Building communities - living our faith

The work of the aid agency combines pastoral and development cooperation work which, at a time when the prevailing trend is to separate development policy and religion and spirituality, presents a challenge.
Dialogue and mutual respect are important in cooperating with partners from different denominations and religious communities. When working in such an inter-religious context, it is important to examine what consequences pastoral decisions will have for the coexistence of the different denominations and religions. Different social, cultural and political environments also require different pastoral answers.

 Fastenopfer policy statement "Building Communities - Living our Faith"

Securing basic needs - promoting access to resources

Access to food, finance and land are key elements in securing basic needs. Farmers are trained in the cultivation of appropriate plants, so that they can work together in cooperatives to create fish ponds, rear poultry and plant mixed crops. By providing training in improving soil fertility, but also through legal training, Fastenopfer enables people to stay on their land. Another level of support consists of micro-credit schemes and savings banks, which enable people in the South to escape from the debt trap. Fastenopfer supports such financial organisations and is a member of Oikocredit.

 Fastenopfer policy statement "securing basic needs" 

Promoting peace – fostering dialogue

Peace

Since the second World War, intra-state conflicts have increased across the world. The fight for land and natural resources, weak and unstable government institutions, growing inequality within communities, discrimination against minorities, as well as growing socio-economic divisions both within and between countries are all factors that lead to violent conflicts. The promotion of justice, human rights and social development is no longer feasible without including the peace component.

 Fastenopfer policy statement "Promoting peace"

Human Rights

The fight against poverty is at the centre of the shared objectives of human rights and development cooperation. A holistic understanding of poverty sees it as the result of discrimination, exclusion and disempowerment, and as such it is considered as a violation of the rights laid down in the international human rights conventions.
In its work on behalf of the most disadvantaged, its commitment to fighting poverty, and its pastoral cooperation, Fastenopfer promotes values and attitudes that respect human rights.

Policy statement Fastenopfer "human rights based approach" 

Living in justice – strengthening communities

Fastenopfer is involved in projects in the South. Of equal importance, however, is our campaigning work for fair trade and debt relief, to enable the countries of the South to implement their development goals. Fastenopfer participates in campaigns and actions to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, supports debt relief campaigns and works for global justice inside the CIDSE network at various levels.

Global Justice

HIV/Aids - a development problem

6000 people die each day of Aids in Africa alone. HIV/Aids is not only a health problem, it is also a general development problem which affects all areas of life. Social, political, religious, moral and cultural factors, as well as behaviour patterns, all play a part in the spread of this disease. This means that effective strategies in the fight against HIV/Aids demand coordinated actions which aim to alleviate the effects of the epidemic as well as tackle the causes effectively.
In addition to the health sector, this also requires the active participation of the education and agricultural sectors, the private sector and religious institutions.

Fastenopfer policy statement "HIV/Aids Mainstreaming"

Gender - a transverse theme

Fairness between the sexes is an important reference point in all the projects supported by Fastenopfer. The aid agency therefore analyses the effects on the women and men involved. Gender justice requires a language that clearly names women. That is why they receive intensive training and support in women's organisations. By contrast, men often have to learn to pay greater respect to women's rights, and not to take out their problems through violence against women and children.

 Fastenopfer policy statement "Gender mainstreaming"