From Relief to Development in Short-term Missions
From Relief to Development in Short-term Missions
Thursday @ 3:30pm
Much has been said in recent years about relief vs. development in global health missions, and missions in general. We know that it is often harmful to engage in relief when what is needed is development. Yet, the vast majority of short-term missions are relief oriented with little understanding of development processes. This session will review participatory approaches for community engagement that build community capacity to respond to their own problems, including key concepts such as: community ownership, community participation ladder, stakeholder analysis, and building cross cultural partnerships that escape the trap of paternalism and dependency. We will also review relevant international standards for relief oriented mission work in the context of disaster and refugee response. These principles apply broadly to both short and long-term missions.
Greg Seager
Founder and CEO
Christian Health Service Corps
Greg authored When Healthcare Hurts: An Evidence Based Guide for Best Practices in Global Health Initiatives. He holds a Masters in Nursing/Healthcare Leadership and Management from The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and serves as adjunct faculty at Indiana Wesleyan University and King University. Greg and his wife designed, monitored and implemented global health for a Miami based mission organization and Mercy Ships International. He is part of the international working group on best practices in short-term healthcare missions and serves on the board for the Center for the Study of Health in Missions.
