Women in Sohal Tole, a community of Santhal and Dalit (Musahar) people on the margins of society in Nepal, are involved in an LWF-supported project on disaster preparedness and improving livelihoods. Photo: LWF/Albin Hillert
Global Leadership Team Meeting hears how World Service and partners are responding to economic and political challenges
(LWI) - With the humanitarian aid and development sector in turmoil, how can faith-based organizations continue walking in hope and confidence? That challenging question was at the heart of a Global Leadership Team Meeting of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) World Service which brought together representatives of country programs, member churches and related agencies.
The 6 and 8 May meeting was originally scheduled to take place in Berlin at the headquarters of Brot für die Welt, the development agency of the Protestant churches in German and one of the LWF’s longstanding partners. Due to the funding cuts of recent months, the meeting was moved online. Rev. Dr. Dagmar Pruin, President of Brot für die Welt and Diakonia Katastrophenhilfe, gave a keynote reflection on “a world in crisis”, as humanitarian and development agencies struggle to redefine their roles and priorities in the face of declining financial resources.
People still trust us [and] our strength is how close to the people we can be
Rev. Dr. Dagmar Pruin, President of Brot für die Welt and Diakonia Katastrophenhilfe
Pruin shared insights into the political situation in Germany, where a new coalition government has pledged to continue supporting a ministry for development cooperation. Amidst “a lot of uncertainty,” she said, faith-based organizations are struggling to respond to the impact of funding cuts by the Trump administration in the United States and asking key questions around “how to win back voters” attracted by extreme right-wing agendas.
“Even in our country, with our freedom to act [….] we see how hard it is to work within the shrinking space for civil society in so many countries,” she warned. But “people still trust us,” Pruin insisted. “Our strength is how close to the people we can be and this is something we have to keep explaining to our governments.” The challenges, she said, is “how to tell the stories of the way our work impacts people’s lives.”
A sector “convulsing to respond” to funding cuts
Giving an overview of events that have led to the current crisis, LWF World Service director, Maria Immonen spoke of “declining support for multilateralism and development aid,” even before the U.S. presidential elections last November. Following the closing of USAID and the “massive disruption to the humanitarian sector,” as 46% of global funding was cut “almost overnight,” she said the whole sector is “convulsing to respond.”
Within LWF country programs, the cuts have led to the loss of over 200 local staff, with Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda, Central America and the Jerusalem offices among the worst hit. LWF has been working on global restructuring, Immonen said, while at the same time focusing on the search for new partners, donors and businesses to be able to continue the vital work of supporting the most vulnerable people and communities. World Service wants “to focus more on working with member churches,” she said, as well as “working with like-minded partners on new forms of sharing and cooperation.”
Girma Gudina, LWF country representative in the Kenya – Somalia program, gave examples of the way the cuts have affected children in Kenya, where LWF runs 45 schools in two refugee camps. Classes are still running, he noted, “to reduce related risks,” including early marriage for girls or drugs and gang-related activity for boys, but the quality of education is declining with fewer teachers and up to 140 kids in a class. Cuts to education and other services will have a severe impact into the future, he stressed, with more displacement and more conflict among refugees and host communities. “We must keep people at the heart of what we do,” he said, and “amplify the voices of those affected” by the current crisis.
Localization and sharing best practices
LWF country representatives and program directors from Haiti, Uganda, Burundi and Colombia-Venezuela shared ways in which they are seeking to respond to the diverse challenges in their regions, focusing on working more closely with local partners and community-based organizations, as well as sharing experiences and best practices to maximize efficiency.
In Haiti, Country Representative Borry Jatta shared how LWF and longstanding partner Norwegian Church Aid operate a joint office, with a fully integrated management structure and a shared representative, to provide protection, water and sanitation, climate resilience and other services in a context of “systemic collapse,” where over six million people need humanitarian support. Golda Ibarra, from the LWF Colombia and Venezuela office, talked about the challenges of managing a bi-national office, supporting migrants and host communities affected by armed conflict, natural disasters and, in Venezuela, a humanitarian crisis.
In Uganda, Adriana Franco Chitanana noted that the country hosts around 1.9 million refugees, over half of them children. In a context of declining funds, she spoke about the way the LWF is working closely with local community-based organizations to provide support to the most vulnerable, including mental health training and suicide prevention. Elsewhere in Africa, Blaise Kubwayo from Burundi shared details of a recent exchange visit that he made to the LWF office in Nepal to learn more about moving from direct support to working through local organizations.
Cover of the LWF World Service Global Strategy 2025-2031
Perspectives from partners
Partners from four of the member churches and related agencies working with the LWF also outlined ways they are trying to respond to the crisis. Vicki Gollasch from Australia Lutheran World Service spoke of a committed “but ageing Lutheran base” among supporters, necessitating new campaigns and new ways of engaging to mobilize resources from new sources. 'Similarly, Jason Carkner from Canadian Lutheran World Relief highlighted "the ongoing struggles faced by our traditional church constituency in Canada.” CLWR is meeting this challenge, he said, "by adapting its approaches to fundraising and church engagement, and by seeking new funding partners for its work."'
Karin Axelsson Zaar from Act Church of Sweden said the priority is “increased regional presence” with the establishment of three hubs in Jordan, Uganda and Colombia. These bring benefits of “lower costs and carbon footprint,” as well as a more effective response to emergencies. Supporting theological education is another important priority, she said, in order to form “a new generation of religious leaders.”
Barbara Lund from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America spoke of the need to strengthen “advocacy as a crucial expression of our baptismal promises,” noting that the Lutheran church was the first to declare itself a sanctuary church for refugees and migrants. She highlighted “a lot of local organizing with ecumenical partners,” as well as “a commitment to stay strong in our support to LWF.”
A new World Service strategy, launched last year, highlights the importance of partnerships to be able to continue the journey of empowering communities and transforming lives. The active involvement of partners is crucial in providing “hope and a future”, it says, adding that “LWF World Service believes that, together, we can do more."
