Genesis 37: 19 – 20
19 They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams."
Matthew 14:28-33
28 Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." 29 He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
In our day-to-day lives, walking on water is the stuff of dreams. However, the everyday endeavors of reconciliation and social development aims of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) require vision and faith, and many times also include expressions of anger and doubt.
I have found myself straddling the professional worlds of “secular” social work/welfare and faith-based social action. I’ve witnessed that the viewpoints of international social work and faith informed mission share many of the same stated goals – affirming the dignity and worth of all people, emphasizing the importance of human relationships, employing an empowerment mindset, social justice.
Due to this overlap, I traveled to Durban, South Africa at the end of July to participate in a biennial international social work gathering called the International Association of Schools of Social Work. As part of the conference, I delivered a talk on the importance of faith-based organizations and their participation in social development. South Africa was a perfect setting for the issue of social development, as faith-based organizations such as Hope Africa as well as the government social work agencies (such as the South Africa Department of Social Development) have all adopted the social development model as their service lens. There were 1,500 delegates in attendance at this conference, from Africa, Asia, North America, Central America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, and many island nations.
Gathering at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Durban, the energy contained both vision and doubt. Many – most notably participants from many African countries – sought to abandon defeatist mindsets and see themselves as leaders who were transforming African economic landscapes. For example, Tracie Rogers from the University of the West Indies (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) and Maud Mthembu Mhlongo (South Africa Sinikithemba) talked with palpable enthusiasm about their economic projects which addressed the life situations of people with HIV/AIDS in their regions, including an internationally touring choir. These women were truly examples of dreams which helped others around them to “walk on water”!
However, participants also talked about the many challenges of social development in local contexts. For example, one clinician named Francine Davies of WITS University described trauma and violence as “The South African Pandemic” and one of the main clinical barriers to development faced by South Africans. In the session on Social Development given by Leila Patel, social workers from around Africa expressed frustration concerning lack of support and resources. The rooms at times were also filled with doubt, and perhaps even a wish to throw all the dreamers into “one of the pits”!
Dr. Leila Patel was herself for me an example of a visionary – someone who even in the face of adversity has continued to work positively for change in her country. She was under house arrest during apartheid, and during the Mandela government she authored the "white paper" which instituted social development as the official government approach to inequality and poverty in her country. Her intellect, creditability and unfailing sense of humor disarmed much of the frustration in the room. And, though some are working through anger and doubt, the participants at this conference affirmed their desire to work for change not only in their local contexts, but also through dialogue in North-South Relationships. I’ve since read that even the fact that the conference was held in South Africa has buoyed the morale of many African social workers. For me, the conference has continued to show me that both doubt and faith live simultaneously in the work God calls us to perform. What will become of our dreams? May hope prevail in our hearts and in our relationships with others!
Jenn Morazes is a graduate of Episcopal Divinity School in the area of Theology and Contemporary Society. She is currently studying in the School of Social Welfare in the MSW/PhD program at the University of California, Berkeley. Jenn has studied and performed community work in both Mexico and Southern Africa and also participated in the Young Adult Stewards Programme with the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland. She has also served as an anti-racism trainer for the national Episcopal Church. Her current clinical work and research focuses on the impact of trauma on particular communities locally and internationally, as well as homelessness,wealth distribution and the role of faith communities in social development.
