300 words

Finney, Hazra & England: Engaging Religion

17

International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters

March 2015, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp 17-27.

Engaging Religion: An Interview with Practitioners

with Nick Finney, Ajit Hazra and Jeremy England

Nick Finney

Save the Children

Strathmore Building 3rd Floor

Tanglin International Center

352 Tanglin Road, Singapore

Phone: +65 6511 3165

Email: [email protected]

Ajit Hazra

World Vision International

750B Chai Chee Road #03-02

Technopark @ Chai Chee

Singapore 469002

Phone: +65 6511 7100

Email: [email protected]

and

Jeremy England

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Phone: +60 3 2084 1800

Email: [email protected]

The Editors of this special issue recently sat down with three senior development

practitioners representing the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),

World Vision, and Save the Children, and had an in-depth conversation about how

their respective agencies navigate their own identities as they engage with religious

communities in the course of providing humanitarian, conflict, and disaster assistance.

These three agencies illustrate the range of perspectives that exist on these matters

within the formal humanitarian sector. Of course, the range extends much wider than

just these three agencies. Other humanitarian actors would locate themselves

differently. Moreover, if we look beyond the formal humanitarian sector to

‘emerging’ humanitarianisms, diverse local philanthropic and charitable actors, and

Finney, Hazra & England: Engaging Religion

18

also to those practices of disaster relief that exist outside of formalized organizational

structures then the spectrum of relief is exponentially broadened. Yet, the comparison

of the answers provided by representatives of these three is illuminating.

The ICRC, one of the largest and most respected humanitarian organizations, has

long sought to cultivate an apolitical identity in order to conduct humanitarian

activities across lines of conflict. As commented upon in this interview by Jeremy

England, Head of the Regional Delegation of the ICRC based in Kuala Lumpur, this

emphasis on neutrality has direct implications for the agencies approach to managing

its engagement with religion. While the ICRC is often focused on situations of

conflict, their work frequently involves engagement in other disaster situations. Ajit

Hazra, who is based in Singapore as the Director of Faith and Development for the

Asia Pacific region for World Vision, speaks from quite a different position. World

Vision is open about its Christian identity and, as Hazra makes clear, this religious

identification significantly informs its work. But religious affiliation should not be

seen as synonymous with parochialism. World Vision is financially one of the largest

faith-based NGOs with a global program engaging with complex humanitarian and

development issues. Save the Children International is represented in this interview by

Nick Finney, also based in Singapore as the Humanitarian Director for Asia. While

Save the Children eschews religious affiliation, and is therefore in some ways sits

closer to the ICRC than World Vision, nevertheless as Finney outlines this location

has different implications for Save the Children’s programming. As with the other

agencies, Save the Children has a global, professional and long-standing engagement

in humanitarian issues. Their focus on children, including in situations of disaster

response, gives the organization a distinctive focus. 1

Below is an edited excerpt of the highlights of the conversation. We asked these

practitioners to respond to the following questions:

1. What relationship(s) does your organization have with any religious

tradition(s) and/or institutions? Can you provide any thoughts or reflections

on how these connections might facilitate and/or inhibit your disaster relief

work on the ground in particular communities?

2. What do you see as the opportunities and risks involved in working with

religious communities—either as aid recipients or as partners in delivering

disaster assistance? How does your organization envision and negotiate these

possibilities?

3. In the course of your experience in humanitarian work have there been

particular occasions when in which you have notably benefited from or been

troubled by aspects of your working relationships with religious leaders,

communities, and institutions in disaster relief?

4. What advice do you have for humanitarian workers in the region for how

they engage with religious individuals and institutions in the course of their

work?

Finney, Hazra & England: Engaging Religion

19

In the responses below, one can observe interesting but perhaps expected variance

in the levels of comfort in explicitly taking religion into account in their programming

and indeed partnering with religious organizations, between the self-identified

religious organization (World Vision) and the self-identified non-religious

organizations (ICRC and Save the Children). However, across the three agencies,

there was a high degree of continuity in how they deal with the risk associated with

engaging with religious organizations, and almost identical advice given to

humanitarian workers on how to effectively engage with religious individuals and

institutions. Another interesting point of continuity was their identification as

adhering to the Red Cross/Crescent Code of Conduct, across both religious/non-

religious agencies.

1. What relationship(s) does your organization have with any religious

tradition(s) and/or institutions? Can you provide any thoughts or reflections on

how these connections might facilitate and/or inhibit your disaster relief work on

the ground in particular communities?

ICRC

As an independent, apolitical, and strictly humanitarian organization, ICRC’s

direct operational partnerships tend to be limited to those organizations that share

the same strict codes of conduct and fundamental principles. However, ICRC does

reach out in a number of different ways to religious organizations – depending on

the nature of the context and the primary function of the organization concerned.

In all cases, the exchange is aimed at furthering understanding of:

 Each other’s roles, responsibilities, organization and identity, while

also addressing misconceptions (for example on the red cross, which is

often wrongly interpreted as a Christian religious symbol);

 The context (in terms of the cultural political environment, the security

environment and the humanitarian needs of the populations

concerned);

 The legal, technical and religious frameworks that may apply; and

 How each other’s different contributions can be perceived as

complementary and effective for those in need.

However, the term ‘religious organizations’ is extremely broad and effectively

encompasses many different types of organization with many different priorities

and agendas. Some are effectively part of (or are) the political and military

establishment in a given context and must therefore be engaged with as with any

other responsible authority. As a structure that controls territory, religious factions

may have obligations under humanitarian law and interests similar to that of a

State or armed force.

Finney, Hazra & England: Engaging Religion

20

Others have specific evangelical or belief/behavior change agendas and due to

their overtly religious witness and aspirations may face varying reception from

host communities and/or authorities. Such organizations, if claiming humanitarian

status similar to that of more independent and impartial organizations, can affect

the identity, trust and safety of more exclusively humanitarian actors. In this case,

the ICRC would have to maintain a certain distance to avoid confusion.

Some may be part and parcel of the community leadership and the structures

running the long term basic services in communities and thus may offer a point of

referral or complementarity to the emergency response. And some may have a

strictly humanitarian agenda, perhaps motivated by faith but guided by largely

secular codes of conduct and agreed aid delivery principles.

Others again represent a more academic and scholarly religious capacity

including religiously-based academic institutions. These may be favorable to an

exchange on legal and principles grounds, such as exploring the relationship

between relevant religious precepts or traditions and international norms. While

arguably more remote from immediate operational concerns, such discussion is

often important, and there are many contexts in which the ICRC has engaged

religious circles in a systematic manner.

For each of these, an aid organization like the ICRC must define its own

identity and relations without resorting to any particular judgment or opinion of

others. And the objectives remain the same – mutual understanding, building

acceptance and support, safe access, the avoidance of duplication and the delivery

of results for those in needs.

World Vision

When we work in a community, we consider the existing religious

groups/institutions as part of the community and work with them as we would

with the rest of the community. This works out in various ways, for example, as

partners, recipients, distribution avenues, location sites, etc. Directly or indirectly,

work in the community will include faith-based groups. Working with faith-based

groups in the community helps us work together in accessing areas that are

primarily or even completely of different faith traditions. Such relationships are a

help (sometimes essential) in addressing issues that are sensitive in the

community, for example, in Child Protection or with HIV/AIDS. We have also

found that sometimes when working in new areas where we are not known, there

are often questions and possible suspicions of what a foreign, Christian

organization is doing in the context and what possible hidden agendas there may

be. Working with existing faith-based groups helps our entry into such new

contexts and gives us the opportunity to work with the community so that our role

and purpose becomes clearer with time. We have found that in areas where we

have ongoing community development projects, working with faith-based groups

in the community allows for relationships and understandings (of our staff and of

the communities that we work with) that are a foundation for our work with the

communities in post-disaster contexts.

Finney, Hazra & England: Engaging Religion

21

Save the Children

Save the Children works in 120 countries worldwide and has a range of

partnerships and relationships with a huge variety of organizations, including

religious institutions. Our approach to humanitarian action is founded on

humanitarian principles (see “Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross

and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief” 1994). It is interesting

to note that there are several aspects of the code of conduct that refer directly to

religion, or allude to aspects of it. Some of these statements point toward a non-

discriminatory and apolitical approach, for example:

 The humanitarian imperative comes first;

 Aid is given regardless of the race, creed or nationality of the recipients

and without adverse distinction of any kind. Aid priorities are

calculated on the basis of need alone; and

 Aid will not be used to further a particular political or religious

standpoint. Other statements point towards a deep engagement with

and understanding of the communities with which we work, for

example:

 We shall respect culture and customs;

 We shall attempt to build disaster response on local capacities; and

 Ways shall be found to involve program beneficiaries in the

management of relief aid.

Save the Children has no particular stance or policy on partnering with

religious institutions, beyond the above. In humanitarian work, context is

everything and we rely on the skill of our staff on the ground to understand the

context and to make decisions in line with our principles. It is inevitable that a

good understanding of religion will be crucial, amongst other factors.

2. What do you see as the opportunities and risks involved in working with

religious communities—either as aid recipients or as partners in delivering

disaster assistance? How does your organization envision and negotiate these

possibilities?

ICRC

It is impossible in today’s world and in many contexts where violence and

conflict occurs not to interact daily with religious organizations. Opportunities

include exchange of information particularly on humanitarian needs and security

concerns, local culture and traditions and views and perceptions of the ICRC’s

and other actors’ identities. Religious communities’ acceptance of ICRC’s work

may lend credibility and nurture acceptance across the wider community. Cross-

Finney, Hazra & England: Engaging Religion

22

referral can be made for specific cases, services or needs and broader

opportunities for coordinated approaches also exist. Religious scholars and

academics can assist in drawing parallels between local religious values and

international norms (in ICRC’s case, International Humanitarian Law), which is

an important tool when engaging with people from different backgrounds and

faiths to promote respect for common values.

On the other hand, risks that are involved include possible confusion of

agendas and/or identities, association with armed groups, and discrimination with

regard to the needs of other religious or ethnic groups. All of these may confuse

the recipient communities and host authorities as to humanitarian aid’s true

objectives.

ICRC negotiates these opportunities and risks through strict maintenance of a

principled approach, including a focus on independence and neutrality. In effect,

ICRC remains careful to preserve its own identity, programmatic focus, and direct

relations with authorities and communities in need. At the same time, ICRC

engages with all actors, religious and other, to assure mutual understanding,

information sharing and to avoid duplication.

World Vision

Some opportunities for working with faith-based groups within the community

are greater access or deeper reach to the communities that we seek to work with,

and greater acceptability by the community of us as a foreign, Christian

organization. Working with leaders who are known to, and accepted by, the local

community facilitates the possibility of sustainability of our work in a post-

disaster context.

Some possible risks/challenges of working with or through faith-based groups

(which could also happen with other non-religious based groups of a particular

ethnic-based or gender-based identity) are: a possible bias or subjectivity when

local partners are involved in aid distribution (for example, concentrating on those

related to the group), and possible conflicting agendas for participating in the

disaster response. In some areas where we have worked, particularly in conflict

areas, religious affiliation is sometimes associated with tensions or conflicts.

We attempt to negotiate these concerns in several ways by monitoring

processes and programs. This includes monitoring done by the faith-based

organizations where possible/appropriate; developing processes for accountability

from the community/recipients of resources; training of faith-based partners in the

community in humanitarian principles—if they are not familiar with them; ways

of allowing for feedback mechanisms from various parties involved in the

response, and subscribing to the Red Cross and Red Crescent Code of Conduct.

Save the Children

A common tool for contextual analysis in conflict situations is actor mapping.

This approach is intended to help us understand the complex network of

organizations and individuals that make up any community, and therefore to

Finney, Hazra & England: Engaging Religion

23

understand who we could partner with, or who we might need to influence, in

order to achieve our objective. This will almost always include consideration of

religious organizations, networks and groups.

There can be a range of opportunities and risks in working with religious

communities. We can have the opportunity to better deliver on our program

objectives via use of religious facilities, networks, and gatherings. Religious

leaders can play a very influential role in how communities function and allocate

their resources. It may indeed be crucial in some places to have the approval of

both the local authorities and key religious figures if we want our program to be a

success.

There are also many risks. Firstly, as a non-governmental organization with no

religious affiliation or stance, there may be some situations where affected

communities would prefer to work with a religious or faith-based organization.

Secondly, in partnering with religious organizations we may be viewed by others

as furthering their agenda, standpoint, or power-base. Thirdly, very few

communities are homogenous from a the perspective of religion or spirituality

and, in most places, the people most in need of support are potentially going to

come from a minority group (whether race, creed, nationality, gender, age,

religious belief) outside of the mainstream.

3. In the course of your experience in humanitarian work have there been

particular occasions in which you have notably benefited from or been troubled

by aspects of your working relationships with religious leaders, communities,

and institutions in disaster relief?

ICRC

Operationally, ICRC does not tend to develop direct partnerships with

religious community-based organizations or NGOs. ICRC prioritizes partnerships

with the local Red Cross and Red Crescent partners or organizations that strictly

adhere to a similar code of conduct.

However, religious leaders are very often opinion leaders in the wider

community and well anchored within their communities. As such, engagement

with them can support ICRC’s work by providing feedback on needs and

responses, perceptions on ICRC’s work, local beliefs or traditions to be respected

and so on. Acceptance and support for ICRC’s work and identity by religious

leaders may facilitate both safety and access to work within certain communities.

For ICRC working directly with partners with a strong political or religious

views and motivations might be detrimental to its effectiveness on the ground, but

at the same time ICRC does recognize the important role that they play in a given

context, hence the ICRC works hard to balance these relationships—to exchange

deeply but without compromising each other’s core principles and identity. The

ICRC believes that perception and acceptance are important aspects of

Finney, Hazra & England: Engaging Religion

24

humanitarian work but also that different organizations have different goals and

value to add.

World Vision

When it comes to humanitarian responses, the approaches that we take toward

religious communities, leaders and institutions often directly inform our work.

One positive approach for us is to seek to work with the faith elements of a

disaster-affected population to strengthen local capacities for peace and resilience.

Building local capacities means acknowledging the strengths and assets that exist

within the disaster affected population and integrating these assets into the

humanitarian responses. In practice, this may entail something as simple as using

religious facilities, to something as major as integrating religious beliefs in the

humanitarian interventions to promote recovery and rehabilitation.

Some specific examples of our experiences are: During the response to

Cyclone Nargis we worked with Buddhist monks and often used the temples as

logistic hubs and distribution centres. In many responses in the Philippines, when

we do not have a prior presence in the area, we use the local church or church-

related facilities as our base and in one case our staff stayed in and functioned

from a convent for months. In Indonesia, we have an existing Memorandum of

Understanding with a prominent Muslim institution where we will collaborate and

coordinate in any disaster when we are both responding in that location. In areas

of conflict, especially religiously based conflicts, working with faith-based groups

in the community has allowed us to work together in addressing issues related to

peace building. We have also found such relationships helpful with the children's

program in disaster contexts. For example, in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the

Philippines where we developed and ran Child Friendly Spaces where children

could have a safe space in a disaster context. Where appropriate for the particular

community, these Child Friendly Spaces activities were run in collaboration with

religious entities and could be linked to faith-related activities that also contribute

to the recovery process.

Where we have had difficulties, it is most often not directly related to religious

differences as much as distorted information or lack of information. Most of these

difficulties have been addressed through discussions and interaction with the faith

leaders. Another question to consider is whether disaster management is part of

the mandate of the religious group in the context: Are we putting too much

pressure on their resources and involvement?

Save the Children

It is interesting to take the example of Myanmar. After Cyclone Nargis struck

the Ayeyarwady delta in 2008, claiming over 140,000 lives and affecting over 2

million people, religious groups and resources were crucial to the response. The

Ayeyarwady is predominantly Buddhist but is also home to people with a wide

range of other religious beliefs, including Christian, Muslims and Hindus. I

witnessed temples and other religious buildings being used as community shelters

Finney, Hazra & England: Engaging Religion

25

and distribution points for relief materials. I saw monks and other religious leaders

playing a crucial role in organizing the response so that it reached those most in

need. I also saw some religious groups from other parts of Myanmar playing a

heroic role in the aid effort, many bringing resources from other parts of the

country.

Of course, some of these groups gave aid only to specific groups, rather than

on the basis of need alone. They were all important to the huge relief effort that

was required and many local religious organizations deserve a great deal of credit

for what was achieved. Myanmar now faces a different problem. Religion and

ethnicity has become a divisive issue. A small number of extremist groups have

formed and are invoking conflict and violence between religious and ethnic

groups. This is a time for all groups in Myanmar, religious or otherwise, to

promote a message of peace and reconciliation.

4. What advice do you have for humanitarian workers in the region for how

they engage with religious individuals and institutions in the course of their

work?

ICRC

The first step is to clarify who you are engaging with and not to make

assumptions. Ensure that your own agency has a clear and consistent identity, set

of priorities, staff understanding, etc. (stay true to your agenda and be reliable in

what you say). Ensure a clear policy of engagement – i.e., the principles to guide

your exchanges – and be clear on the type of engagements that are desired early

on and to limit any unrealistic expectations. Go to listen, learn and exchange and

not necessarily to deal straight away. Do not avoid engaging with communities

and influential individuals (or get too busy with programs, imagining they speak

for themselves). Always explain in depth about your organization, and its

activities – do not assume support or even understanding of your work and

intentions. Demonstrate respect.

World Vision

What we have found helpful in our work with faith-based groups in the

community are: respecting the religious practices and perspectives in the

community, and having open and transparent relationships—including making

known our faith-based identity. This includes our staff being clear about our

mission, vision and identity and our staff's familiarity with the religious context of

the communities that they work with. We have found it useful if staff have some

training in interfaith understanding and engagement. It has also been valuable to

have clear policies that guide our engagement with other faith groups – for

example, our rationale for engaging with various faith leaders, the Red Cross/Red

Crescent Code of Conduct, humanitarian principles, policies for recruiting staff

from the faith communities that we work with, and procedures for engaging with

Finney, Hazra & England: Engaging Religion

26

faith leaders as part of the community in all contexts—not just post-disaster

contexts. It is also helpful to consider how to keep our focus on people as the

centre of our humanitarian response. This then leads to framing our discussions

and response around the total well-being of the people, which will include their

physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being. It is within this holistic and

comprehensive perspective where the spiritual also has its place as part of a

person’s total needs. Such a perspective also allows for discussions to consider the

common good for people that can give room for participation from various faith

traditions.

While we work with faith-based groups in particular contexts, the challenge is

to go beyond the current relationships, for example, to consider more strategic

relationships with faith-based groups even before a disaster happens, e.g., in

capacity building in disaster preparedness, and issues of post-response

sustainability.

Save the Children

In my experience, the majority of disaster relief activities take place in settings

in which religion or spirituality is a fundamental part of people’s lives, and where

religion can have a crucial role in how a community is organized, and in some

cases, led. Religious buildings provide shelter to people displaced in a crisis.

Religious buildings can provide the venue for distribution of relief supplies.

Religious leaders can advise us on who is most in need of assistance. They can

help mobilize the community if we need additional labor. Religious beliefs govern

how disaster affected people want the bodies of dead family members to be

treated. Religious beliefs often feature an aspect of charity or stress the

importance of helping others in need—and are therefore somehow humanitarian in

their roots.

My advice for humanitarian workers is quite simple to state, but harder to put

into practice:

 Understand your organization’s mandate and operating approach—for

example Save the Children’s main selection criteria for humanitarian

assistance is vulnerability—of children, and of their families;

 Ensure that field staff have a very good understanding of the context in

which they are working and receive training to analyze their situation

from an objective viewpoint, enabling them to set the most appropriate

course of action.

Notes

1 The initial exchange took place as part of an interactive roundtable at the

conference on ‘Salvage and Salvation: Religion, Disaster Relief, and

Reconstruction in Asia’, held at the Asia Research Institute, National University

of Singapore in November 2012. In addition to the three practitioners quoted here,

Finney, Hazra & England: Engaging Religion

27

we had a fourth participant in the roundtable—Dr. Ali Noor, Country Director for

Islamic Relief Indonesia. Unfortunately due to Dr Noor’s untimely demise, we

were not able to include his perspective on Islamic Relief in this published

interview. The interview provided here builds upon this stimulating initial

conversation. Written responses were provided by each participant.