In case you didn’t know, today is “World NGO Day“! The Day was first celebrated in 2010 by the 12 member countries of the IX Baltic Sea NGO Forum of the Council of the Baltic Sea States. In 2014, the UN, EU leaders and international organizations recognized and celebrated World NGO Day.
We at The CIHA Blog take this opportunity to highlight the work of our partner organization, Ujamaa Centre in South Africa that seeks to use biblical and theological resources for individual and social transformation, as well as highlight some of what we hope is constructive criticism of the aid world from our past posts. For example, we have covered the debate over issues of paternalism and reform in foreign aid; while our series on Biafra / Nigerian War explored the militarization of aid in specific African contexts. We have also addressed the power of funding in determining humanitarian priorities in the following posts: “Demanding Change in Humanitarian Aid” and “Outcomes of the World Humanitarian Summit”.
On this day, we invite you to reflect on the work of NGOs in Africa, particularly whether they embody and encourage egalitarian practices and African leadership in their projects and programs. We also invite reflection on the role of religious actors — both local and transnational — in aid provision. As always, we welcome your comments!