The Annual Forum on Religion and Sustainable Development 2023, convened in Berlin, Germany from October 17 to 19, brought together a diverse array of stakeholders, including government agencies, multilateral organizations, civil society, and faith-based groups. As an active participant in these discussions and a member of the PaRD Steering Board, I gained invaluable insights into the global discourse on sustainable development and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this blog post, I will reflect on the critical takeaways from the forum’s content and explore the cruci ..read more

Apart from its immediate public health impact, the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have wide-reaching economic implications. Many countries have taken measures to limit or prevent social interactions through the implementation of curfews, lockdowns, and restrictions to movement. These have negatively impacted poor households which depend on dialy income to meet their basic needs.   The International Monetary Fund predicts that the pandemic will lead to the worst economic downturn with the global economy contracting by about 3 percent in 2020. More than 90 countries and most from the Globa ..read more

Undeniably, the COVID-19 has posed many challenges globally. Tanzania is not an exception to this pandemic; it has not been exempted from the infection and effects of Coronavirus. Its impacts are felt especially to the vulnerable groups including children, women and the elderly. Closure of schools has also disrupted children’s ability to learn and interact with others. The containment at homes has added stress on family members. Working from home is also proving to be a hectic task. As the country is adapting to the new situation, many are also at risk of loosing their employment ..read more

The world is currently battling one of the worst health pandemics in decades, the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.   Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, the largest people’s movement in Sri Lanka has always been one of the first civil society organizations in Sri Lanka to respond to any emergency crisis in the country. This has been the case during the decades long civil war, the Tsunami and during natural disasters such as floods. However, covid-19 posed a unique challenge as it restricted Sarvodaya employees from physically reaching out to grassroots communities (an attribute Sarvodaya ..read more

A career choice conversation with most teachers in Kenya ends up with them, regrettably saying they only became teachers after missing out on their desired careers. But that is not the case for Fahima Ali. Hers is a case of passion and desire to create the change she wants to see in society- passion and desire that she has had since childhood, growing up in Coastal Kenya. When we meet her in Majengo, Nairobi during a children’s session, a component of the Building Family Resilience Against Violent Extremism project, she first offers us a brief lesson before further conversation. The lesson i ..read more

First, is the conviction derived from my FAITH There is a strong consensus across our religious traditions about the inherent dignity of every person, including children. According to my faith tradition – Christianity, all human beings, children included…enjoy special status and dignity in creation. The basis of this claim is in the bible, in the book of Genesis 1:27. This requires that we protect and promote the sanctity of life in every stage of human development. This calls us to be willing to take a stand when the rights of children are in danger – be it the right to survival, the right t ..read more

  While these household surveys are a massive leap forward in terms of providing reliable monetary and multidimensional poverty estimates, they may underestimate the magnitude of child poverty. However, certain groups of children, often the poorest or those vulnerable to poverty and deprivation, may in fact be missed out by such surveys –or their poverty situation not captured sufficiently in the survey analysis. These groups of children missing from monetary and multidimensional poverty estimates are extremely diverse, as outlined below.    Poor children who are not living in ..read more

In every language, in every country, there is a word or phrase meaning ’Peace’ Paz. Ukuthula. Shalom. Paix. Amani. Heiwa. Salām. Śānti. Salaamata. Pace. Amahoro. Friede. Hépíng Though the words are as many as there are people groups and nations, peace carries with it the same positive meaning. Peace denotes wellbeing, wholeness, harmony, serenity, safety, security, freedom, hope, happiness and other wholesome attributes. Positive peace also paves the way for sustainable development and its resultant benefits, including: quality education, healthcare, food security, access ..read more

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (IDEP) is a global day of awareness, advocacy and action against poverty; marked every 17 October. This year, IDEP takes the theme: Acting Together to Empower Children, their Families and Communities to End Poverty. The theme is anchored on commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which recognizes the right of every child to a standard of living adequate for the child’s physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development. You can take these simple steps and become part of IDEP 2019 Cr ..read more

Creating awareness amongst today’s youngsters on the issue of sustainable development is not just a matter of teaching, it is about inspiring action. Education is central to development. It is the primary vehicle by which economically and socially marginalized adults and children can lift themselves out of poverty, better understand and improve their health, create sustainable livelihoods and obtain the means to participate more fully in their communities. Educating youngsters on sustainable development issues is most effective when it is based on generating experiences and active involvemen ..read more