Forging Relationships Between Faith-based and Secular Organizations to Address the Global Water Crisis: A Case Study from Liberia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15566/cjgh.v6i1.243Keywords:
partnerships, faith-based, sustainable development, multisectorial, clean waterAbstract
It is imperative to engage in interdisciplinary and multisectoral partnerships as we seek to develop and deliver effective solutions to address the global water crisis. These partnerships allow us to live out our Christian charge to demand justice for the vulnerable and promote human flourishing. This case study reviews the benefits and challenges of multisectoral partnerships between faith-based and secular organizations using the example of a multi-year water filter distribution project in Liberia. Benefits of the partnership include shared expertise, investment in students and Liberians, and results-driven research. Challenges include differing sub-goals, logistical challenges, communication difficulties, and different ways of communicating results. Intentional program planning, avoiding preferential treatment, and engagement in process evaluation are all suggestions for mitigating the potentially harmful effects of these challenges.
References
Thelastwell.org [Internet]. Rockwall, Texas: Our history [2018]. Available from: https://thelastwell.org/why-liberia/
Shick TW. Behold the promised land: a history of Afro-American settlers in nineteenth-century Liberia. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press;1980.
Levitt JI. Evolution of deadly conflict in Liberia. Durham, North Carolina: Carolina Academic Press; 2005.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa [Internet]. Atlanta, Georgia: CDC; 2017. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/history/2014-2016-outbreak/index.html
Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Informational Services (LISGIS). Household income and expenditure survey 2014: statistical abstract [Internet]. Liberia: LISGIS; 2016 Mar. Available from: https://www.lisgis.net/pg_img/Liberia%20Statistical%20Abstract%20FINAL.pdf
The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and hygiene [Internet]. New York, NY: United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organization; 2015. Available from: https://washdata.org/data#!/lbr
Shaheed A, Orgill J, Montgomery MA, Jeuland MA, Brown J. Why “improved” water sources are not always safe. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2014; 92:283-89. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.13.119594
World Health Organization. Liberia WHO statistical profile [Internet]. 2015 Jan. Available from: / https://www.who.int/gho/countries/lbr/country_profiles/en
Checkley W, Buckley G, Gilman RH, et al. Childhood malnutrition and infection network. Multi-country analysis of the effects of diarrhoea on childhood stunting. Int J Epidemiol. 2008 Jun 20;37(4):816-30. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyn099
Guerrant RL, Oriá RB, Moore SR, Oriá MO, Lima AA. Malnutrition as an enteric infectious disease with long-term effects on child development. Nutr Rev. 2008 Sep 1;66(9):487-505. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1753-4887.2008.00082.x
Kotloff KL, Nataro JP, Blackwelder WC, et al. Burden and aetiology of diarrhoeal disease in infants and young children in developing countries (the Global Enteric Multicenter Study, GEMS): a prospective, case-control study. Lancet. 2013 Jul 20;382(9888):209-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60844-2
Fewtrell L, Kaufmann RB, Kay D, Enanoria W, Haller L, Colford Jr JM. Water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions to reduce diarrhoea in less developed countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Infect Disease. 2005 Jan 1;5(1):42-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(04)01253-8
Cairncross S, Hunt C, Boisson S, et al. Water, sanitation and hygiene for the prevention of diarrhoea. Int J Epidemiol. 2010 Mar 23;39(suppl_1):i193-205. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyq035
Prüss‐Ustün A, Bartram J, Clasen T, et al. Burden of disease from inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene in low‐and middle‐income settings: a retrospective analysis of data from 145 countries. Trop Med Int Health. 2014 Aug;19(8):894-905. https://doi.org/10.1111/tmi.12329
Wolterstorff N. Justice, not charity: social work through the eyes of faith. Soc Work Christ. 2006;33(2):123-40.
O'Neill DW. Theological foundations for an effective Christian response to the global disease burden in resource-constrained regions. Christ J Global Health. 2016 May 15;3(1):3-10. https://doi.org/10.15566/cjgh.v3i1.112
Vorster K. Kingdom, covenant, and human rights. In die Skriflig. 2017;51(2):1-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ids.v51i2.2257
Davis R. What about justice? Toward an evangelical perspective on advocacy in development. Transformation. 2009 Apr;26(2):89-103. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0265378809103385
Fawcett S, Schultz J, Watson-Thompson J, Fox M, Bremby R. Building multisector partnerships for population health and health equity. Prev Chronic Dis. 2010 Nov;7(6).
United Nations. About the Sustainable Development Goals [2018] [Internet]. Available from: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
Corbin JH. Health promotion, partnership and intersectoral action. Health Promot Int. 2017 Dec 1;32(6):923-9. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/dax084
Frieden TR. Six components necessary for effective public health program implementation. Am J Public Health. 2014;104:17-22. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301608
Lasker RD, Weiss ES, Miller R. Partnership synergy: a practical framework for studying and strengthening the collaborative advantage. Milbank Q. 2001;79(2):179-205. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0009.00203
Kandamuthan S, Madhireddi R. Equity in health care: lessons from public-private partnership initiatives in tribal health from Odisha, India. BMJ Global Health 2016;1:A25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2016-EPHPabstracts.33
Ruducha J, Mann C, Singh NS, et al. How Ethiopia achieved Millennium Development Goal 4 through multisector interventions: a countdown to 2015 case study. Lancet Global Health. 2017 Nov 30;5(11):e1142-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(17)30331-5
Faul MV. Multi-sectoral partnerships and power. Background paper prepared for UNRISD Flagship Report [Internet]. Geneva, Switzerland. United Nations Research Institute for Social Development; 2016 August. Available from: http://www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BCCF9/(httpAuxPages)/CA910973B03CB947C1258061006504BB/$file/Faul%20BP.pdf
Duff JF, Buckingham WW. Strengthening of partnerships between the public sector and faith-based groups. Lancet. 2015 Oct 31;386(10005):1786-94. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60250-1
Levin J. Partnerships between the faith-based and medical sectors: implications for preventive medicine and public health. Preventive Medicine Reports. 2016 Dec 1;4:344-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.07.009
Levin J. Faith-based partnerships for population health: challenges, initiatives, and prospects. Public Health Rep. 2014 Mar;129(2):127-31. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F003335491412900205
Duff J, Battcock M, Karam A, Taylor AR. High-level collaboration between the public sector and religious and faith-based organizations: fad or trend? Rev Faith Int Aff. 2016 Jul 2;14(3):95-100. https://doi.org/10.1080/15570274.2016.1215819
Buse K, Tanaka S. Global public-private health partnerships: lessons learned from ten years of experience and evaluation. Int Dent J. 2011;61:2-10. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1875-595X.2011.00034.x
Davie G, Ammerman NT, Huq S, et al. Religions and social progress: critical assessments and creative partnerships. In Rethinking Society for the 21st Century: Report of the International Panel for Social Progress. Cambridge University Press; 2018.
Safe M, Grills N, Wainwright E, Lankester T. Community Health Global Network: “clustering” together to increase the impact of community led health and development. Christ J Global Health. 2014 Nov 6;1(2). https://doi.org/10.15566/cjgh.v1i2.9
Willis CD, Corrigan C, Stockton L, Greene JK, Riley BL. Exploring the unanticipated effects of multi-sectoral partnerships in chronic disease prevention. Health Policy. 2017 Feb 1;121(2):158-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2016.11.019
Kamya C, Shearer J, Asiimwe G, et al. Evaluating global health partnerships: a case study of a Gavi HPV vaccine application process in Uganda. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2017 Jun;6(6):327. https://dx.doi.org/10.15171%2Fijhpm.2016.137
Brinkerhoff JM. Assessing and improving partnership relationships and outcomes: a proposed framework. Eval Program Plan. 2002 Aug 1;25(3):215-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0149-7189(02)00017-4
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Christian Journal for Global Health applies the Creative Commons Attribution License to all articles that we publish. Under this license, authors retain ownership of copyright for their articles or they can transfer copyright to their institution, but authors allow anyone without permission to copy, distribute, transmit, and/or adapt articles, even for commercial purposes so long as the original authors and Christian Journal for Global Health are appropriately cited.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
40.jpg){kind=logo}
.jpg)
1.jpg)
