Eric's Work

“It is good that you are here. You could have just sent money, but money doesn’t transform people, people do.” These words, uttered by the energetic Bishop Joel during our brief initial meeting, gave me (Eric) hope that ours would be a durable and progressive partnership. His wish to see transformation occur closely correlates with the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee’s (CRWRC) goals and commitments. CRWRC has a vision, a vision of a world “where people experience and extend Christ’s compassion and live together in hope as God’s community”. CRWRC strives to make this vision a reality through transformational community development activities. To CRWRC, a community in the process of transforming is a community where:

People gather to shape their future together
People work together on programs that benefit their quality of life
Everyone’s gifts and talents are welcomed and used
Leaders are identified, developed, and affirmed
On-going learning leads to awareness and improved lives
Justice prevails, laws protect, and civic life is active
Mercy is generous and flowing
Input by the local Christian community is valued

CRWRC’s approach to community transformation is unique in the world of development organizations and agencies. It seeks to bring about transformation by developing partnerships with local institutions and organizations that have a stake in the community at a grass-roots level and that already have a track record of doing community development using local resources. The rational behind this is that in order for community development projects to be sustainable, the community must value the work being done. A project directed by an external donor may or may not be valued by the local community and, therefore, may not be sustainable.

In Uganda, one of our strongest partnerships is with the Church of Uganda, which is part of the global Anglican community. As a Program Consultant, I will be providing consulting services to two (Nebbie and Madi/West Nile) of several diocese, or regions. In Madi/West Nile diocese alone, there are approximately 800 churches with over 200,000 members. Given its size, the Church of Uganda has the capacity to positively impact many communities across this nation. It is also a strategic partner because it can bring a holistic approach to community development that encompasses both the material, economic, and physical aspect of life, as well as the spiritual and emotional.

I will primarily be working with the Planning and Development Committee (PDC) offices at both the diocesan and archdeaconry levels. Archdeaconries are the structural subdivisions within each diocese. The diocesan PDC is responsible for providing logistical support to the archdeaconries, coordinating the archdeaconry programs, and representing them to external organizations and entities. It is the responsibility of the archdeaconry PDC to work on the ground initiating and helping to implement development projects at the community level.

Some projects already in progress include the following: agro-forestry, animal traction, and other food security programs; bee-keeping, goat multiplication, and other income generating activities; diaconal, leadership, and civic training; etc. The purpose of my consulting work will be to enhance the diocesan and archdeaconry PDC’s capacity to make a more lasting and far-reaching impact in the lives of community members. A community may, for example, ask the archdeaconry PDC for assistance with setting up a village banking system. If this is not a strength of the PDC, I could network to get the training and/or resources necessary to implement a workable and effective program.

Needless to say, it is a big, but exciting job that can have a substantial impact on a community’s standard of living, if done right. I hope to keep you updated on the progress of the work so that you can get a sense of what community transformation looks like in less developed countries. I welcome your prayers for wisdom and for the work, for the Church and the communities it will be serving, and for Uganda as a whole. This is a dynamic land full of great potential, but also a land facing many challenges. It is projected, for example, that it will lose nearly 14% of its labor force to AIDS by the year 2020. Besides your prayers, I welcome your words of wisdom or encouragement, advice, recommendation, helpful resources, or stories of transformation you have witnessed in your own community, neighborhood, church, school, business, home, farm, etc. We can all be agents of transformation so long as we bear in mind that the process usually begins within.

Blessings and peace to you all as you continue this meandering journey called life…