Development, Divinity, and Dharma : The Role of Religion in Development Institutions and Microfinance

by Harper, Malcolm

• ISBN13: 9781853396717
• ISBN10: 1853396710
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-07-01
• Publisher: Practical Action Pub

Summary

Faith-based institutions are getting involved in economic development programs, including microfinance, and many foreign donors are looking to religious organizations for new ways to reach the poorest people. This book considers the work of a number of these, of different faiths, and asks what is special about them. Do religious links make these organizations more or less effective? Should spiritual development and economic upliftment be kept apart? Development, Divinity and Dharma explores these questions by examining a number of Hindu, Christian and Muslim institutions in India and in Pakistan. Its main focus is the Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development program, which though little known outside south India, has changed the lives of almost half a million people, including Hindus, Muslims and Christians, through social and economic development programs which are motivated by religious faith.

Table of Contents

Figures
Tables
Boxes
List of abbreviations
Religion and development - can they go together?	p. 7
The lessons of history	p. 7
Religion and development institutions	p. 10
Can religion help?	p. 11
Links to local institutions and communities	p. 14
Leadership and management	p. 17
How does religion affect the 'BINGOs'?	p. 21
Financial indicators	p. 21
Dakshin Kannada and Dharmasthala Temple	p. 29
South Canara district	p. 29
The banking tradition	p. 30
The Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Temple	p. 34
SKDRDP, the rural development programme	p. 39
The origins of SKDRDP	p. 39
Reappraisal and restructuring	p. 42
SKDRDP's programmes	p. 45
The Pragathi Bandhu groups	p. 48
The JVK Women's groups	p. 49
Alcohol de-addiction	p. 51
Community development programmes	p. 54
Microfinance	p. 57
The origins of SKDRDP's microfinance programme	p. 57
Raising bank finance	p. 59
The power of groups	p. 60
Financial results	p. 63
Microinsurance	p. 72
Livelihoods	p. 77
Microfinance is not enough	p. 77
Group businesses	p. 80
The sevanirathas	p. 85
The role of the sevanirathas	p. 85
A day in the life of Sivaram Pujary, a sevaniratha	p. 90
Two cases of success	p. 95
Moneppa Gowda, a successful household	p. 95
Sree Nidhi Panakaje, the Women's Snacks Group	p. 100
The results of SKDRDP's work	p. 107
The impact on the community	p. 107
Future challenges	p. 113
What explains SKDRDP's success?	p. 117
Breaking the rules	p. 117
The divinity factor	p. 119
Islamic development practice	p. 123
The special circumstances of Islam	p. 123
Examples from Bosnia Herzegovina and Hyderabad	p. 127
Akhuwat of Lahore	p. 131
Muslim development NGOs - some tentative conclusions	p. 138
Christian development practice and some examples	p. 141
'Christian development'	p. 141
'Catholic Bank', or the Chotanagpur Catholic Co-operative Society	p. 146
The Holy Cross Social Service Centre, Hazaribag	p. 160
Catholic Bank and Holy Cross - some comparisons	p. 169
Conclusions	p. 173
Some common features	p. 173
Strengths and weaknesses	p. 175
'Sustainability', of a different kind	p. 176
The lessons of experience	p. 177
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