.D. from Fordham University and has served more than 16 years as associate director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (1987-2003) and as a consulter to the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (1991-2007). He serves as National Coordinator for...
Background:This telephone conversation between Robert Paarlberg, Katherine Marshall, Thomas Bohnett, Claudia Zambra, and Hahna Fridirici took place on January 27, 2010 as part of a review of links between agriculture and faith undertaken by the World Faiths Development Dialogue, in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The discussion focuses on the GMO debates, with special reference to Africa. Paarlberg situates the debate within a larger and polarized debate about “Green...
Background: New social media plays an increasingly relevant role in the promotion of intercultural and interreligious dialogue through platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The Berkley Center Undergraduate Fellows report "Bridging Babel: New Social Media and Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue" examines how new social media fosters a vibrant exchange of ideas and advances knowledge and collaboration in our increasingly diverse world. This interview with Leo Brunnick, the...
Background: New social media plays an increasingly relevant role in the promotion of intercultural and interreligious dialogue through platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The Berkley Center Undergraduate Fellows report "Bridging Babel: New Social Media and Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue" examines how new social media fosters a vibrant exchange of ideas and advances knowledge and collaboration in our increasingly diverse world. This interview with Simon Cohen, founder and...
Background: New social media plays an increasingly relevant role in the promotion of intercultural and interreligious dialogue through platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The Berkley Center Undergraduate Fellows report "Bridging Babel: New Social Media and Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue" examines how new social media fosters a vibrant exchange of ideas and advances knowledge and collaboration in our increasingly diverse world. This interview with Matt Armstrong of...
Background: Sulak Sivaraksa prides himself on the labels people put on him: intellectual, troublemaker, engaged Buddhist, and activist. He was one of the earliest religious leaders to engage in the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), and has been a supporter and adviser since the first encounters in 1998. Based in Bangkok, his message carries widely, especially, but not exclusively, in Asia. He addresses many dimensions of development, from its core rationale to specific topics like dam...
Background: This discussion took place over telephone between Father Gabriel Je and Michael Bodakowski as part of preparation for a consultation on "Global Development and Faith-inspired Organizations in Southeast Asia" held December 14-15, 2009 in Phnom Penh. In this interview, Father Je speaks about his development work in Cambodia, his focus on the disabled, the importance of education, and the inspiration that faith provides to work for the poor. Father Je discusses the recent influx of...
Background: The context for this discussion is preparation for a consultation on faith and development in Southeast Asia, held in Phnom Penh Cambodia December 14-15 2009. The consultation was an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Luce Foundation, and the University of Cambodia. Its aim was to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations...
Background: The context for this discussion is preparation for a consultation on faith and development in Southeast Asia, held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on December 14-15, 2009. The consultation was an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Luce Foundation, and the University of Cambodia. It aimed to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations...
Background note: The context for this discussion was preparation for a consultation on faith and development in Asia held in Phnom Penh Cambodia December 14-15, 2009. The consultation is an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) and the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Luce Foundation. The event aimed to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations that are, in varying ways,...
Background: This discussion took place in preparation for a consultation on faith and development in Southeast Asia, held in Phnom Penh Cambodia December 14-15 2009. The consultation was an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Luce Foundation, and the University of Cambodia. Its aim was to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations that...
Background: This discussion between Dr. Gene Reeves and Katherine Marshall took place in Tokyo as part of preparatory work for a December 2009 conference organized by the Berkley Center and WFDD on "Global Development and Faith-Inspired Organizations in Southeast Asia." In the interview, Dr. Reeves explores the origins and contemporary face of socially engaged Buddhism in Japan and throughout Asia, highlighting the significance of the concept of harmony to the Buddhist approach to social...
Background: Gunnar Stålsett pursues world peace through many routes and he is a leading global advocate for international development and for engaging religious communities on social justice and solidarity issues. In this interview he speaks about his long and varied career, above all through this lens of peace and social justice.
Background: The context for this discussion was in preparation for a consultation on faith and development in Asia held in Phnom Penh Cambodia December 14-15 2009. It was an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Luce Foundation, and the University of Cambodia. The event took stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations that are, in varying ways,...
Background: The context for this discussion is preparation for a consultation on faith and development in Southeast Asia, held in Phnom Penh Cambodia December 14-15 2009. The consultation was an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Luce Foundation, and the University of Cambodia. Its aim was to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations...
Background: This discussion took place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on November 23, 2009 between H.E. Nhek Buntha, Augustina Delaney, and Michael Scharff. It was conducted in preparation for a consultation on faith and development in Southeast Asia held in Phnom Penh Cambodia on December 14-15. In this discussion, Her Excellency speaks about the role of morality in Cambodian society, its historical roots, and its importance for development. The Khmer Rouge regime, as she notes from her personal...
Background: The context for this discussion is preparation for a consultation on faith and development in Southeast Asia, held in Phnom Penh Cambodia December 14-15, 2009. The consultation was an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Luce Foundation and the University of Cambodia. Its aim was to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations...
Background: This discussion took place as part of preparations for a consultation on faith and development in Southeast Asia, held in Phnom Penh Cambodia December 14-15 2009. The consultation was an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Luce Foundation, and the University of Cambodia. Its aim was to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different...
Background: This discussion took place as part of preparations for a consultation on faith and development in Southeast Asia, held in Phnom Penh Cambodia December 14-15 2009. The consultation was an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Luce Foundation, and the University of Cambodia. It took stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations that are,...
Background: This discussion took place in preparation for a consultation on faith and development in Asia held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on December 14-15, 2009, an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) and the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Luce Foundation. Its aim was to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations that are, in varying ways, inspired by religious faith; but...
Background: This discussion took place as part of preparations for a consultation on faith and development in Southeast Asia, held in Phnom Penh Cambodia December 14-15 2009. The consultation, an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Luce Foundation, and the University of Cambodia, took stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations that are, in...
Background: This discussion took place as part of preparations for a consultation on faith and development in Southeast Asia, held December 14-15 2009 in Phnom Penh. The interview was conducted by telephone between Heng Monychenda and Michael Bodakowski. Heng Monychenda, Director of Buddhism for Development, works to bridge the teachings of engaged Buddhism with development, contributing his personal understanding of the Cambodian context, the training he received at Harvard University, and...
Background: This discussion took place as part of preparations for a consultation on faith and development in Southeast Asia, held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on December 14-15, 2009. The consultation was an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Luce Foundation, and the University of Cambodia. Its aim was to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different...
Background: This conversation (by telephone) between Gerrie Ter Haar and Katherine Marshall and Thomas Bohnett, formed part of preparations for a World Faiths Development Dialogue-sponsored consultation held at Georgetown University on links between faith and agriculture on November 13, 2009. Gerrie Ter Haar explores and illustrates her core argument that understanding traditional beliefs and practices is vital to understanding attitudes and behaviors, including in agriculture. Areas of...
Background note: This discussion complements the parallel exploration with Professor Steinberg about broad faith roles and issues across Asia. Both were part of preparatory work for the December 2009 Phnom Penh consultation. Here, the focus is Myanmar/Burma and the roles of religions in that context. The conversation took place at Georgetown University between David Steinberg and Michael Bodakowski. Dr. Steinberg reflects on the role of Buddhism in Burmese society, its influence across both...
Background: This discussion, on November 5, 2009, between Michael Bodakowski and Joan Anderson, focuses on the work and philosophy that informs SGI's rather unique approach and role in different societies and its central focus on peace. The fundamental flaw with development programs, Anderson argues, is that they improve tangible situations without improving the morale and confidence of the people in that situation. Without addressing the latter, monetary and infrastructure changes will see...
Background:This exchange with Augustina Delaney in Phnom Penh was part of a WFDD review of development and faith in Cambodia; it was supplemented by an email exchange with Katherine Marshall. The interview focuses on the history and evolution of KEAP's work in Cambodia and its role in helping to restore the Buddhist culture and institutions after the Khmer Rouge period. More broadly, it explores the continuing challenges to Cambodia's Buddhism as it is confronted by both politics and...
Background: In 1999 Robert A. Seiple became the first US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom (IRF). Responsible for establishing the new post within the Department of State, Seiple and the IRF initiative were not always eagerly received at home or abroad. Interviewed by the Berkley Center's Thomas Farr on October 28, 2009, Seiple muses about how his Christian beliefs and life experiences prepared him for this job, why he took it, how it challenged him personally and...
Background: Bernard Liese has focused over a long career on global public health issues. In this discussion the focus is on tuberculosis but reaches beyond to broader issues of international engagement on priority public health. He describes the “rediscovery” of tuberculosis in the 1980s and 1990s, as it had largely disappeared from view in wealthier countries. New challenges include: powerful evidence of high TB HIV/AIDS co-infection and drug resistant TB. The remarkable performance of the...
Background: This conversation between Andrew Natsios, Katherine Marshall, and Thomas Bohnett was conducted in advance of a World Faiths Development Dialogue-sponsored consultation held at Georgetown University on links between faith and agriculture on November 13, 2009. Natsios highlights the central role of churches and mosques (far beyond NGOs) in providing basic social services, extending to road building and irrigation planning. He argues strongly in favor of engaging religious leaders...
Background: Augustina Delaney and Michael Scharff met Father Kike in Battambang on October 15, 2009, as part of the World Faith Development Dialogue's review of development and faith in Cambodia. The interview was updated in September 2010 by Katherine Marshall, in an email exchange with Father Kike. The discussion explores the links between faith and works in Battambang. Father Kike touches on tensions between the Catholic and Protestant communities in Battambang, Buddhist-Catholic...
Background: Homa Sabet Tavangar's new book, Growing up Global: Raising Children to Be At Home in the World, explores imperatives and opportunities that go with living in today's plural societies. Her multi-faith and international background inspired her to research and write the book. The special challenges of applying principles of human rights at the level of child-rearing are the focus of this interview, as are the broader implications of Homa's experience and insights, including her...
Background: This conversation between Emmy Simmons, Katherine Marshall, and Thomas Bohnett was conducted in advance of a WFDD-sponsored consultation on links between faith and agriculture. The interview was updated by email in March 2011. Ms. Simmons discusses U.S. food aid policy and the various faith links to agriculture, observing that in her experience many faith groups shy away from both land and gender issues, but are more involved in biotechnology issues, including GMOs. Involvement of...
Background: Cornelio Sommaruga held many leadership posts over a long career, including in the Swiss Diplomatic Service, president of the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), and President of Initiatives of Change (IofC). Since his formal retirement from the ICRC in 1999, he has headed numerous nongovernmental organizations and undertaken several public service tasks. In this interview, he reflects on his career and above all questions how, across his different challenges,...
Background note: The context for this discussion was preparation for a consultation on faith and development in Southeast Asia, held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on December 14-15 2009. The consultation was an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Luce Foundation, and the University of Cambodia. Its aim was to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different...
Background: Frank Dimmock is a health consultant focused on Southern and East Africa, working, currently from Lesotho, with the Christian Health Association. With an MPH degree in epidemiology and tropical medicine, he has directed his work towards health issues and vulnerable children. In this discussion, Mr. Dimmock talks about the development of Christian health facilities and his path to working to support their evolving roles in contemporary Africa. More broadly, his central interest is...
You have long been a vocal leader within the Catholic Church, and among religious leaders more broadly, on humanitarian and development issues. How did you come to those concerns?
It's hard to know where to start. I think perhaps there were two things that in a very special way brought me to this kind of a life. The first was the vocation that I found in the priesthood, because the priesthood is a life that hopefully demands that you look out for the poor, the handicapped, the stranger, and...
Background: Dr. Gerlinda Lucas is serving in Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE as Deputy Director of Administration. Her main role is monitoring and evaluating the HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria program of the hospital that is funded by Global Fund. She also took part in launching a community outreach project through a mobile clinic, currently providing basic primary health care and health education to most depressed area in Phnom Penh. In the past, Dr. Lucas served as Medical Project Supervisor in...
Background: Dr. Kim Hourn Kao was born in Cambodia and educated in the United States. He received his B.A. in Asian Studies from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. After completing his B.A., Kao went on to earn masters in International Affairs and Political Science, as well as earning a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Hawaii. As a scholar and a diplomat, he has made various important contributions to both Cambodia and ASEAN. Kao is the president and founder of the University...
Background: Helen Sworn is Director and Founder of Chab Dai Coalition in Cambodia and has been working in the field of counter trafficking and abuse since 1999. Helen's training was in Business Administration and Communication before entering the Corporate Sector where she worked in various management positions for 8 years before attending Bible College where she studied theology, anthropology and basic counseling. Helen has lived in Cambodia with her family for over ten years and has worked...
Background:This conversation in July 2009 between Paul Zintl, Katherine Marshall, and Thomas Bohnett was part of a Berkley Center review of tuberculosis and particularly roles that faith communities and institutions might play. It was completed and updated by email in August/September 2010. In the interview, Dr. Zintl highlights the inspiration of a Catholic priest in Peru, Dr. Jack Roussin, as the origin of PIH's revolutionary TB work. He stresses the strong links between poverty and...
Background: Agnes Abuom is a leading figure within African ecumenical circles and, increasingly, within global faith institutions. This discussion between Dr. Abuom, Katherine Marshall, and Thomas Bohnett took place in Accra, Ghana, on July 3, 2009 and highlights Dr. Abuom's experiences with political, ecumenical, and peace movements. She recounts her early years growing up in Kenya and her “faith biography.” Involved from her girlhood in both religion and politics, by the late 1990s she was...
Background: Since 2001, Patrick Reese has managed humanitarian services for the Latter-day Saint Charities (LDSC). LDSC is the official humanitarian service agency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and it supports more than 500 private voluntary organizations, community agencies, and churches in providing education, job training, and other development services. Reese began his career with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the mid-1970s as an instructor in...
Background: In this discussion, which took place on June 14, 2009 as part of the Berkley Center's series on Practitioners and Faith-Inspired Development, Katherine Marshall sat down with Aicha Ech-Channa to discuss the stigma unmarried girls in Morocco face and what she does to change the situation. Winner of the $1 million Opus Prize in 2009, Ech-Channa has worked for five decades to help unmarried women with children in Casablanca, Morocco.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed Emmanuel Dele, who joined RECONCILE International as Base Manager in Yei, Sudan in August 2006. In this interview, Dele shares his story and how it has led him to where he is today, specifically commenting on how his religious-based organization functions. He also discusses the role of churches in reconciliation, and contemporary challenges to such efforts.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed Raphael Soloman Sabun, who joined RECONCILE International in 2007 and currently serves as the Peace Building and Civic Education Coordinator. In this interview, Sabun speaks about his experiences with reconciliation and how his background led him to engage in his current work. Sabun also discusses the role of churches in contemporary Southern Sudan.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed Rev. Cosmas Gwagwe, who has served as the pastor of St. Paul Parish in Yei, Sudan for the last thirteen years, which includes ministering in the bush during the civil war that ended in 2005. In this interview, Gwagwe shares his opinion on how reconciliation and development are inter-connected in Sudan. He also discusses the role of the New Sudan Council of Churches in promoting grassroots...
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed James Zindo, who currently serves as the Publishing Officer for Across in Yei, Sudan. In this interview, Zindo talks about the challenges his organization has faced in reconciliation and peace building, sharing from his personal experiences working with Across in Nairobi. He also discusses Across's role in providing Christian literature to southern Sudan during the conflict.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed Rev. Arkanjelo Wani Lemi, who currently serves as a pastor of the African Inland Church of Yei, Sudan. In this interview, Arkanjelo speaks about the challenges of reconciliation in Africa and his work with various relief and development organizations. He also discusses the multi-ethnic nature of the African Inland Church Sudan.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed Moses Emmanuel Mawa and Justin Charles Towonyo, Youth Ministers of the Pentecostal Church of Yei, Sudan. In this interview Mawa and Towonyo discuss their outreach work with local youth, challenges to reconciliation, and the region's need for education.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed Peter Martin Bakata, who joined RECONCILE International in July 2007 and currently serves as a Psychosocial Training Officer. In this interview, Bakata speaks about the importance of sharing information and knowledge transfer across international borders. He also discusses challenges to reconciliation in the region.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed Emmanuel Sebit, S.J., who was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Church in 2002 and runs a civic education program and an HIV/AIDS awareness program. In this interview, Sebit provides a Catholic view on the challenges of reconciliation in Yei. He also discusses the role of the Catholic Church in promoting peace during the decades-long conflict.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed Isaac Moro, who joined RECONCILE International in 2008 and currently serves as the Head Librarian in the newly constructed library and resource center at the RECONCILE offices in Yei, Sudan. In this interview, Moro speaks about his personal story and shares his hopes and vision for his work with RECONCILE International. He also highlights challenges posed by corruption, tribalism, and lack of...
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed Emmanuel Cathedral Committee: Very Rev. Uriah Jakoyo; Curator Richard Ali Sworo; and Secretary Juan Margaret. In this interview they discuss the role of the cathedral as a gathering place and catalyst for development work. The committee members also discuss ongoing challenges to reconciliation in the region.
A Discussion with Cosmas Martin Abugo, Administrator for the RECONCILE Peace Institute in Yei, Sudan
May 28, 2009
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed Cosmas Martin Abugo, who currently serves as Administrator for the RECONCILE Peace Institute. In this interview, Abugo speaks to the challenges that Southern Sudan currently faces, projecting how this situation will change in the future and sharing what type of work RECONCILE International has been doing to move toward a better future. He also specifically highlights reconciliation practices...
A Discussion with Titos Macie of the CCM on the role of the CCM in Mozambique’s Transitional History
May 28, 2009
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Ilan Cooper interviewed Titos Macie, who has worked for the Christian Council of Mozambique (CCM) since 1987. In this interview, Macie speaks about the specific challenges faced in Mozambique with reconciliation. He also discusses the historical role of religious communities in Mozambican society.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Ilan Cooper interviewed Abdul Sau, who is the Vice President of the Islamic Council of Mozambique and on the electoral observancy commission of Mozambique as a coordinator of the Technical Board. In this interview, he shares his opinions on how religion has played a role in determining key political outcomes in Mozambique. He specifically addresses education as an area of potential cooperation between the government and...
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Ilan Cooper interviewed Aida Muhai, who is a social worker by profession. She now works as the programs coordinator for Organizacao para a Resulucao de Conflictos (OREC). In this interview, she shares her opinion on the role of religion in resolving the conflicts within Mozambique and shaping democracy there after the civil war.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed a representative of the Protestant Council of Rwanda. In this interview the representative discusses how the council is helping churches engage in reconciliation, including facilitating collaboration with other religious and secular groups. The representative also highlight challenge to reconciliation and priorities for the future.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Ilan Cooper interviewed Bishop Dinis Singulane, who is an Anglican Bishop in the Maputo region of Mozambique and author of Victory Without Losers. In this interview, Singulane shares his opinion on the role of religion in times of conflict and in influencing political outcomes. He also points out specific conditions that should guide government's interaction with religious communities.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed Emmanuel Murangira, who has served as the Representative of Tearfund for Rwanda and Burundi since 2008. In this interview, Murangira shares his story, explains how reconciliation has worked in Rwanda, and offers his opinion on the future of Rwanda. He also discusses particular challenges to promoting reconciliation in the country.
A Discussion with Kazuyuki Sasaki, Planning and Development Officer for REACH Organisation in Rwanda
May 25, 2009
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed Kazuyuki Sasaki, a Japanese expatriate living in Rwanda since 2005, who is currently the Planning and Development Officer for REACH Organization in Rwanda. In this interview, Sasaki speaks about REACH's work in Rwanda promoting restorative justice. He also discusses how his previous career in development work piqued his interest in reconciliation and peacebuilding.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed Rev. Philbert Kalisa, an ordained minister of the Anglican Church, who is the founder and director of REACH Organisation in Rwanda. In this interview, Kalisa comments on his role within REACH and shares his opinion on how the work of the organization has been carried out thus far. He also discusses the role of churches in promoting reconciliation in Rwanda today.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed Sheikh Saleh Habimana, who has served as the head Mufti of Rwanda since 2001. In this interview, Sheikh Habimana shares information about the Islamic community's involvement in working toward reconciliation in Rwanda. He also discusses the historical relationship between the Christian and Muslim communities.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed Sammy Kalisa, who serves as a Project Manager for Rwandans Allied for Peace and Progress (RAPP). In this interview, Kalisa provides his opinion on what more needs to be done to complete the reconciliation process in Rwanda. He also discusses what Rwandans can learn from their history.
The Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE in Cambodia does remarkable work and HOPE worldwide prides itself on managing and “growing” this enterprise. How did you get started?
The hospital, which will very soon (a matter of weeks) care for its one millionth patient, is a triumph of interfaith cooperation and partnership. The project came about and has developed through the cooperation of a Jewish journalist, a Japanese spiritual entrepreneur, and a Christian world development organization, working...
The hospital, which will very soon (a matter of weeks) care for its one millionth patient, is a triumph of interfaith cooperation and partnership. The project came about and has developed through the cooperation of a Jewish journalist, a Japanese spiritual entrepreneur, and a Christian world development organization, working...
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Ilan Cooper interviewed Fanie du Toit, who is currently the executive director of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation and is heavily involved in trying to assess the possible sources of reconciliation in South Africa. In this interview, he shares his projections for the future roles of religious organizations in South Africa. He also reviews the history of the Dutch Reformed Church during the apartheid era.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Dr. Eric Patterson interviewed Fatuma Ndangiza, who was appointed to the position of Executive Secretary for the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) in 2002. In this interview, Ndangiza speaks about her work with NURC and the role she sees it playing in reconciliation efforts in the future. She particularly reviews what focus groups identified as key causes of the conflict in Rwanda.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Ilan Cooper interviewed Reverend Gordon Oliver, who currently serves as chairman of the Cape Town Interfaith Initiative. In this interview, Oliver speaks about the role of religious actors in the political development of South Africa, especially during the transition period towards a more inclusive democratic system.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Ilan Cooper interviewed Sharon February, who is the Program Administrator for the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) and a member of the Anglican Church of South Africa. In this interview, February speaks about the role of the church in mitigating conflict in South Africa.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Dr. Eric Patterson interviewed Cecyl Esau, a political activist with the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. In this interview, Esau speaks to the importance of interfaith work in the reconciliation and transition periods in South Africa.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Dr. Eric Patterson interviewed Denis Bikesha, who is a lawyer in Rwanda and has served as the Director of Training, Mobilisation & Sensibilisation in the National Service of Gacaca Courts. In this interview, Bikesha shares his opinion on how the government and religious actors should interact in Rwanda. He particularly focuses on the experience of the Gacaca Courts in promoting reconciliation in the country.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Dr. Eric Patterson interviewed Dr. Deon Snyman of the Foundation for Church-Led Restitution. In this interview, he reflects on how religious actors impact his current work, as well as ongoing challenges to the participation of the South African churches in public life.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Dr. Eric Patterson interviewed Dr. Lionel Louw, who has extensive professional experience as a social worker and religious minister. In this interview, Louw shares his opinion on what he sees as the role for religious organizations in South Africa. He also reflects on the impact of religious communities on the consolidation of democracy.
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Dr. Eric Patterson interviewed Violette Nyirarurkundo, the founder and director of El-Ezer Counselling Ministry who formerly worked with Compassion International and Medical Assistance Programs International. In this interview, Nyirarurkundo speaks about how her experience working with Compassion International in Rwanda during the genocide and how the genocide was instrumental in determining her path toward founding...
Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Dr. Eric Patterson interviewed Reverend Matt Esau, who was, until three years ago, the parish priest of the Church of the Province of South Africa in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, and previously served as Personal Assistant to Archbishop Desmond Tutu. In this interview, Esau shares his opinion on why religious actors have been getting involved in reconciliatory and transitional activities.
Background: In 1992, Rev. Canon Gideon Byamugisha, an Anglican priest in Uganda, became the first African religious leader to openly admit to being HIV-positive. Following his disclosure to the public, he began to speak widely to other leaders about the need to reduce stigma associated with the disease. In 2000 he founded the Africa Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV/AIDS. In the following discussion between Rev. Byamugisha and Thomas Bohnett, he describes...
Background: Reverend Canon Sam Ruteikara is the Chair of the AIDS Faith Based Organization Self Coordinating Entity (SCE) and its representative on the Partnership Committee at Uganda AIDS Commission, as well a member of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) for the Global Fund. He is also the Co-Chair of the Uganda National AIDS Prevention Committee, Chair of the AIDS Technical Working Group (TWG), and the Chair for the Civil Society Inter Constituency Coordinating Committee (CICC)....
Background: Rajmohan Gandhi, the President of Initiatives of Change International (IofC) and the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, reflects in this interview on his more than 50-year association with IofC; he first met Moral Rearmament, as the organization was then known, in Scotland in 1956. Gandhi sees IofC's work as well as his own as intimately connected to his grandfather's vision of social change; both are grounded in commitment, discipline, and courage. The simplicity of the idea behind...
Background: Michiel Hardon, former Director of Income Monitoring at the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the founding director of the International Interfaith Investment Group (3iG), offered reflections on his nearly four-decade long career in international development. He talked about the evolution of the WCC, from its early role in coordinating the development and relief work of churches to the current day, when it retains global importance but is “struggling to find and define its role....
Background: In this discussion, Ruth Messinger, President of the American Jewish World Service (AJWS), talks about her long career in New York City politics and her transition in the late 1990s to the top post of AJWS. Messinger describes AJWS' support for hundreds of development projects around the world, all of them initiated at the grassroots by people from the communities that the projects serve. Because this interview was conducted soon after the Sudanese President Omar Bashir ordered...
Background: Thomas Getman, until March 2009 the director of international relations for World Vision, traced his career working for President Gerald Ford, in the U.S. Senate, and then for 25 years with World Vision in South Africa, Palestine, and Geneva. Getman talked about the gradual movement of World Vision, which has traditionally been a Christian-inspired organization, towards a pluralistic organization fueled by the social justice and humanitarian impulses of people of a range of faith...
Background: Inspired as a child by the “heart to God, hand to man” values of the Salvation Army, Daniel Starrett has been working for 36 years in the Army, and is now the Executive Director of the organization's World Service Office in the US He spoke of the Army's founding in the early days of the industrial revolution in the U.K., and explained the logic behind the organization's “military” structure. The Salvation Army sees healthy families as the building blocks of society, and Starrett...
Click here for the English translation.
Background: This discussion between Oscar Azmitia, Katherine Marshall, and Brady Walkinshaw took place on January 31, 2009 as part of a January 30-31 consultation in Antigua, Guatemala on "Faith-Inspired Organizations and Development in Latin America." In this interview, which was originally conducted in Spanish, Azmitia shares his inspiration for working in development through the Catholic order of La Salle and reflects upon the evolving religious...
Background: This discussion between Oscar Azmitia, Katherine Marshall, and Brady Walkinshaw took place on January 31, 2009 as part of a January 30-31 consultation in Antigua, Guatemala on "Faith-Inspired Organizations and Development in Latin America." In this interview, which was originally conducted in Spanish, Azmitia shares his inspiration for working in development through the Catholic order of La Salle and reflects upon the evolving religious...
Click here for the original Spanish version.
Background: This discussion between Oscar Azmitia, Katherine Marshall, and Brady Walkinshaw took place on January 31, 2009 as part of a January 30-31 consultation in Antigua, Guatemala on "Faith-Inspired Organizations and Development in Latin America." In this interview, which was originally conducted in Spanish, Azmitia shares his inspiration for working in development through the Catholic order of La Salle and reflects upon the evolving...
Background: This discussion between Oscar Azmitia, Katherine Marshall, and Brady Walkinshaw took place on January 31, 2009 as part of a January 30-31 consultation in Antigua, Guatemala on "Faith-Inspired Organizations and Development in Latin America." In this interview, which was originally conducted in Spanish, Azmitia shares his inspiration for working in development through the Catholic order of La Salle and reflects upon the evolving...
Click here for the original Spanish version
Background: This interview between Sylvia Davila, Katherine Marshall, and Brady Walkinshaw took place as preparation for a January 30, 2009 consultation in Antigua on faith-inspired organizations and development in Latin America. In this discussion, Davila talks about the challenges of mobilizing faith leaders and communities in Central America to address political and social issues. She argues that a lack of data on development challenges and an...
Background: This interview between Sylvia Davila, Katherine Marshall, and Brady Walkinshaw took place as preparation for a January 30, 2009 consultation in Antigua on faith-inspired organizations and development in Latin America. In this discussion, Davila talks about the challenges of mobilizing faith leaders and communities in Central America to address political and social issues. She argues that a lack of data on development challenges and an...
Background: Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini, of the Diocese of San Marcos in Guatemala, highlights the many challenges facing contemporary Guatemala through the prism of his experience in the rural agricultural district of San Marcos. These challenges include barriers that keep the poor from owning land; drug trafficking and organized crime; violent crime; child malnutrition; and a marginalized indigenous population. Bishop Ramazzini sees these challenges stemming from a crisis of coherence in the...
Background: In this discussion, just prior to the Antigua Berkley Center/WFDD consultation on faith-inspired organizations in Latin America, Carol Lancaster reflected on her engagement with development issues as a practitioner working with USAID and as an academic. She describes her work on the roles of U.S. evangelical churches in development activities in Latin America, and particularly in Guatemala. Her aim is to understand better the appeal of evangelical churches to indigenous...
Background: This discussion between Katherine Marshall, Brady Walkinshaw, and Corina Villacorta was part of preparatory work for a January 30-31, 2009 consultation in Antigua, Guatemala on roles of faith-inspired organizations in development. The conference was part of a joint Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs and Luce Foundation project on religion and international relations. In the conversation, Ms. Villacorta describes how for her, World Vision is “a place that linked...
Click here for the Spanish translation.
Background: This discussion between Katherine Marshall, Brady Walkinshaw, and Elías Szczytnicki took place as part of preparatory work for a January 30th-31st, 2009 consultation in Antigua, Guatemala on the role played by faith-based organizations in development work. In the interview, Mr. Szczytnicki shares how he developed a keen interest and expertise in interfaith dynamics. He offers his opinion on how religious organizations and governments across...
Background: This discussion between Katherine Marshall, Brady Walkinshaw, and Elías Szczytnicki took place as part of preparatory work for a January 30th-31st, 2009 consultation in Antigua, Guatemala on the role played by faith-based organizations in development work. In the interview, Mr. Szczytnicki shares how he developed a keen interest and expertise in interfaith dynamics. He offers his opinion on how religious organizations and governments across...
Click here for the English translation.
Background: This discussion between Katherine Marshall, Brady Walkinshaw, and Elías Szczytnicki took place as part of preparatory work for a January 30th-31st, 2009 consultation in Antigua, Guatemala on the role played by faith-based organizations in development work. In the interview, Mr. Szczytnicki shares how he developed a keen interest and expertise in interfaith dynamics. He offers his opinion on how religious organizations and governments across...
Background: This discussion between Katherine Marshall, Brady Walkinshaw, and Elías Szczytnicki took place as part of preparatory work for a January 30th-31st, 2009 consultation in Antigua, Guatemala on the role played by faith-based organizations in development work. In the interview, Mr. Szczytnicki shares how he developed a keen interest and expertise in interfaith dynamics. He offers his opinion on how religious organizations and governments across...
Background: Schuyler Thorup has been directly involved in international humanitarian relief and development for nearly two decades. Through Catholic Relief Services, the official international humanitarian agency of the United States Catholic community, Schuyler has served in a variety of capacities in Angola, Zimbabwe, Peru, Armenia, Malawi and the U.S. As the Guatemala-based Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Schuyler is currently responsible for overseeing CRS' programs...
Background: Dr. Zilda Arns Neumann, the founder and president of Pastoral da Criança, died in the Haiti earthquake on January 12, 2010. This January 2009 exchange with Katherine Marshall focused on her work and inspiration, and on her broad concept of peace and priorities. A pediatric and sanitary doctor, she was the founder and president of Pastoral da Criança -Children's Pastoral; founder and national coordinator of the Senior Citizens' Pastoral, social action organisms of the National...
Background: This discussion between Juan Silva, Katherine Marshall, and Thomas Bohnett took place January 21, 2009 as part of preparation for a January 30 consultation in Antigua, Guatemala on Faith-Inspired Organizations and Development in Latin America. In this interview, Silva discussed his work for the Pan American Health Organization in building relationships with the Catholic Church to improve access to health care for poorly served populations and integrate religious organizations into...
Click here for the Spanish translation.
Background: This discussion between Alejandro Bilbao, Katherine Marshall, and Brady Walkinshaw took place on January 12, 2009 as part of preparation for a January 30, 2009 consultation in Antigua, Guatemala on "Faith-Inspired Organizations and Development in Latin America." In this interview, Bilbao tells how he first went to Latin America in the 1970s as a young Jesuit and, shocked by the poverty and inequality he witnessed, became involved with the...
Background: This discussion between Alejandro Bilbao, Katherine Marshall, and Brady Walkinshaw took place on January 12, 2009 as part of preparation for a January 30, 2009 consultation in Antigua, Guatemala on "Faith-Inspired Organizations and Development in Latin America." In this interview, Bilbao tells how he first went to Latin America in the 1970s as a young Jesuit and, shocked by the poverty and inequality he witnessed, became involved with the...
Click here for the English translation.
Background: This discussion between Alejandro Bilbao, Katherine Marshall, and Brady Walkinshaw took place on January 12, 2009 as part of preparation for a January 30 consultation in Antigua, Guatemala on "Faith-Inspired Organizations and Development in Latin America." In this interview, Bilbao tells how he first went to Latin America in the 1970s as a young Jesuit and, shocked by the poverty and inequality he witnessed, became involved with the...
Background: This discussion between Alejandro Bilbao, Katherine Marshall, and Brady Walkinshaw took place on January 12, 2009 as part of preparation for a January 30 consultation in Antigua, Guatemala on "Faith-Inspired Organizations and Development in Latin America." In this interview, Bilbao tells how he first went to Latin America in the 1970s as a young Jesuit and, shocked by the poverty and inequality he witnessed, became involved with the...
Background: This discussion between Patrick McDonald and Katherine Marshall was conducted as part of preparatory work for a January 30-31, 2009 consultation in Antigua, Guatemala on the roles of faith-inspired organizations in development in Latin America. Patrick McDonald founded VIVA in 1994 to link and support the many Christian organizations, most of them small, that work with at-risk children. In this interview, conducted as part of the preparations for the Berkley Center/WFDD...
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Background: As Coordinator of the Guatemalan Interreligious Dialogue for Development and a professor at Rafael Landivar University, Ana Victoria Pelaez Ponce is a leader of interfaith work in Guatemala. In a wide-ranging discussion, she talks about the process of working with the Guatemalan government to incorporate the perspectives of faith leaders in poverty reduction programs, as well as in government-supported programs more generally. She discusses...
Background: As Coordinator of the Guatemalan Interreligious Dialogue for Development, Ana Victoria Peláez Ponce is a leader of interfaith work in Guatemala. In a wide-ranging discussion, she talks about the process of working with the Guatemalan government to incorporate the perspectives of faith leaders in poverty reduction programs, as well as in government-supported programs more generally. She discusses the special role of religious institutions, which have a doctrinal commitment to the...
Background: This discussion took place on January 1, 2009 between Emily Fintel, Katherine Marshall, and Thomas Bohnett as part of the Berkley Center's series of explorations on Practitioners, Faith Based Organizations and Global Development Work. In the interview, Fintel recalls her time in the Dominican Republic as a teenager and how it inspired her passion for social justice and economic development. She discusses her work at the AVINA foundation and its distinct model for social change in...
Background: In this discussion, which took place on December 20, 2008 as part of the Berkley Center's series on Practitioners and Faith-Inspired Development, Swami Agnivesh shares how his background and personal struggles have influenced his leadership in India. His participation in the Arya Samaj movement greatly changed his perception of the India he grew up in, leading him to co-found the Arya Sabha political party to work for political change. In this interview, Swami Agvinesh discusses...
Background: Ari Johnson, co-founder and co-Executive Director for Project Muso, started the organization in 2005 to address poverty and health issues in Yirimadjo, a small village in Mali. The Project Muso approach emphasizes solidarity with the poor, and addressing the root causes of poverty. Two of the initial programmatic focuses of the program are malaria prevention and women's education. The later program includes a micro-finance component which, at the time of the interview, had...
Background: Mario Giro began working as a youth-oriented community organizer for the Community of Sant'Egidio, a Catholic lay organization based in Rome, and is now the Director for International Affairs for the organization. Giro talked about the Community's central role in fostering peace to Mozambique, and how that experience informed the organization's approach to conflict resolution. The keys to the Community's success in this area, Giro said, are its patience and humility. He discussed...
Background: Originally from Australia, Mark Webster was country director for ADRA Nepal before assuming his current role at ADRA International as Bureau Chief for Program Management. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) was created by the Seventh-day Adventist church to follow Christ's example by being a voice for, serving, and partnering with those in need. Mr. Webster and the Program Management team oversee all the United States government funded grants and are responsible for...
Background: Since 2005, Tom Jones has worked as the Ambassador-at-Large in the CEO's office of Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) where he represents HFHI and its CEO to outside groups. He has represented HFHI in the ONE Campaign, InterAction, and as a leader in the new HFHI Advocacy Initiative. Presently, he leads the HFHI Interfaith Exploration. Prior to his tenure with HFHI, Jones served as pastor of large Presbyterian congregations in Kentucky and Florida, and was senior pastor of...
Background: Dele Oluwu, after working in academia and then in development with the UN and African Development Bank, came to the Netherlands in 1995 to work at the Institute of Social Studies at the Hague. While working there he noted a surprising deficit of active churches in the region, and began planting parishes with other like-minded individuals in the Netherlands. To date Olowu has founded 130 churches in Europe. The interview talked about evangelization in the context of a predominantly...
Background: Audu Grema, Regional Coordinator of the United Kingdom's Department for International Development Nigeria Northern Office in Kano State, was a student of agriculture in Nigeria and the U.K. who went into development as a way to improve the lives of farmers in his home country. One focus of the interview was on Grema's experiences with religious leaders in northern Nigeria influencing public perceptions about development interventions. In one anecdote, he recalled how Islamic...
Background: Lisette van der Wel is a Dutch anthropologist and theologian with special interest in the interface of religion and development. She has 25 years of experience in international development cooperation and interreligious dialogue, both with NGOs in Asia and Africa and with faith and development organizations in the Netherlands. Currently, she is policy advisor for Religion and Development in the Interchurch Organisation for Development Cooperation (ICCO). Through this leadership...
Background: This discussion between Husnul Amin and Brady Walkinshaw took place on June 23, 2008 as part of preparatory work for a June 24-25, 2008 consultation in the Hague on roles of faith-inspired organizations in development. In the interview, Mr. Amin shares how he came to research the links between poverty, social development, and religious education in the Islamic world. He also relates how his own experiences in Pakistan have shaped his view on the relationship between Islam and...
Background: This discussion between Welmoet Boender and Katherine Marshall took place by phone as part of preparation for a June 24, 2008 consultation at the ISS in The Hague on "Global Development and Faith-Inspired Organizations in Europe and Africa." In this exchange, Ms. Boender describes her work with the Knowledge Center, a collaborative project launched in 2006 by five Dutch faith-based organizations. She outlines the direction of her research, focused especially on Islam, and also...
Background: Nigussu Legesse, Commissioner of the Development and Social Service Commission of the Ethiopian-Orthodox Church, discussed Ethiopia's religious landscape and recent changes in the Ethiopian government's policies towards the operation of NGOs. He spoke about the organization's focus on agricultural production issues at the local level and how he saw land tenure issues & the state technically owns all land in Ethiopia & as one of the most significant reasons for...
Background: This interview between Richard Marsh and Katherine Marshall took place over e-mail as part of preparatory work for a June 24, 2008 workshop in the Hague on "Global Development and Faith-Inspired Organizations in Europe and Africa." Marsh, Director of the U.K.-based ImpACT Coalition, has worked for 20 years on issues at the intersection of faith and development issues. In this discussion, he speaks about the organization's two-fold mission: communicating the good work of many...
Background: Muhammed Haron has taught at many universities, such as the University of the Western Cape (UWC), the University of Cape Town (UCT), the National University of Malaysia, Stellenbosch University, and Rhodes University. During his academic career, he received the Educational Opportunities Council Award, Mellon Award, and the Prestigious Scholarship Award from the Human Science Research Council. He has published numerous articles, which concentrate on Muslims in South Africa and...
Background: Jacques Dinan is currently the Executive Secretary of Caritas Africa, the President of Caritas Mauritius, a Member of the Executive Committee of Caritas Internationalis, a Senior Public Relations Consultant in Mauritius, and the CEO of his own company, Infocom Limited. After receiving a BS degree in Physics at the University of Manchester in the 1960s, Dinan worked in the teaching profession and contributed to pioneering work related to radio and television broadcasting in...
Background: Peter Grant has been the International Director of Tearfund, an organization which works to alleviate poverty and provide humanitarian relief in disaster situations, since 2005. Grant talked about his own faith background, and about the way in which Tearfund's evangelical Christian orientation influences its advocacy, hiring practices, and role in the development community. He spoke about the priority that Tearfund places on working with local churches, and raised some of the...
Background: This discussion with John Padwick was part of preparatory work for a June 24, 2008 consultation at the ISS in the Hague on "Global Development and Faith-Inspired Organizations and Development in Latin America." In this conversation, Mr. Padwick explains the history and evolution of the African Independent Churches, particularly in Kenya, and its aim of strengthening the culture of reciprocity across the continent. Mr. Padwick describes the churches' involvement in community...
Background: This interview was conducted between Professor Omer Caha and Brady Walkinshaw took place by email as part of preparations for a June 24, 2008 consultation in the Hague on "Global Development and Faith-Inspired Organizations in Europe and Africa." In this discussion, Professor Caha reflects on his background and the dynamics of NGOs in Turkey that he noticed as a student. He comments on charity and faith-based organizations, Islam and Turkey, and the ways secularism and faith do or...
Background: Father Robert J. Vitillo is a full-time Special Advisor to Caritas on HIV and AIDS, directing the Caritas Internationalis response to wide-ranging aspects of the global pandemic in various parts of the world. He previously served as the Executive Director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Prior to joining the staff of USCCB, Father Vitillo was Caritas Internationalis delegate to the United Nations in New York and...
Background: This conversation between Noureddine Benmalek and Katherine Marshall, originally spoken in French, was part of a December 17, 2007 symposium at Georgetown University's Doha Campus on "Global Development and Faith-Inspired Organizations in the Muslim World." In this interview, Mr. Benmalek speaks about his interest in non-violent Islamism. In addition to explaining his own views on Islamism, Mr. Benmalek offers insight into how Islamist organizations oriented toward development...
Background: This conversation between Marie Juul Petersen, Sara Lei Sparre, and Katherine Marshall took place as part of preparatory work for a December 2007 symposium on “Global Development and Faith-Inspired Organizations in the Muslim World,” co-sponsored by the Berkley Center. In this interview, they discuss the findings of their study on Islam and civil society organizations in Egypt and Jordan. The project focuses on existing civil society organizations, particularly social welfare...
Background: In preparation for a December 17, 2007 symposium in Doha on global development and faith-inspired organizations in the Muslim World, Katherine Marshall and Hady Amr met again to discuss Mr. Amr's recent work. In this interview, Mr. Amr reflects on his work at the Brookings Doha Center and the role of faith in the public square in both the United States and in the Muslim World. He discusses Islamic social movements and reemphasizes the potential and necessity of a partnership...
Background: This conversation between Mona Atia and Katherine Marshall took place as part of the preparatory work for a December 17, 2007 conference at Georgetown University's Doha Campus on "Global Development and Faith-Inspired Organizations in the Muslim World." Ms. Atia discusses her dissertation research as a PhD candidate at the University of Washington,inspired by her initial desire to understand "how the Patriot Act was creating a climate in which traditional charity, across the...
Background: Saad Eddin Ibrahim is a Professor of Sociology at the American University in Cairo and a prominent human rights activist in Egypt. Ibrahim founded the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies in Cairo and the Arab Organization for Human Rights. He has been criticized for accepting international funds to promote civil society and election monitoring in Egypt, and for suggesting that the United States should condition its aid to Egypt on improvements in the country's human rights...
Background: Dr. Hany El-Banna is Co-Founder and President of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), an international relief and development organization that aims to alleviate the poverty and suffering of the world's poorest. He is a member of the Three Faiths Forum and was selected to be a member in the World Economic Forum's Community of West-Islam Dialogue (C-100). El Banna is also a trustee of the Disasters Emergency Committee and a member of the Advisory Group to the International Department of...
Background: This conversation between Roksana Bahramitash and Katherine Marshall took place on December 2, 2007 as part of the preparatory work for a December 17 conference in Doha examining the role of faith-linked organizations on social and economic development in the Muslim world. In this interview, Ms. Bahramitash shares how her experiences working to promote literacy in post-revolutionary Iran led her to explore the role of faith-based organizations in development and in the informal...
Background: This exchange between Amadou Cissé and Katherine Marshall took place as part of preparations for a December 17, 2007 conference in Doha on "Global Development and Faith-Inspired Organizations in the Muslim World." An ex-prime minister of Niger, Mr. Cissé comes from a long line of local Muslim leaders and is a product of the French colonial education system. In the following discussion, he provides expert analysis on the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), a unique multilateral...
Background: The following conversation between Patrice Brodeur and Katherine Marshall was conducted by phone as part of preparation for a December 17, 2007 conference in Doha on "Global Development and Faith-Inspired Organizations in the Muslim World." Mr. Brodeur shares how he became passionate about the study of religions and discusses his current involvement in the interfaith dialogue in the Islamic world. He describes his vision of "inter-worldview dialogue" as intended to merge the...
Background: Dr. Hasan Ali Yurtsever is President of the Rumi Forum, an organization founded in 1999 to promote interfaith and intercultural dialogue, and teaches in the Math department at Georgetown. He participated in the symposium on “Global Development and Faith-Inspired Organizations in the Muslim World,” co-sponsored by the Berkley Center, in December 2007. Yurtsever has a long history of participation in the Gulen Movement, which began in Turkey under Fethullah Gulen and has spread...
Background: In this exchange, Deborah Dortzbach, World Relief's International Director for HIV/AIDS Programs, discusses her vision of how communities of faith can be mobilized to address pressing health and development challenges. She says that collaboration between faith and government or secular institutions must be preceded by a “discernment” process in which both sides determine the extent to which they can cooperate without compromising their core mission or values. Ms....
Background: This conversation between David Beckmann and Katherine Marshall took place in the context of preparatory work for an April 16, 2007 conference at Georgetown University on the role of faith-based organizations in development. In the following discussion, Mr. Beckmann shares how his personal faith has shaped his work in both secular and faith-based institutions. He also outlines the work of Bread for the World, a Christian organization aimed at mobilizing citizens and the US...
Background: Stephen Weir is the Vice President for Global Development and Support at Habitat for Humanity International. Previously, he worked in Bangkok where he was Vice President for Habitat's Asia programs. He is an architect by profession. In April 2007 he participated in the Symposium sponsored by the Berkley Center on “Faith-Inspired Organizations and Global Development: US and International Perspectives.” In this interview, Weir draws from his experiences to explain how...
Background: In this conversation between Douglas Bassett and Katherine Marshall, Mr. Bassett provides a picture of the identity, purpose, and approaches driving Compassion International and several other Evangelical Protestant Christian organizations. He shares how his experience working in Honduras on a hurricane relief trip led him to seek a career where he could work for social justice and address human needs “in all of their dimensions.” He also addresses some of the challenges...
Background: This conversation between William Recant and Katherine Marshall took place as part of the preparatory work for an April 16, 2007 conference at Georgetown University on the role of faith-based organizations in development. The conference was part of a joint Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs and Luce Foundation project on religion and international relations.
Background: This is the record of a discussion between William O'Keefe and Katherine Marshall (Berkley Center) that was part of preparatory work for an April 16 conference at Georgetown University on the role of faith-based organizations in development. The conference is part of a joint Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs and Luce Foundation project on religion and international relations.
Background: This discussion between Hady Amr and Katherine Marshall took place as part of the preparatory work for an April 16, 2007 conference on faith-based organizations and global development policy. In this interview, Mr. Amr highlights the need for further exploration of the dynamics of faith-based organizations, and how they differ from their secular counterparts. He speaks about his own experiences working with Islam and development in the Middle East, and concludes that faith is "the...
Background: In the following discussion, Douglas Balfour, CEO of Geneva Global, describes the organization's mission to provide advice to donors seeking to maximize the impact of their contributions to development assistance. The backbone of Geneva Global's advice is its on-the-ground research, which often leads it to faith-inspired organizations, "often the best value in town.” He talks about how he has found fears of proselytization overblown by secular organizations and interests....