CLWR - Canadian Lutheran World Relief

The First Thirty Years

The First Thirty Years

Canadian Lutheran World Relief came into being in response to the chaos and human suffering that was the legacy of the Second World War. Communities throughout Europe were fundamentally affected by the destruction of their cities, towns and rural areas. Shortages of food and fuel for heating and transportation made life intolerable and Canadian Lutherans (like many in Europe and the USA at that time) chose to make a difference. Food packages and relief supplies became a critical component in the ongoing efforts to alleviate the suffering.

When the War ended the Canadian Government approved the formalization of an organization to address the needs of the dispossessed, and Canadian Lutherans joined together to create CLWR. "Long before the end of the II World War Lutheran Churches in North America were initiating major financial campaigns for needs already present and expected to increase drastically. Lutherans and the Lutheran Church in general were major victims of the War. No other church would suffer such devastating effects. Already in the fall of 1940 Lutheran leaders of the churches represented in the National Lutheran Council and the American Section of the Lutheran World convention met in Chicago, USA, to lay plan for large-scale relief operations." (Canadian Lutheran World Relief - A view from the inside by Clifton Monk, pg 10). Following this meeting the "National Lutheran council organized an appeal called Lutheran World Action." (pg 10)

"On June 15, 1945, Dr. Nils Willison, Rev. Lloyd Schaus and Rev. Karl Holfeld met with Col. P.L. Browne, Director, Division of Voluntary Relief, Department of National War Services, seeking a permit to send relief goods to any part of Europe. The request was denied because Canada was technically still in a state of war with Germany." (pg 3) Almost a year later, on February 9, 1946, an ecumenical meeting was held in St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Winnipeg regarding relief assistance to Europe. A meeting of the Commission and other Lutheran bodies, including the Missouri Synod, was called on March 14, 1946, at which time a certificate prepared by the Department of National War Service was presented. "After the formalities of accepting the certificate, it was moved that the meeting be constituted as Lutheran World Relief, Canada Division." Immediately the fledgling organization declared itself to be "an autonomous Canadian organization" and Canadian Lutheran World Relief became the official name of the new organization." (An Overview of Canadian Lutheran World Relief in Relationship to the Church 1946-1998 edited by Ruth E. Jensen)

The Lutheran World Federation was established in 1947 and Lutherans from around the world were able to coordinate their work and witness through this mechanism.

In the 1950s the focus of our attention gradually shifted to Africa, Asia and Latin America, in large measure following the trails blazed by Lutheran missionaries for more than a century. Their presence in these regions raised the awareness of our communities regarding the problems and suffering among the poor and dispossessed in the emerging nations.

In 1956, the Canadian Government, together with a number of other [developed] nations met in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to create what was then known as the Colombo Plan. In Canada, response to the Colombo Plan culminated in the creation of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). With the emergence of many newly independent countries in Africa and Asia in the 1960s, governments in both Europe and North America increasingly became involved in emergency responses to natural and human-made disasters, subsequently leading to development activities. The Cold War was an important driving factor in the competition for resources for these emerging nations. Most governments created ministries that were separate from the ministries of foreign affairs responsible for international political relations; as a result, international development was largely viewed as being a-political. Issues such as human rights were considered too political and were usually not funded through government development agencies.

Development activities tended to focus on institutional development, concentrating on the strengthening of government institutions, training and education. It was not long before the obvious parallels in the government and non-governmental (NGO) activities led to cooperation. NGO cooperation thrived as aid budgets grew in the sixties and seventies. NGOs did not operate under the same constraints as donor governments and could be more flexible in their response to emergency situations and the implementation of programs. CIDA was one of the first to develop a matching grants program with NGOs. (In 1965, CLWR was incorporated under Manitoba law and became eligible to receive matching grants from CIDA.)

Until the late 1970s most development work was considered to be non-political. The increasing dependency on CIDA for funds did not appear to impinge unduly on the value base of NGOs accessing government matching funds.

Several apparently unrelated but converging dynamics began to change both the perception and practices of what were legitimate and effective development activities in the 1980s. Since that time it has become generally accepted that respect for human rights, democracy and good governance are prerequisites to development and not the consequence of development.

Development World in the Eighties and Nineties

The End of the Cold War:

The watershed for political change was the breaching of the Berlin Wall, the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and the disappearance of Marxist ideology as a serious political threat. At the same time, the end of the Cold War allowed for the emergence and new prominence of ethnic and religious conflict. Technological advancement in communication and computer technology ensures that these conflicts are widely reported, thereby giving new prominence to these issues.

The prevalence, complexity, intensity and suffering caused by these conflicts, as well as the tremendous political and economic costs of attempting to contain and resolve these conflicts, has had a fundamental effect on development programming and caused a basic reassessment of the goals and strategic priorities of the donor nations. Issues such as human rights, good governance and accountability are increasingly seen as critical preconditions to sustainable economic development.

Changing Conceptual Frameworks of Development:

The framework for proactive diplomacy was first proposed by the late James Grant, Director for UNICEF, in 1989. Good governance, participatory development, conflict management and conflict resolution became recognized as essential prerequisites to sustainable development. The Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) developed guidelines identifying the basic conceptual framework that allowed most OECD member nations to more explicitly recognize and support political initiatives and processes as part of their economic development aid agenda.

The conceptual framework includes the following major points:

Democratization and good governance are central to the achievement of development goals for the 21st century.
Base partnerships on a common understanding of development and governance linkages.
Take local ownership seriously.
Strengthen the strategic role of civil society
Develop better country-level dialogue and coordination.
Adapt aid management.
Address donor-side problems in public management and accountability.
Operate on a long-term strategic framework.

The fundamental political, economic and technical changes that have taken place in the last two decades of the twentieth century very often present faith and values-based organizations with major challenges as we strive to meet the needs of the twenty-first century.

CLWR in the 21st Century

Religion and Justice

It is clear that the consequences of the end of the Cold War were not totally benign. Events leading up to the devastation of the World Trade Center and the response to those events present the most fundamental challenge to the strength and commitment of our faith. Our response to this challenge must be grounded in our faith.

The anger and confusion resulting from 9/11 must be transformed through our faith into love and an understanding of why such acts could even be contemplated. As Lutherans there can be no doubt that we are members of a world of privilege and power. As members of privileged and powerful communities there can also be no doubt that we have a prior responsibility to ensure that justice and dignity are accorded to all. We must do all in our power to ensure that the communities to which we belong and those who speak for us, speak and act in a manner consistent with our belief in the prior requirement to respect human rights, protect human dignity and ensure that justice prevails under all circumstances.

The declining role of governments and the increased power of the World Trade Organization (WTO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), and large multi-national corporations are manifesting themselves in many ways. While the free flow of goods and capital has many positive consequences, the diminished capacity of governments to legislate to protect their community and environment from predatory behaviour is a challenge that raises many concerns about the future of human dignity, justice, stewardship and even faith.

Privilege and Responsibility

Fundamental to our work and our potential as a Canadian Christian (and for us, Lutheran) community, must be the awareness of our blessings and incredible privilege. Throughout scripture we are taught that the accompaniment of privilege is always responsibility; to share our resources, to give of ourselves, to speak out against injustice, to defend the weak and the disenfranchised are central to who we are and what our agency is about. It is incumbent upon us to promote the value of allowing all individuals to develop to their fullest potential: spiritually, physically and intellectually. It was to this end that CLWR was brought into being and it is to this end we continue to exist fifty-eight years later. May God grant us grace to never lose sight of who we are and the reason for our existence.

Vision and Focus

Vision 2005-2010, CLWR's Strategic Plan into the New Century, directs our vision and focus. CLWR will be a credible, church-related agency, accountable to the Canadian public in general and the Lutheran constituency in particular. CLWR will be committed to programming excellence in addressing global human-centered development, defined as the fundamental right of all persons to enjoy equitably the benefits of creation.

To enjoy the benefits of creation people must have some control over decisions that affect their life. CLWR programs promote the strengthening of civil society and the advancement of democratic participation and good governance and accountability, including the integration of environmental considerations.

Partners

It was in 1968 that CLWR obtained its first CIDA program contribution. In the intervening years we have had access to government funding through various government departments, including Partnership Branch, International Humanitarian Assistance (IHA), and the Peacebuilding Unit, among others.

While access to government funds dramatically increases the impact of an organization such as CLWR, it also puts in place expectations in regard to planning, reporting, ethical practices, matching funding, etc. Organizations which choose to use government funds are bound both by the expectations of the government donor and by the vicissitudes of changing ministers and institutional leadership.

Fifty-eight years is a long time to be in service. By the grace of God and the good will of the Lutheran constituency, other Canadian people, and the Government of Canada, together with our many partners in and through the Lutheran World Federation and elsewhere, we remain in service. It is incumbent upon us to be current and aware and to strive for faithful and appropriate analysis and response to the needs and issues at hand.

Challenges to be Faced

As we have seen, CLWR, created fifty-eight years ago in the chaos of the aftermath of the Second World War, has carried the torch for the poor and the disenfranchised remarkably well given its relatively small size and our headquarters location in the centre of the Canadian prairies. Primary contributing factors in this successful application of the work mandated to it has been knowledgeable and gifted staff, caring board members, and the affiliation and good will of the eight originating Lutheran church bodies which have now become two. The trust of the Canadian government has lent credibility and new opportunities as contributions from Lutheran donors, and others, have over many years been matched by CIDA.

CIDA
Today, we face new and evolving challenges that need to be acknowledged and dealt with. Potential changes within CIDA may push organizations into the position where there are fewer matching dollars, and in order to convene the work, we may have to consider the move to a bidding process with the business community and other NGOs. While this move has not been stated publicly, there are sufficient rumours and talk to cause us to stop and listen. If this does in fact come into being it will have the potential of dramatically challenging the capacity of value-based organizations to access CIDA resources.
LWF
We are also impacted by a push for change within the Lutheran World Federation-World Service as the move toward a more ecumenical approach in development implementation is gaining ascendancy. The Nordic countries, the primary push in this movement, are in a very different situation than churches in North America and even the South in that they are at least 90% Lutheran. To work ecumenically has different meaning when the church is small. Is a Lutheran presence important? Is it enough that there is a Christian presence in our development work? How would/does this impact on our work and associations here in Canada?
Ecumenism in Canada
The past five years have seen strategic movement and change in the Canadian ecumenical context. Where once there were several ecumenical coalitions, these have now been terminated and the work brought under the banner of the organization known as KAIROS.
Lutheran context
Struggle with and within churches is not new. Where there is movement, there will be friction. The challenge is to turn the friction and resultant sparks into a fire that warms us and gives light to all we do.

Like all institutions, CLWR's two supporting church partners no doubt have challenges within their own institutional frameworks. As well, they have elected to work with and through CLWR and have mandated the Agency as their development arm. Over the fifty-eight years of joint history the relationship has had many struggles and challenges, and great joy as we have walked together with our many partners to bring about welcome and appropriate change within the communities where we have been engaged.

It is the appropriate fulfillment of the mandate that must be lifted up. Peace building, democratic movements that promote equal opportunity for all despite race, origin, colour, gender or creed, potable water, schools, food crops that restore life, health programs and service, income generation, training and credit management programs-all contribute to bring new life to hope.