Faith in Action 2022–2025

Strategic Impact Article

At a Glance

• Increase in advocacy engagement (from 4 to 15 active members)
• 7 advocacy trainings delivered to member organisations
• 2 global webinar series: Let’s Talk Parliaments & Action for Impact
• 2 climate-focused advocacy webinars
• 3 online advocacy forums engaging members outside the EU
• 3 annual in-person advocacy meetings in Europe
• 3 advocacy guides published on core topics
• 3 members developed their own advocacy toolkits
• 3 Brussels study visits facilitated
• 1 Climate Champions Campaign with 13,000% increase in social media impressions
• 4 policy briefs produced on cross-cutting issues
• 9 Spotlight newsletters featuring advocacy contributions
• 6 EU parliamentary advocacy milestones achieved
• 7 joint events co-hosted with FBOs in Brussels
• 1 external advocacy training delivered to Micah Global
• 2 members featured in global PaRD publication on gender and faith

Looking Back to Look Forward

At the start of 2022, when the new EU-CORD strategy was rolled out, advocacy was not a strong feature within our network. In fact, the concept of advocacy—and how to do it—was widely acknowledged as a weakness.

A 2021 member audit revealed the challenge: while interest was present, members’ own confidence and capability were lacking. Only four members could assertively say they were conducting advocacy or saw it as necessary to their organisational objectives. The rest expressed uncertainty, with several concerns surfacing:

• A lack of knowledge on how advocacy worked
• Insufficient support to carry it out
• A lack of sustained momentum once an idea was implemented

At the time, member engagement was low, and there was a dearth of advocacy-related material to draw from. Resources were scarce. Structures were minimal. Advocacy, for most, was a concept that felt distant—something other organisations did, not something rooted in their own strategies or communities.

Fast forward four years, and the picture has changed significantly. Today, 15 members are actively engaged in advocacy or lobbying, and three more have expressed interest in developing advocacy strategies. The Advocacy Hub has evolved from a concept into a community of practice, bringing renewed energy, deeper collaboration, and tangible policy engagement.

Building Confidence, Capacity and Collective Action

From the outset, we knew that confidence comes with practice, and practice needs a safe space. That’s what the Advocacy Hub set out to be—a space to learn, try, fail, and grow together.

Over the past four years, we have delivered seven advocacy trainings, hosted three online forums, held two global webinar series, and convened three in-person meetings across Europe. These gatherings—both virtual and physical—have created moments of connection and learning that stretch across borders.

We’ve prioritised equipping members with tools, not just ideas. From three advocacy guides to member-developed toolkits and Brussels visits, the Hub has supported a growing number of members to lead their own work. We’ve also used social media as an advocacy platform—our Climate Champions campaign reached new audiences and raised our collective visibility with a 13,000% increase in impressions.

What began as a knowledge gap is now a network asset.

Deepening Engagement with the European Parliament

One of the most tangible areas of growth has been our engagement with the European Parliament. In 2022, we piloted a new collaborative approach within our education advocacy initiative. A member mapping revealed 11 members working on education across 44 countries. This led to the development of a joint education brochure, which became the basis for our engagement with MEPs Barry Andrews and György Hölvényi.

As a result, we celebrated two significant milestones:

• Dennis Semakula, Country Director of LM Sudan, spoke at a Parliamentary hearing on Education in Emergencies
• LM’s programme was featured in Capacit4Dev, DG INTPA’s official communications platform

This advocacy foundation laid the groundwork for further engagement. In 2023, we submitted input to two Own Initiative Reports by the DEVE Committee—one on humanitarian strategy and the other on development cooperation in education and training. We co-hosted a high-level event with FBOs asking the critical question: Is the Global Gateway fit for purpose?

In 2025, we further expanded our presence:

• In January, we held the first-ever MEP Breakfast event in Strasbourg, titled Shaping Europe’s Global Future: Christian Values in Global Development and Cooperation
• In February, we provided input on the escalation of violence in the eastern DRC, which was used in draft resolutions by two political parties.
• In June, we participated in a confidential hearing as part of the European Parliament’s fact-finding mission to the DRC.

These engagements underscore a shift—from being observers to active contributors in EU advocacy spaces.

Member-Led Momentum

Members themselves are carrying the momentum we’ve built. From developing national advocacy strategies, to creating toolkits, to speaking on global platforms, members are now shaping their own advocacy journeys—while contributing to the collective strength of the network.

The Climate Champions campaign is one example of how storytelling, social media, and coordinated messaging can create a broad impact. Similarly, the nine Spotlight newsletters have become a platform for members to share their experiences, insights, and lessons learned.

Beyond visibility, we are seeing ownership. Advocacy is no longer something members join when invited—it’s something they initiate, lead, and sustain.

Shifting the Culture

The Advocacy Hub has made significant progress and now exhibits a sense of enthusiasm and urgency that was previously absent. The tone of the network has shifted—members are no longer asking “why advocacy?” but “how do we do this well, together?”

There is a growing understanding that advocacy is not the preserve of a few individuals with technical skills. Rather, it is a collective responsibility that stems from proximity to people’s lived realities. Grounded experience, shared values, and a vision for justice increasingly shape advocacy in our network.

Crucially, the culture shift has come not just from developing materials or hosting events, but from actively listening to member needs. We’ve taken time to understand different contexts and used that understanding to identify and elevate existing strengths within the network. In doing so, we’ve moved from a place of scarcity to a place of shared capability.

In Closing

While some members remain early in their advocacy journey, there is now a clear pathway—backed by tools, training, and a community that walks alongside.

Four years ago, advocacy felt like an uncertain, even intimidating, idea for many in our network. Today, it is a living, growing practice—rooted in relationship, driven by conviction, and supported by shared learning.

The Advocacy Hub has become a space where members not only learn about advocacy, but live it. And in doing so, we’re beginning to shape a future where our collective voice can speak to power, grounded in faith, and rooted in justice.

Reflecting Forward

CEOs affirmed the value of the network in amplifying members’ messages in Brussels and welcomed the clarity brought through recent policy briefs. They see momentum to build on these foundations with a sharper, more agile focus on a few themes where the collective voice can achieve the greatest impact.

They also highlighted the opportunity to root advocacy even more firmly in local realities. Regional and in-country forums are viewed as vital spaces where members and partners can shape priorities that flow upwards to the EU level. This approach strengthens legitimacy, ensures advocacy reflects lived realities, and positions the network as a bridge between local experience and European decision-making.

Finally, CEOs encouraged the network to keep advocacy flexible and responsive to shifting contexts. They see value in EU-CORD connecting members around shared issues, enabling joint initiatives when energy aligns, and providing timely intelligence that supports strategic action. In this way, advocacy can move beyond a static set of priorities to become a dynamic practice of cultivating influence where it matters most.

Witten by Micha Schutten Business Development Manager at SeeYou Foundation

Persons with disabilities face significant barriers when it comes to accessing quality healthcare services, which adds to their exclusion and marginalization. Fortunately, efforts have been made to develop and implement effective strategies that promote disability inclusion in health projects. In this article, we lay out four factors to achieving disability inclusion, based on SeeYou Foundation’s experiences implementing the inclusive healthcare project “Every Life Matters”.

Live up to the challenge

There is a group in the world known as the “Missing Billion”. Their aim is to improve the health of 1.3 billion people with disabilities worldwide. Despite their large numbers, persons with disabilities often face social exclusion, discrimination, and limited access to healthcare services. Addressing such challenges is no small feat; it is a critical social justice issue and a fundamental human right. Promoting disability inclusion in healthcare should, therefore not be left to the responsibility of persons with disabilities themselves or Organisations for Persons with Disabilities. Bridging the gap for the “missing billion” is a collective responsibility and requires all actors involved in the healthcare system to live up to the challenge. Inclusion requires a deliberate plan and willingness to act; it does not happen automatically. 

Listen up, partner up

To effectively plan and implement solutions, it is crucial to listen carefully to the priorities of Organizations for Persons with Disabilities and seek advice from like-minded disability inclusion organisations. Different perspectives offer valuable insights into the unique experiences of individuals with disabilities. Promoting disability inclusion in health projects together with Organisations for Persons with Disabilities significantly contributes to a sustainable approach. Organizations for Persons with Disabilities will continue to play a vital role in ensuring accountability long after a project is phased out. A key factor to success is taking sufficient time to build trusting relationships with carefully selected partners. 

Dispel myths and misperceptions

Once a solid plan is in place, it is critical to address and dispel any misperceptions or myths related to disability. It is important to remember that inclusion is not about being politically correct or making superficial gestures. Disability inclusion goes beyond mere representation and involves real, sometimes complex concerns. It is not about assimilating persons with disabilities into existing spaces; the goal is to create improved spaces that are more welcoming and beneficial to everyone. An important factor to success is investing in efforts that keep the conversation on disability inclusion alive. This will avoid grave misunderstandings and help the health system stay on course. Repeated training, workshops, action-oriented learning processes and exchanging experiences are very constructive in this regard.  

Be practical

When it comes to including people with disabilities, working on practical solutions is key to success. It can be easy to get bogged down in complex theories and technical terms of the disability framework. But the ultimate goal is to make sure everyone can access the healthcare they need. Working out practical solutions will solidify commitments and set motion for a series of changes. So, while it is important to understand the scope of the issues at hand, focus on designing and testing actionable steps to kickstart disability inclusion in health projects. To practise what we preach, we added examples of useful tools and resources in the additional resources section below.

Additional resources for Health Projects

SeeYou Foundation’s “Every Life Matters” project promotes disability-inclusive health services in sexual and reproductive health and eye care. Resources were created for health centres, community health workers, and Organisations for Persons with Disabilities, including a scorecard, audit, monitoring tool, game, posters, manuals, and training toolkit. The resources developed, in close cooperation with trusted partners UPHLS in Rwanda, and ECDD in Ethiopia, have been made available on the Good Practice compendium section of the Missing Billion website or can be directly accessed through this link. A full publication on the Every Life Matters project is also available here.

About SeeYou Foundation

For more than 40 years, Seeyou is dedicated to empowering individuals with disabilities and promoting their inclusion, resulting in life-changing transformations for both individuals and communities. By providing support, advocating for rights, and collaborating with others, the foundation serves as a catalyst for positive change, fostering a society that values and respects individuals with disabilities.

SeeYou is a full member of the EU-Cord network, more information on the organization can be found on their website: https://www.seeyoufoundation.nl/en/

 

Written by Kees Knulst, Political advisor at Woord en Daad

In March, civil society representatives from the Benkadi partnership* in West Africa met with government and civil society representatives in Brussels and The Hague. Their goal: to draw attention to West Africa’s need for support for climate adaptation and climate finance.

Why come to the centres of Dutch and European politics to advocate for something that is already known? you might say. In general, climate adaption seems to be high on the global agenda. However, there’s a difference between discussing the abstract challenges climate change is presenting us in a conference venue in Sharm-el-Sheikh or Glasgow, and facing the concrete needs and concerns of people who experience the effects of climate change directly. On top of that: not every region seems to be equally heard, as geopolitical developments, economic interests and cultural ties usually play a big role in prioritizing the issues at hand.

“West Africa is being forgotten because of what’s happening in the world – not least because of the war on Europe’s borders”
Christelle Kalhoule, president of SPONG, national platform Burkina Faso and chair of the Benkadi Steering Committee

But there’s more. The debate on climate adaptation support and climate finance is grounded in the principle of solidarity. Solidarity based on interdependency and accountability, to be more precise. The question then is how that system of solidarity is defined, and by whom. Who decides who should be part of a system of financial support and compensation for loss and damages, and who should not? How far should it go? What are the underlying power structures that consciously or unconsciously – though undeniably – shape the debate?

As one of the Benkadi delegates stated: “In the end it’s all about Southern-led solidarity. We know our context. We know our people.” It is precisely their local embeddedness, their legitimacy, their on the ground knowledge that make it essential and worthwhile for Southern partners to make their voices heard at the tables of policy-makers in Brussels and The Hague. Meanwhile face-to-face interaction provides an opportunity for civil servants and politicians to listen carefully, directly consult local stakeholders and include these voices in formulating policies and legislation that work for all.

“Working with local CSO’s would be an advantage to EU Delegations, providing the EU with access to local communities.”
Sylvestre Tiemtoré, regional director of Benkadi

During their visit to the Netherlands and Brussels, Benkadi partners spoke with Dutch MPs Chris Stoffer, Stieneke van der Graaf and Jan Klink about the need for policy coherence for development and regional security in the Sahel. In Brussels, they met with representatives from the European External Action Service and discussed various topics – including Europe’s Green Transition and its potential effects on African countries – with MEP Mohammed Chahim. Facilitated by EU-CORD’s Secretariat, they also had useful encounters with Brussels-based CSOs. L’Equipe, as they use to call themselves, is looking back on a fruitful and inspiring field visit to the Northern arena.

 

*Benkadi is a strategic partnership between civil society organisations from South and North. The national platforms of Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Ivory Coast actively engage with their respective governments regarding policy-making, planning and implementation of activities related to climate adaptation. Benkadi means ‘working together in the same direction.’ Woord en Daad, being the Northern partner in Benkadi, facilitates policy-influencing on EU level and in The Netherlands. The Benkadi partnership is led by a Steering Committee with representatives of each of the five partner organisations. The program is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Power of Voices framework.