Breakthrough - The Role of Faith in Development and Peace Building

Discussion Highlights

• Ability, space given to share our faith based community and volunteer work

• Share ideas on how to make a space for women in faith and interfaith communities

• Oneness

• Support system and a central hub of learning sharing and collaboration, a focal point for connection

• Providing us a sense of being part of a larger whole

• Easy to get trapped in individual issues – how will an alliance address difficult issues?

• Look to Oneness, lifting up to another level of thinking

• Alliance as an opportunity to be a loud voice, energy filled – just sick of it – want to scream from the mtn tops – could Alliance speak loudly, need pathways for these voices – Alliance is about identifying pathways, a structured way for getting it out

• Each one of us is responsible – yet recognise that there may be possible resistance in ourselves about all three – need to work within to bring nexus of these 3 together in our own thinking and in our own projects – take responsibility to bring the 3rd or 2nd and 3rd partners to our own projects

• Keep issues in the foreground - mobilize actors – importance of networking, ability to mobilise people in different countries

• Core principles – MDGs and gender lens –

• Working from the existing interfaith groups, add development to the mix – might give interfaith groups something to work on

• Building on common ground, valuing different approaches, creativity, men & women, concept of Oneness

• Sharing real stories and experiences that can be used to inform policy

• Model of grass roots up and top down, information flow freely

• Sharing of information between members of Alliance – in this way build a quality Alliance

• Avoid having to relearn same lessons – therefore sharing information important

Recommendations

• Need to engage men leaders

• Need to plan

• Proceed prayerfully, meditatively

• Use web based links and teleconferencing (as opposed to expensive travel, conferences)

• Have the leadership team/steering group table a summary of the summit and recommendations so we have something tangible – this could take form of a regular newsletter, central database with all details

• Attendees take on responsibility of going into local communities and context and talk about the Alliance, presentation evenings, link more people to the alliance, expand

• Suggest the documenting of different faiths’ stands on women and development – misconceptions about what the faith says and what practices are, done in the name of religion, but might be folklore – if scripture taken into account, may see different outcomes

• Recommend a charter of understanding that comes out of this summit – a framework of how to continue – so we don’t dissipate into an abyss to move forward

• Ability to work together but differently – strategic plan for each country each organisation – manage each differently

• Be careful about how to communicate

• Be aware of different contexts, reality – to communicate effectively in each country

• Take action to start Alliance quickly so not to lose momentum

• Approach existing interfaith networks

• Invite wider representation of groups to the steering group

• Have a meeting of faith groups to help identify common ground

• Develop skills of listening to what women’s needs are

• Alliance should start with the education of young people