Participants in an LWF-facilitated project management workshop for the Lutheran Church in Cambodia. Photo: Sally Lim
GENEVA, 9 March 2016 (LWI) - Today, more lay people are involved in the day-to-day running of church projects, accountability is improving and participation is becoming more inclusive. On 10 March, over 400 participants will take part in a virtual exchange on good practices in managing diaconal projects and programs that are supported by The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in collaboration with its member churches worldwide. Through its Department for Mission and Development, LWF supports 75 projects which include 27 in Africa, 20 in Asia, 10 in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 10 in Central Eastern Europe, with a combined budget of EUR 2.4 million.
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The projects focus on leadership and institutional support, capacity development, environmental rehabilitation, women and youth empowerment, gender justice, and HIV and AIDS..
Photo Gallery: Join diaconal workers sharing good practices of project management
Read about initiatives in Malawi, Brazil and Norway .
Clean water is a “shared business” in Matsimbe, Malawi
Clean water came to Matsimbe community and its 13 villages in the poor Lilongwe district of Malawi thanks to participatory planning. The whole community was involved in deciding that piped water was the first priority for the Matsimbe Poverty Alleviation Project, supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi and LWF. An extensive awareness campaign by village leaders encouraged all community members to express their needs, then use their skills as bricklayers, carpenters and farmers to make the dream a reality. “Water is everyone’s shared business, therefore everyone is involved,” says Venah Mzezewa, project coordinator at the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa.
Group learning in Brazil strengthens community support
Networking is vital to promoting human rights and gender equality to Brazil. The Lutheran Foundation of Diakonia (FLD), an arm of the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil, connects 60 organizations so the church can serve Brazilian society. The foundation has developed training programs, built a website and formed partnerships to address domestic and social violence, indigenous rights and food security in Brazil. “Supportive relationships between churches and organizations with a purpose to help bring focus to diaconal work through group learning, mutual coaching and opportunities to discover new perspective with like-hearted community players,” says Cibele Kuss, FLD executive secretary.
A “Green Congregation” tool in Norway
Norwegians love to travel the globe to network but know that flying is a main contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, says Per Ivar Våje, project coordinator at Church of Norway. So the Grefsen congregation has developed a tool called “Green Congregation” that helps churches to focus on saving the planet by measuring their carbon footprint, monitoring the CO2 emissions of their buildings, and travel habits. “If we are doing more like we are doing now, having meetings online rather than flying down to Ethiopia or Guyana to meet with you guys, then it’s a good solution.”
