In many developing countries, no matter how far you journey off the beaten path, you will often find a church. Eighty percent of the world’s population considers religion an important part of life, and in many developing nations people trust their religious leaders more than they do their political leaders. Because of this, religious communities are major agents in international aid work.
Important to the local community
“We see every day how our member organizations and their partners in the south are creating solid, sustainable development measures, and how churches and church organizations hold a very special place in the local community,” states Peter Blum Samuelsen, general secretary for the Development Department for the Danish Mission Council (DMRU).
DMRU is an umbrella organization with 32 member organizations, and has a long tradition in cooperation between Danish churches and churches in developing countries. The function of DMRU is very similar to Digni’s role as an intermediary between the state and mission organizations involved in long-term development work.
Must show our strengths
This week DMRU is holding a campaign called “Global Diaconia.” Through the campaign they want to highlight the quality work churches are doing in international aid.
“We see that for many people, this kind of work is completely natural for the church to be involved in, and because of this we rarely highlight its qualities and strengths. We are working to become better at doing this, and this is why we’re holding this campaign,” says the general secretary.
You can read a number of success stories from the Danish Mission Council’s member organizations on their website http://www.globaldiakoni.dk/ and even watch a film that presents the importance of the church’s aid work . We think this film should be seen by many Norwegians, too. Well done by our Danish sister organization DMRU!