#CommunityDevelopment

[ibusiness-course]

🏚️ Affordable Housing in Crisis: Proposed Budget Cuts Put Millions at Risk

The future of affordable housing in America is now hanging in the balance.

A newly proposed budget from the Trump administration includes deep cuts of up to $27 billion to federal rental assistance programs — including the critical Section 8 housing vouchers — raising alarms across the housing industry and among developers, lenders, and families alike.

These cuts would reduce funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by more than 40%, potentially impacting over 5 million low-income Americans who depend on rental subsidies to afford a place to live.

🔍 What’s Happening?

Developers are hitting pause. Projects across the country are being delayed or canceled due to uncertainty around future funding. From New York to Arizona, housing projects for seniors, veterans, and working-class families are now on hold.

Banks are backing off. Lenders are becoming more hesitant to finance new developments without assurance that tenants will have federal support to cover rent.

Risk to mortgage giants. With up to $50 billion in multifamily loans tied to rental assistance, even institutions like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could face increased exposure.

📣 Why It Matters

This isn’t just a budget line — it’s a lifeline for millions.

If these cuts move forward, we’re not just slowing down housing construction. We’re potentially pushing millions closer to homelessness, destabilizing the rental market, and threatening broader economic recovery in vulnerable communities.

💬 Do you think rental assistance programs should be protected from budget cuts? Let us know in the comments — and share this post to raise awareness.

🔔 Follow us for ongoing updates on real estate news.

[readersmagnet]

Living with Orthodox Christianity in Ethiopia's highlands was a harsh, primitive lifestyle with no trust, primitive farming, and famine. Evil spirits held significant power. A community development team sought guidance from God, leading to a spiritual battle. Reliving events from the Bible, they witnessed a group of people come out of darkness and into light, demonstrating the power of God in transforming lives.

This book shows the power of the gospel to transform lives. Visit https://www.bookslauraleelindholm.com/ to learn more.

[waywarddragoncollection]

Uncover the dynamic NGO landscape in Mangalore, where organizations are dedicated to fostering social change and community empowerment. These NGOs focus on critical issues such as education, healthcare, and livelihood support through impactful initiatives. By supporting these organizations, you can help create a more equitable society where everyone has access to essential resources. Discover how you can make a positive impact in Mangalore by engaging with local NGOs and their important work!

[ajiteshspeaks]

Redefining Social Impact: Ajitesh Mondal's Innovative Philanthropy

Social work is evolving, and Ajitesh Mondal is at the forefront of this transformation, blending entrepreneurial thinking with social consciousness.

Comprehensive Social Initiatives

Mondal's approach to social work is multifaceted:

Blanket donations for the underprivileged

Scholarships for SC/ST students

Eye donation and health camps

Supporting free English medium schools

Strategic Philanthropy

Unlike traditional charity, Mondal's social work is:

Systematic

Scalable

Strategically implemented

A Holistic Vision of Social Change

His foundations aren't just about immediate relief - they're about creating sustainable, long-term social transformation.

[desiviralrecap]

A well is drilled deep into the ground😲😆

[upswapapp]

Rediscovering the Charm of Local Shopping with UpSwap

[sakshingo]

Skill Development Program – A step towards self reliance

The Skill Development Program run by Sakshi NGO is especially for women who come from underprivileged communities. The aim of this Skill Development Project is to make women and youth self reliant by making them skilled in tailoring.

So far, 450+ beneficiaries have been trained and employed through the Sewing Machine Operator (SMO) course running in Dundahera, Gurugram. This course has been prepared in collaboration with NSDC under Skill Development, in which training is given with advanced sewing machines of JUKI.

After completing the training, all the participants get employment in renowned garment companies like – Krishna Label, Pearl Global, and Richa Global.

This Vocational Training for Women program not only provides employment, but also empowers women economically. This collaboration of Sakshi, CAF India and Rio Tinto is an example for the society.

Every skill is a new beginning – this is the real power of Skill Development

[smsehgalfoundation]

Sharda Devi’s Kitchen Garden | Women Farmer School | Crossing Borders | S M Sehgal Foundation Meet Sharda Devi from Muzaffarpur, who has embraced the power of kitchen gardening to grow her own vegetables at home. Through her inspiring journey, she not only ensures a supply of fresh and healthy produce for her family but also saves significantly on household expenses.

[agoabel]

ESG Spotlight: Community Development Initiatives

By Ago Abel

When people talk about ESG—Environmental, Social, and Governance—it often sounds a bit abstract. A checklist. A set of boxes to tick so a company looks good in reports. But for us at LELEADER GROUP, based in Benin, ESG is something more grounded. More immediate. Something we live, not just announce.

We didn’t set out to “do ESG.” It didn’t start with a strategy paper. It started with questions from the ground.

Why are so many girls missing school during their period?

Why are basic school supplies still out of reach for some communities?

Why are small clinics struggling to get cleaning products on time?

Each time we came across a gap like this, we didn’t wait for a donor. We asked ourselves: What can we do, realistically, with what we have?

That approach has shaped our community development efforts over the years.

One of the initiatives I’m most proud of is our reusable menstrual pad program, developed in partnership with local NGOs and health educators. It sounds simple—just a hygiene solution. But the ripple effects have been powerful. Girls who used to miss school several days each month now attend regularly. Some of them have started clubs to educate their peers about reproductive health. Others have become peer trainers.

That’s not charity. That’s dignity in action.

In another area, we looked at the issue of lighting and mobility for students in rural areas. Too many children were walking to school in the early hours, often in poor visibility, and then returning home after dark. Our solution? Solar-powered school bags. They store light during the day, and turn into mini lanterns at night. Again, not high-tech. But effective.

These are the kinds of interventions we believe make a lasting difference. Not massive projects. But practical, scalable ones—ones that treat communities not as recipients, but as collaborators.

And sometimes, the best thing we can offer isn’t a product—it’s logistics.

We’ve used our shipping arm to deliver donated school materials to hard-to-reach villages. Or to move medical supplies during crises when other transport options failed. We don’t always announce it. We just do it. Because if our trucks are running and there’s space, why not use it for good?

Of course, this doesn’t mean we get everything right. We’ve made mistakes. We’ve launched programs that didn’t take off, or that didn’t scale the way we hoped. Sometimes a community’s needs change faster than we can adapt. And sometimes, to be honest, we didn’t ask the right people for input soon enough.

But the intention has always been to learn and improve.

That’s where the “G” in ESG—governance—comes in. It’s not just about compliance. It’s about accountability. It’s about asking: Who’s at the table when we make decisions? Are we building processes that include more voices—not fewer?

That principle now guides how we engage with our regional teams, especially in our expansion markets like Namibia and the DRC. We try, wherever possible, to hire locally, to promote from within, and to keep listening, even after a project launches. ESG, in our experience, works best when it’s embedded—not outsourced.

This year, as LELEADER GROUP prepares to attend the 2025 Go Global Awards in London—hosted by the International Trade Council—we’ll be sharing these experiences with peers from around the world. We’re proud to be nominees. But more than that, we’re proud to represent the idea that responsible business doesn’t have to be complicated.

The Go Global Awards are more than an event. They’re a gathering of thinkers and builders. People asking, not just “how do we grow?”, but “what kind of growth matters?”

For us, that question circles back to community.

Because if our growth doesn’t lift others along the way, what’s the point?

So yes, we’ll keep tracking our emissions. Yes, we’ll improve transparency in our operations. But we’ll also keep asking those smaller, harder-to-measure questions: Who’s benefitting? Who’s still left out? And what can we, today, with the tools we already have—do to fix it?

That’s what ESG means to us.

And we hope more companies in West Africa and beyond will join us in reshaping how it's done—not for the spotlight, but for the communities that never asked to be left behind in the first place.

[xgenesisrei]

Integral Mission in Restricted Contexts

I spent a week in Dubai this month to join a consultation on what it means to have an impactful Christian presence in restricted contexts of Asia.

Participants came from Pakistan, India, Philippines, Indonesia, and Nepal. What I really like about the gathering is that it was designed to be intentionally small to foster deep conversation, serious interrogations, and collective reflection. True enough, we enjoyed an intense but joyous time together. I'm sharing below some of the key insights I heard from the plenaries, table talks, and the coffee breaks!

New Ways to Understand the Theology of Integral Mission

Within the church, there exist theologies which celebrate the things that are 'life-giving' and those that actually reinforce things that 'threaten life.' Discernment must be made to ascertain the kind of theologizing that takes root in local churches. These theologizing animate the kind of missiology and missional practices that shape the ministry of local churches. 

In countries like Indonesia, there are societal visions that reflect pursuit of personal wellbeing and social development, e.g., commitment to the SDGs, but these national agendas can lack serious attention to the vital role of the spiritual aspect/dimension of human life. 

Amidst such gap, Christianity can provide a clear alternative, one that speaks of a more holistic vision of social transformation. In this regards, the theology of Integral Mission lays a foundation for the pursuit of wholeness and everything that makes life good as God intends it, e.g., portraits of ‘shalom’ in the Old Testament and the ‘fulness of life’ in the New Testament. 

The restoration of four broken relationships (with God, with one's self, with other people, and with the rest of creation) provides a helpful framework to understand holistic transformation as the outcome of doing Integral Mission. This relational framework has helped churches and Christian organizations in identifying not only specific aspects of wellbeing in need of attention, but also how specific ministry initiatives contribute to the broader vision of "life in all its fullness."

Integral Mission can also be thought of from within the classical doctrinal articulations of most churches, i.e., the four-fold function of the church: kerygma (saying/proclamation), diakonia (doing/practice), koinonia (being together/presence), and leitourgia (worshipping/praying). What needs emphasis is that each of the functions contribute to the doing of Integral Mission. In restricted contexts, the winsome character of the church's 'koinonia' can be the most important of all. Oftentimes, people think of fresh ways to communicate the idea of Integral Mission, but how can we also tap into existing categories, like this four-fold function, that local churches are already familiar with?

In Pakistan, one organization promotes what they call as the ‘Integral Disciple-Making Model’ (IDMM)

Carrying out Integral Mission in Restricted Contexts

With regard to Integral Mission, experiences on the ground show that works of compassion and community development serve as helpful bridges and provide lots of opportunities to open doors for the sharing of the Gospel. And at the same time, the message of the Gospel becomes more concrete when people in the community see the selfless sacrifice of its witnesses.

And yet, while Integral Mission, usually understood as a careful balance between ministries of word and works, has been found to be helpful, there continues to be tensions, apprehensions, and resistance in certain segments of the church with regards to engaging in so-called holistic ministries. This includes concerns about the Social Gospel, Liberation Theology, and the many other things that people fear will distract the church and cause it to drift away from its mandate.

These concerns arise from theological convictions, denominational traditions, and actual cases wherein the balance is far harder to maintain than usually assumed. There is difficulty, for example, in terms of clarity, on how ministries of good works eventually pave the way for the sharing of the Good News. Or how the restoration of the three other relationships circle back to opportunities to talk about restoration of relationship with God? A blunt question not a few pastors have voiced out: "How do we make sure we are not sending healthy people to hell?"

In restricted contexts, most especially, this question has to consider the complex process wherein trust, respect, and goodwill is earned by the minority Christians in the community. It is the building of goodwill and good relationships, not necessarily the delivery of social services or fervent works of apologetics, that serves as the indispensable prerequisite to get the good news a good hearing among the people. 

More so, it must be noted, that in restricted contexts, the issue is not just about the opportunity to do both the proclamation and demonstration of the Gospel, but on how the doing of these two actually contributes to shaping a positive impactful presence for the Christian community and the perception of the people that surround them. 

In not a few times, good initiatives of a Christian NGOs (CNGOs) can be tainted with suspicions of insincerity upon being linked to the evangelistic work of the local church/es. At the same time, and in the same way, the indigenous witnessing work of a local church is being hampered by the presence of CNGOs associated with a foreign religion. In both, the community sees the work of Integral Mission tied to a proselytizing agenda. 

As a result, instead of the works of the churches and the CNGOs being a complement to each other, it can end up that one harms the other, and at the end of the day, what gets tarnished is the integrity of the Christian community itself, thus losing favor from the people. CNGOs will have to remember that being successful in evangelism is a non-negotiable aspect for local churches, if not, at all, the paramount concern. Most especially for churches in restricted countries, they pray to grow as a community of faith, not only in terms of impact but also in numbers as well.

Churches and Christian NGOs in Collaboration

Historically, CNGOs developed out of ministries and committees within the local churches which eventually grew big and spun off as independent institutions, foundations, etc. One theological framework that has shaped CNGOs self-understanding of its existence is Abraham Kuyper’s idea of ‘church gathered’ and ‘church scattered’. Christians working in CNGos are also doing ministries as the scattered people of God in the world but focused on specific areas of service (diakonia).

However, as CNGOs became more organized and professionalized, the link with the church also grew weaker. It is a common experience wherein access to funding agencies with strict policies on faith and spirituality has hindered CNGOs to work closely with church institutions and accompany the latter more intimately with its mission.

A very interesting dynamic came to develop over time between local churches and CNGOs which brings to the fore questions about: external resources, local ownership, and most important of all, sustainability. These are three interrelated concerns that CNGOs oftentimes encounter in their work with local churches (and vice-versa). In many place and in so many times, churches struggle with continuing the work that the NGOs have started. 

Approaches to Integral Mission like church and community mobilization (CCM) can bring some alternative ways of working and even some pathways for resolutions to the said concerns.

To know more about CCM, click here for the presentation that I gave in one of the sessions on how CCM has helped the church to grow in one of the most restricted contexts of Southeast Asia.

But when processes like CCM were promoted by CNGOs in ways that are antithetical to the very logic and values of CCM, the whole thing shoots itself in the foot. Models of a more sustainable expression of Integral Mission have to be pursued consistent with the demands of the model itself. If ‘use of local resources’ is a core feature, for example, then the work of scaling-up CCM has to be done accordingly. Otherwise, it sets-up the CCM initiative for failure from the very beginning.

And so, it will help greatly if CNGOs and local churches can take a serious effort to look into how they can work together, what each can bring and contribute to strengthening and complementing each other’s work, and how, by being together, they provide a really vibrant and life-giving Christian presence in the community. An ecosystem approach, instead of the usual transactional ways of partnership, may help address some of the problems by committing to the following: organic growth, flexible and informal relationship, shared and joint leadership, and complementarity (acknowledging the role of a variety of specialized organizations).

Another approach is to nurture the formation of communities of practice (COPs) which locate the role of CNGOs as 'servants' setting-up tables of conversation, helping make connections and develop friendships across geographical areas, with the shared aim of creating a joyous space to explore insights and innovation.

Role of Theological Education Institutions in Integral Mission

A critical aspect in need of further reflection is the role of institutions and organizations that provide training for Christian leaders and workers, e.g., seminaries, Bible colleges, and other educational organizations. A good example is STT Bandung, a seminary in West Java, which has put Integral Mission as among the key elements that permeate and shape their program offerings. In particular, they offer a Master of Ministry degree designed for professionals who have a vision of creating a significant but faithful Christian impact in the marketplace.

Initiatives as such from seminaries can play a pivotal role in sustaining the embrace and commitment of churches to Integral Mission. Church leaders need to see how Integral Mission is consistent with their denomination's theological tradition, history, and present missional priorities. One church denomination in Indonesia drafted a supplemental catechism to the Heidelberg Catechism which lays down a clear doctrinal position in support of Integral Mission. This provided the social arm of the denomination with a clear mandate to engage local churches within their church network and even beyond.

Fortunately, today, both the sectors of formal (accredited seminaries) and non-formal (church-based training programs) theological education are paying attention to the value of courses that equip students for Integral Mission/holistic ministries. The INCREASE Association is now developing a TEE course for CCM. The Asia Theological Association (ATA), a member of ICETE, has been working to promote Integral Mission and CCM within their member-schools. 

But what else can be done to help theological educators in equipping future and current Christian leaders with an Integral Mission perspective and approaches like CCM that can help in carrying out sustainable expressions of IM within and through the local churches? This is a question that needs to be addressed amidst present experiences on engaging seminaries yielding several challenges: difficulty in developing and adding new courses that express Integral Mission in the curriculum, finding people in the faculty who can teach such courses not just theoretically but from actual experience, teaching such courses in a way that is participatory and not mere lecturing, and ensuring that the learning process shall provide opportunities for students to put into practice what they are learning.

Critical Role of Cultural Identity

It doesn’t help that especially in restricted contexts, CNGOs are associated with foreign entities and at the same time local churches carry with them practices and views that are more properly features of Western cultures than the gospel itself. The unhappy combination of both renders Christianity in such contexts as a foreign belief system. In the eyes of the people in the community, it is, for all purposes, a new faith which will disrupt and threaten the religion of their ancestors, and with it, the cherished values, traditions, and ways of life of the community. 

This issue brings up questions of coloniality (in its historic and contemporary iterations) and the need for truly context-rooted expressions of the Gospel. Especially in restricted contexts of Asia, people almost always come to faith in Christ when they experience the supernatural work of God, e.g., miracles, healing, etc. How do people working along the lines of Integral Mission account for this critical element in the pathway of faith formation? 

How much of Integral Mission work looks into very real issues of identity, culture, and other aspects of indigeneity? When the Gospel takes root in a community: what does it change? but also what does it celebrate? and lastly, and perhaps, most important of all, what aspect of that culture does the Gospel enrich?

The consultation in Dubai was convened by GZB, an organization committed to Integral Mission, based in the Netherlands.

In Dubai, culture is still very much alive and an integral part of its bustling cosmopolitan and urban neighbourhoods.

-Rei Lemuel Crizaldo (July 8, 2025)

[oshifoundation123]

OSHI Foundation meets the New President of Rotary Club Greater Bhiwadi सहयोग और सामाजिक समर्पण के नए अध्याय की शुरुआत!

First cordial meeting with CA Mr. Deepak Batheja, the newly appointed President of Rotary Club Greater Bhiwadi, was full of positivity, warmth, and shared commitment for social change.

We greeted him at his office with sweets and discussed possible future collaborations on:

1️⃣ Shiksha Aapke Dwar (Open Air Class) 2️⃣ Child Sponsorship Program 3️⃣ Kapda Bank & Plastic-Free Bhiwadi Initiative

🤝 Mr. Batheja's grace, humility, and eagerness for collaborative initiatives truly inspired us. His deep understanding of societal needs and his keen interest in impactful programs assure us of a meaningful partnership during his presidency.

🎖️ In return, he honored OSHI Foundation members — Mr. Giriraj Gupta, Mr. Shankar Ji, and Mr. Vivek Sharma — by presenting traditional Patka as a gesture of mutual respect.

🙏 Heartfelt congratulations to:

President: CA Deepak Batheja

Secretary: Bhavesh Indoria

Treasurer: Rajkumar Kumawat

Together, let’s take #OneStepForHumanity.

[nurserylive-plant]

Visuals:

Volunteers conducting health awareness or sanitation drives in urban slums

Children participating in NGO-led educational programs

A community event promoting sustainable practices in Bhubaneswar

Scenic image of Bhubaneswar with icons of change: books, saplings, and helping hands

Descriptions: NGOs in Bhubaneswar are playing a pivotal role in addressing urban and rural challenges through inclusive, community-driven initiatives. From education and healthcare to women’s empowerment and environmental conservation, these organizations are at the forefront of social change in the Temple City. Their efforts are especially visible in underserved communities, where they offer vocational training, promote hygiene awareness, and support children’s education. Collaborating with local authorities and citizens, these NGOs are reshaping Bhubaneswar into a more equitable and sustainable city. With deep-rooted commitment and innovative programs, they continue to transform lives and build resilient communities.

Links: https://growbilliontrees.com/pages/ngo-in-bhubaneswar

Hashtags: #NGOBhubaneswar #TempleCityTransformation #SocialImpactOdisha #EmpowerBhubaneswar #CommunityDevelopment #EducationForAll #GreenBhubaneswar #WomenEmpowerment

Keywords: NGO in Bhubaneswar: Transforming Communities in the Temple City