The nuts and bolts of Joining Hands

A holistic response to hunger

1. The country networks
2. The U.S. network: Presbyteries, congregations and other interested groups
3. The Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP)
4. Companionship facilitators
5. Joining Hands volunteers
6. Next steps: Getting involved

Joining Hands: Companions for transformation

The nuts and bolts of Joining Hands

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s understanding of mission in the world today is challenged by a rapidly changing and complex international context. Through the complexity of factors that seem to characterize this post cold war and post 9/11-era, the four following elements stand out:

• Worldwide economic, technological and military dominance of the United States.
• Un-bridled “globalization,” championed by the United States and other industrialized nations’ governments, as well as by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization and various multi-national companies, promoting the opening of the doors of every country to unrestricted world market competition.
• Unprecedented levels of wealth consolidated into the hands of a few mega-companies in the United States and other industrialized countries paralleled by unprecedented levels of poverty in large segments of the world’s population particularly in developing countries.
• Rise of religious fundamentalism and of exacerbated nationalism, increasing social and political instability of fragile peripheral societies, increasing loss of sovereignty of developing countries due to various degrees of direct foreign, “international” financial and/or military interventions.

In such a context, how can the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) respond to the calls for help from our overseas partners without acting or being perceived as an extension of U.S. government policies? How can we respond without arrogantly taking charge of poor communities, without disempowering their leadership, and without perpetuating a style of mission based on the money and power of the West?

Joining Hands is a new approach to hunger ministry, one that tries to answer these difficult questions, one that seeks to move beyond short-term responses to hunger. As we discussed earlier, hunger is a complex phenomenon that cannot be addressed properly simply through local food distributions and/or by limited projects aimed at meeting immediate needs. Only by discovering and addressing root causes of hunger locally as well as in the global arena will we be able to bring lasting solutions.

Joining Hands works to address those root — or structural — causes of poverty and hunger by connecting communities around the world with communities in the United States. The relationship involves three main players: The international network, the U.S.-based network and the Presbyterian Hunger Program, based in Louisville, Kentucky. A Companionship Facilitator (CF) serves as a bridge between the different groups, helping them to better coordinate communication and action. We will explain the role and composition of each of these groups a little later in this section.

This three-way relationship is based on the principal that everyone involved — both in the United States and among our international partners — will grow and learn from each other by participating in the program. We call this the principal of mutual accompaniment and mutual transformation. Just as communities in Egypt and India are facing the onslaught on economic and political forces that characterize the world today, so are communities in the United States.

Joining Hands tries to move away from traditional (and often paternalistic) donor-recipient relationships. It emphasizes that we are in this journey together, seeking to restore the wholeness of God’s creation by working to build a more just world. The program is not based on funding individual projects, but rather developing coordinated actions within and between the networks. The range of activities may include holding educational workshops on the root causes of poverty, developing skills for doing social and economic analysis, training in community organizing, advocacy work, spirituality and developing alternatives to unjust economic and social models, among other things.

A holistic response to hunger: The nuts and bolts of Joining Hands

1. The country networks

Network structure

The core structure of the Joining Hands model is based around its international or “country” networks. The country networks include faith-based agencies (Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, traditional indigenous, Evangelical Christian, etc.), national non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and grassroots groups that are involved in fighting hunger and injustice in their home countries. Currently, there are nine country networks participating in Joining Hands worldwide: Lesotho, Cameroon, South Africa, India, Egypt, Palestine, Peru, Bolivia and most recently Sri Lanka. Other new networks are in the beginning stages.

First and foremost, the country network is independent. The members of the country network are uniquely equipped to identify the root causes of poverty in their home country and to develop responses that are appropriate to their own context. The members of the country network are responsible for developing a shared identity and common goals for their work together.

When a country network is first getting started, it is encouraged to hold either a founding assembly or series of workshops with interested organizations and churches to analyze the causes of poverty and most pressing justice concerns in that country. This process allows a diverse group of people to come together to establish a common understanding of the causes of hunger, poverty and injustice in their country.

Based upon those reflections, the nascent network determines one or two specific issues around which it will focus its energy. In the past, networks have focused on issues like international trade relations, racism, military occupation, the AIDS epidemic and environmental contamination, among other issues.

The country network also uses that period to establish a leadership team and organizational structure. In some countries, national law requires organizations to establish their formal, legal status. In others, informal networks will suffice. The level of formality of the leadership team or structure is up to the network itself, so long as it demonstrates the values of transparency and participation that are fundamental to Joining Hands.

Story box

For some networks, it has been helpful to develop vision and mission statements and articulate objectives that help define the identity and scope of the network. For example, the Lesotho Joining Hands network states:

Vision: The vision of the Network is to work towards the transformation of Lesotho into a Nation where people have access to their fundamental human needs.

Mission: The mission of the network is to have a program of action, which is aimed at sensitizing people through organizations about the challenges of poverty, ascertaining root causes of poverty, examining the allocation of resources in Lesotho and participating in poverty reduction initiatives.

Similarly, the Chethana network of India has developed vision and mission statements:

Vision: Celebrating life with dignity in a network of relationship

Mission: Enabling and equipping adivasis, dalits, women, sexual minorities, small and marginal farmers and rural artisans to challenge and resist homogenization of cultures and systems and reclaim/assert their rights: political, economic, social and cultural, and to take control over their lives and resources as individuals and communities to fashion an alternative paradigm of life and governance in society.

Because the Joining Hands country network is independent, its relationship with the PC(USA) and Presbyterian Hunger Program is a relationship between equals. That relationship is centered on the following elements:

• Mutual solidarity, prayer and spiritual reflections from various faith perspectives
• Reflection and analysis of community problems and their global connections
• Support for local organizing by community groups
• Training and developing local leadership capacity in peaceful hunger action
• Financial support for specific hunger action programs
• Consideration of global hunger action strategies for PC(USA) congregations in the United States
• Raising international awareness on issues of hunger and justice
• Participation in international advocacy on issues of hunger and justice
  

In a later section we will provide concrete examples of how different countries have organized their work together, according to what they identify to be the causes of poverty in their own nation.

Core training programs

As each country network gets started, the Presbyterian Hunger Program provides funding for “Core Training Programs.” Core Training Programs are designed for internal education, consciousness raising and leadership development for network members. They provide the tools and skills — in such areas as social analysis, leadership, management, advocacy and nonviolent action — that will help the network and its members be better prepared and more effective in this new endeavor.

Each year, country networks may develop a proposal for activities that fit within the guidelines for Core Training and apply for funding from PHP. Usually, these are areas that the network has identified as growing edges within its membership — or skills that will help make the network more effective as a whole.

Core training programs include (but are not limited to):

• Spirituality and faith grounding for peaceful social action
• Social analysis/awareness building
• Community leadership development
• Community organizing and building community institutions
• Just governance of participating organizations
• Gender/ethnic/racial equity principles
• Transparent project management, monitoring and evaluation
• Cross-cultural exchanges
• Ecology/the environment as a hunger and justice issue
• Need-based community economic initiatives
• Medium and long-term planning/strategizing to develop larger campaigns around justice issues that go beyond short-term projects
  

This final point is key to the Joining Hands model. In order to tackle the root causes of poverty, networks must be able to develop medium and long-range strategic programs that go deeper than short-term projects aimed at meeting immediate needs. Long-range strategic programs require that the network be able to do solid social analysis and have good planning and management skills. Thus the skills and tools that network members developed through the Core Training Program are intended to better equip the network for this next level of work: the strategic program.

Strategic program

Unlike the Core Training Program, which is internally focused on the members of the Country Network, the strategic program is made up of activities directed toward the broader society. This strategic program may include radio spots and mass media campaigns, advocacy with parliament or even the development of alternative economic initiatives. A wide range of activities falls within this category, but they are all necessarily part of a larger, overarching strategy that the network develops.

What does a strategic program look like?

We are often more familiar with short-term projects that respond to immediate, pressing needs. A strategic program requires a lot more planning and coordination. It requires that a network:

• Develop a thorough and accurate analysis of the root causes of hunger in the country
• Identify local manifestations of larger hunger, poverty and justice issues, and prioritize one or two themes around which the network will focus its work
• Identify clear objectives and goals for the program it will develop
• Think strategically about how to meet those goals; design short, medium, and long-range priorities that include specific actions; create a timeline and a chronology of activities that will allow the strategy to move forward
• Develop tools for evaluating the overarching plan and individual activities to be sure they are effective and that they are moving the network towards its long-term goal

Similarly, strategic programs developed for Joining Hands are expected to demonstrate:

• An understanding of the root causes of hunger
• A commitment to uphold the integrity of God's Creation (concern for the environment)
• The empowerment of poor people: especially women, racial/ethnic, and disadvantaged persons
• Involvement of participating organizations in planning, implementation and management of the project
• Clearly stated objectives, feasible methods, appropriate technologies, a plan for evaluation, competent staff and a clear adequate budget

A good example is the RELUFA (Reseau de Lutte contre la Faim) Network of Cameroon. After the RELUFA identified injustice suffered by women as one of the major “systemic inequalities” that cause hunger and poverty in the Cameroon, it set about to develop a strategy for how best to respond. RELUFA states that its aim is to break down “barriers by capacitating [training] women at the cultural, religious, judicial, political and economic levels.”

To do so, the network identified a series of broad goals and strategies that included:

• Studies and publications on cultural and religious customs related to gender
• Opening up theological training institutions to the notion of gender equality
• Sensitization [awareness raising] campaigns on women’s rights
• Amending and disseminating the Family Code (national law governing family issues)
• Partnering with other entities to lobby for the passage of the amended Family Code

Joining Hands relationships are not about building up service delivery capacity within the international networks. Rather it is about strengthening the networks presence in their respective societies as “lighthouses:” facilitating their ability to shine a light on those things in their communities and nations that perpetuate hunger and poverty—the root causes of hunger. The Church, as lighthouse, helps us keep our bearings, keep our eyes on important justice issues and exposes injustice and greed. The church as lighthouse helps us remember God’s mandate to care for our neighbor, to work for justice and abundant life for all God’s children and all of God’s creation.

The Presbyterian Hunger Program

• Serves as a resource to both the international and U.S.-based networks participating in Joining Hands. PHP can assist presbyteries, churches and organizations as they discern their participation in the program. It can also work with both networks to clarify questions and concerns about the program, its objectives, structure and scope.
• Connects the United States and country networks with the larger Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), especially PC(USA) offices involved with similar concerns (for example the Peacemaking Program, Self-Development of People, Disaster Assistance, Washington Office and Women’s Ministries, among others).
• Helps coordinate the relationship between all the U.S.-based and country networks participating in the program. Holds periodic meetings between representatives from the different networks so they may learn from each other’s experiences.
• Provides grants for the country networks’ Core Training Programs and some limited funding for strategic activities. The Hunger Program does not provide funding for individual projects that are not part of the strategy identified by the entire network.
• Provides a modest grant for presbyteries to supplement their educational programs and exchange trips.
• Recruits and employs a companionship facilitators to work with country networks.
• Works with the Joining Hands Coordinating Committee to implement an overall Joining Hands strategic plan and to evaluate the ongoing development of the program.

5. Joining Hands volunteers

One exciting new form of Joining Hands accompaniment currently being envisioned is a Joining Hands volunteer opportunity. Through such an arrangement, a volunteer recruited by the Worldwide Ministries Division of PC(USA) is supported by a presbytery or presbyteries for two years. During the first year she/he lives in the country of partnership, and assists the network leadership and the companionship facilitator with the core and strategic programs, but with particular responsibility for planning visits and supporting visiting groups. She/he also learns first-hand and in-depth about some of the local hunger issues and challenges. During the second year the volunteer returns to the presbytery or presbyteries to work with the local Joining Hands coordinating team in their interpretation, education and outreach efforts, especially in relation to the planning and United States side logistics of the next group visit.

Next steps: Getting involved

If your church, organization, presbytery or grassroots organization is interested in getting involved in Joining Hands, please see the guidelines for involvement, available in the annex section of this document . The annex also includes guidelines for international accompaniment, resources for discerning your involvement and contact information for those groups that are interested in getting involved.

The next section will provide concrete examples of how the international and U.S.-based networks have implemented the Joining Hands model in their own contexts.

Joining Hands
Companions for transformation

Principles of International accompaniment

1. Joining Hands is about mutuality, respect and solidarity among equals involved in a common struggle for justice and against hunger around the world across continents, races, religions and cultural contexts.

2. Joining Hands involves international partners interested in approaching relationships with a country network for maximum coordination of hunger efforts, integrated holistic initiatives and focused interventions.

3. Joining Hands involves international partners willing to walk with impoverished local communities in humility, without throwing money and Western “know how” at their hunger problems through immediate project-packaged solutions.

4. Joining Hands is about international partners willing to participate in local and global integrated/holistic and coordinated hunger initiatives that rely on local creativity — recuperating traditional technologies and local resources, restoring self-confidence and self-esteem and lifting up indigenous spirituality in poor communities.

5. Joining Hands is about the creation of a national or provincial common platform, of a space for dialogue, based on mutual respect and honest recognition of differences, to try and find common axes of understanding of specific hunger issues and coordination of actions at the local and global levels.

6. Joining Hands involves the analysis of, and learning about, local and global root causes of hunger in a given country. It challenges international partners to educate their constituencies about the causes of hunger in the country/countries of their relationship, and to mobilize public support in their own country to challenge policies and practices of their government or of national and/or foreign companies that may be responsible for these situations.

7. Joining Hands is about sharing in prayer and worship, and about discovering God’s attributes in brothers and sisters around the world through their racial, cultural and religious diversity. Hence all efforts must be made on all sides to learn about, respect and understand individual and collective behaviors as we try and walk side by side on the narrow pathways to community healing and wholeness. Therefore, Joining Hands will not be involved in proselytism or attempts to try and change other’s faith and convictions.

8. Joining Hands is about churches exploring together how to be lighthouses in poor communities. It is about churches, instead of taking charge of the needs of poor communities, choosing to train, organize and empower poor people to access the services they need to improve their lives in their communities.

9. Joining Hands is about local churches, institutions of other faiths, non-governmental organizations and grassroots groups cross-fertilizing each other and learning from each other’s expertise and experience and coordinating their activities in order to have a greater local and global impact on hunger in their country.

10. Joining Hands is about listening to the voices from other religious traditions on issues of hunger and justice. The cry of the hungry and the call to justice are found across numerous religions. Joining Hands will look for and celebrate such commonalities in order to build faith-based coalitions against hunger.