The central role of faith in the lives of the communities we work with

The impact of faith in development is varied, complex and not always easy to predict.  

Faith is integral to most communities that our organisations work with. Religious affiliation is rarely a census tick box and is far more often a central reference point in people’s lives.

Bond’s Faith in Development Working Group focuses on the role of faith in the development and humanitarian sectors by creating a platform for all organisations to learn the opportunities and risks and to acknowledge the centrality of faith in the lives of those we work with.

Members of our steering committee have shared their reasons for being part of it.

Luke Martin, Tearfund

My favourite part of my role is connecting with colleagues to talk about our shared vision: a world free from extreme poverty, with fairly distributed resources and equitable relationships. The difficult bit often starts when we start talking about the role of faith actors. I can never be certain how people will react when I tell them that one of our core programming approaches is to equip faith actors to bring positive change in their communities.

I’ve always been convinced that faith actors can and should play a vital part in development, not least because of their ubiquity in communities around the world. We know that faith actors have a vital role to play in their communities, and that faith communities have deep, enduring knowledge of their community. It makes them essential actors in progressing development aims, and the response to humanitarian disasters. It’s taken me longer to understand the mixed, sometimes negative, role that faith actors can have, and this is, I think, what can cause resistance to faith actors. I’m excited for this group to keep unpicking the complexities and to hear how others are working with faith actors – and if not, why not.

Osmawani Binti Osman, Islamic Relief Worldwide

The world is becoming more polarised, and we are challenged every day with greater global hunger, deepening climate emergencies, entrenched inequalities and a severely weakened rules-based order. As faith influences the lives of billions of people, if we are to effectively tackle these challenges, we need to better understand the relationship between faith and our humanitarian and development work.

This working group can be the space to demonstrate that faith can be a unifying force in addressing these global challenges, and that the spirit of compassion and humanity is alive. This is my hope for this group – a place where we can join hands to influence current discourse. We can do this by highlighting the role that faith-based approaches can play in achieving development goals, advocating for the principles of international humanitarian law, delivering humanitarian aid impartially and driving progress on things like girls’ education and peacebuilding, for example.

Beth Saffer, World Jewish Relief

I often used to feel like the faith part of my work was incidental; while I belong to the Jewish faith and community, I came to the role more through my professional interests. I now see the Jewish values that we adhere to at World Jewish Relief – welcoming the stranger, kindness and healing the world – as complementary and supplementary to the core humanitarian principles that guide the sector.

We are fortunate that the UK Jewish community supports our programmes. This enables a level of flexibility and true locally led partnerships, where over many years we build relationships with people and an understanding of needs. Our partners – both within the community and beyond it – know that we will always strive to act and respond in line with our principles.

I’m excited to learn about other faith-based approaches, and the synergies between faith-based actors, and share these values with the wider sector.

Irfan Khan, Muslim Hands

At Muslim Hands, our work is driven by a core commitment to serving humanity through principles of compassion, justice and inclusivity. As a faith-inspired organisation, we view these values as a framework for addressing global development challenges with a focus on dignity and sustainability.

Our approach integrates immediate humanitarian assistance with long-term development strategies, ensuring that communities are empowered to lead their own progress. From improving access to clean water and education to building climate resilience, our interventions are tailored to local contexts, emphasising cultural understanding and sustainable impact.

Collaboration is central to our work. Faith-based organisations play a unique role in uniting efforts to support global goals and responding to the needs of those affected by disasters and crises, including the growing impacts of climate change. By working together, we can amplify our collective impact and build a more resilient and equitable future for all.

Angus Douglas, Samaritan’s Purse

My journey into the development sector began in 2012 when my family and I moved to Nepal to work with a Christian Nepali NGO focused on health and community development. Upon returning to the UK, I was grateful for the opportunity to join Samaritan’s Purse International, a Christian international relief organisation.

Like me, Samaritan’s Purse is motivated by Christian faith – its tagline ‘helping in Jesus’ name’ reflects how faith is central to its mission. The organisation serves all people without discrimination, providing aid to people experiencing war, disasters, poverty and disease, regardless of race, creed, gender or sexual orientation. By partnering with local churches worldwide, Samaritan’s Purse empowers churches to support their communities effectively.

While my colleagues in this group come from different faith backgrounds, it’s inspiring to see how our diverse beliefs all drive us toward the same goal – helping those in need, both spiritually and physically.

Jaipreet Kaur, All We Can

One of the best parts of working in the development sector is knowing I’m part of the positive change we’re seeing, particularly around locally led development and the decolonisation of aid and funding. It’s inspiring to see how these shifts are empowering communities to take control of their own development.

I’m particularly excited about the role that faith-based organisations play in this process. They’re often at the heart of the communities they serve, driving change from within and ensuring that development is truly community led. Their deep-rooted presence and understanding of local contexts make them pivotal in transforming how aid is implemented.

I’m thrilled to explore these dynamics further with my esteemed colleagues in the Bond Faith in Development Working Group. Together, we can continue to support and amplify the voices and agency of communities, ensuring that development is more inclusive, effective and sustainable.

Could your organisation join the Faith in Development Working Group?

Faith in development is not a new concept. What’s new is the opportunity to use the evidence, reconsider our practice and develop meaningful ways to collaborate across the sector.

The working group would especially like a non-faith organisation to join the steering group, replicating the ethos of diversity held by faith traditions around the world: ‘any faith and none’. If you would like to find out more, please contact the chair of the group, Luke Martin: [email protected].

Add the Bond group platform: https://my.bond.org.uk/s/group/0F9Nt0000000EivKAE/faith-in-development