Between international donors and local faith communities: Intermediaries in humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon

Abstract

This paper explores the crucial part that faith-based organisations (FBOs) play in acting as intermediaries between international donors and local faith communities (LFCs) implementing humanitarian relief projects for Syrian refugees. Humanitarian responses to the mounting Syrian refugee crisis have coincided with greater collaboration between international donors and LFCs. This cooperation often is facilitated by a complex web of non-state intermediaries at the international, national, and local level. This study probes the breadth of roles of these intermediaries, drawing on primary data from case studies of two Christian intermediaries supporting Christian LFCs as they deliver aid primarily to Muslim Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon. The results of the study are connected to the wider literature on LFCs in humanitarian response, revealing how intermediaries address issues of accountability, capacity-building, impartiality, neutrality, and professionalism. The paper concludes by offering suggestions for further research on intermediaries as key actors in the localisation of humanitarian assistance.

Identification and prioritization of critical success factors in faith-based and non-faith-based organizations’ humanitarian supply chain

“…FBOs also have an edge, as they are well aware of the local culture; moreover, their centralized structure is also advantageous in such situations, as it allows an uninterrupted flow of information and this gives them an upper hand on secular organizations. Somewhat similar thoughts have also been noted by Ferris 2005, Goldsmith et al 2006, Kraft and Smith 2019, Rivera 2018, Samuels 2016, and Stajura et al 2012, where they explain how and why certain societies trust more on faith-based organizations. Whereas, the example of MSF in Somalia explains how differences in cultural values of the society and relief organization could be the reason for the failure of relief operation (Rodon et al 2012).…”

“…Such organizations play a vital role in disaster or conflict by not only providing the mental and spiritual healing of the individuals but also by actively participating in the field to minimize the suffering by providing tangible aid and assistance (Clarke 2010;Rivera 2018). The term faithbased have varied understandings in different contexts, a broader perspective explains it as, all such organizations that engage in humanitarian work with religious motivation, or have strong links with religious organizations or share their values or objectives or take funding from them are considered faith-based HOs (Goldsmith et al 2006;Jayasinghe 2007;Kraft and Smith 2019). However, Benedetti 2006 defines such organizations whose identity and mission are derived from the teaching of one or more religious or spiritual traditions and teachings are considered FBOs and such organizations are fundamentally very different from secular organizations.…”

“…FBOs have proven to be more effective in religiously motivated societies, where such organizations are not only trusted because of cultural or religious similarities they share with beneficiaries but they also possess or have immediate access to resources, such as human resource, donors and facilities, etc. Therefore, in the time of need, such organizations provide a wide variety of direct services to the beneficiaries more effectively compared to international HOs and this is the reason that recently international HOs are making stronger ties with local FBOs (Ferris 2005;Goldsmith et al 2006;Kraft and Smith 2019;Rivera 2018;Samuels 2016;Stajura et al 2012). Moreover, people also call for support and help from similar faith organizations in the time of distress.…”

“…Okkenhaug 2015 recalls and examines one such incident from the past 1918-1920, where Christian Armenian women and children were forcefully held captive in Muslim households, and it gained the attention of Christian HOs and other actors in the west, and they rescued them eventually. Similarly, most recent example of Syrian refugee crises witnessed an overwhelming role of both Islamic and Christian organizations in order to facilitate the refugees and build local networks and collaborations with local governments and other actors (Kraft and Smith 2019).…”

“…Differences in religious affiliation of donor and relief organization can make donors less charitable toward such recipients (Tremblay-Boire and Prakash 2019). Moreover, uncertainty and suspicion of not using the funds provided by international donors and not adhering to humanitarian principles of impartiality by FBOs also discourage the funding to such organizations (Kraft and Smith 2019). Furthermore, literature also suggests that FBOs also face discriminations at the hands of the local government if they do not share similar religious values (Grung 2018).…”