Religion is important – also in development work

In the global South, where our members organizations are working, religion plays a big part. Here, as many as 80 percent of the populations consider religion to be foundational for their identity and self-understanding, and many express a great trust in their religious social institutions.

Among the poor in these countries, faith-based organizations are the often the only kind of social organizing that exists. In sub-Sahara Africa, for instance, religious organizations are behind more than half of all health and educational services. For a development effort to succeed it therefore helps to recognize the importance of religion and seek to understand, what role it plays in development.

Center for Church-Based Development (CKU) is continually working to put religion and development on the agenda in regards to foreign policy. Through professional capacity development we aim to create an understanding of and strenghten the capacity of our Danish partners in development to analyze and navigate in various contexts, where religion is a factor in the development partnership.