The State of the World

Published on
September 12, 2024 at 3:45:56 PM PDT September 12, 2024 at 3:45:56 PM PDTth, September 12, 2024 at 3:45:56 PM PDT


In my day-to-day work, I often find myself thinking about my grandfather, Ed Dayton. He was highly influential in my own personal life, but he was also very influential in the global development sector. Ed worked as a Vice President for World Vision in the 1970s and 80s. He travelled around the world conducting workshops and speaking at events and conferences and was well-loved and respected. 


While reading a series of newsletters he wrote between 1969 and 1980, I was particularly moved by a 1972 piece he wrote called “I know all about the theory.” In it, Ed describes working on a presentation titled “No Solution!” that included some very dire statistics about global poverty. He mentioned severe income inequality and millions of people going to bed hungry. In the article, he asks how faith-based organizations should respond. He finds himself moved to personal and global action, asking “what’s my role?” As I read his article I also read a 2024 analysis of the state of international development. I was struck by the fact that 52 years after my grandfather presented “No Solution!”, we look at the need in the world and ask the same questions he asked. Why? Because the statistics are still dire.



How bad is it?

(on the left, Ed Dayton)


Globally, peace is on the decline as violence increases. In fact, the world is seeing the highest levels of state-based armed conflict since World War II. Think Syria, Ukraine, Gaza, Ethiopia to name just a few. The reality is, two billion people—that’s a quarter of the world’s population!—now live in conflict-affected countries. Every day, violence pushes more and more people out of their homes—the number of forcibly displaced people is at an all-time high of over 108 million. 


In addition to physical violence being on the rise, economic violence is also trending up. There is an increasing asymmetry in our world— disparity and inequality is growing as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This is especially true for the most vulnerable including youth and people with disabilities. Rising cost-of-living pushes more people into poverty every day, making it harder for parents to provide essentials like food, medicine, and housing. 


Societal polarization is also growing while social cohesion erodes, meaning it’s harder than ever to have conversations with those we disagree with, much less work together to overcome all these challenges. Meanwhile, 3.5 billion people are highly vulnerable to climate change which exacerbates inequality, puts pressure on vulnerable health systems, and fuels the global food crisis.


Grandpa Dayton with Billy Graham


In short, global fragility—escalating violence and inequality, rising prices, disintegrating communities, intensifying climate change—demands more emergency relief and makes it increasingly hard to overcome poverty and promote lasting change. As frightening as they are, I wanted to share those findings with you so, like Ed, we can think together about what our role is as we look at a world in desperate need. The complexity of these challenges requires a complex response.


Community-led change in Burundi


So where do we start? First, I think communities need to be at the forefront of leading change, with Canadian donors and organizations like FH Canada taking a supporting role. This community-led approach is core to who we are at FH.


It requires a deeper understanding of how an individual’s many vulnerabilities—for example, being female, having a disability, living in a country susceptible to climate change, being Indigenous—combine to create a unique web of challenges. When we understand that, then we can help empower a person or a group to begin untangling the web and direct the course of their own lives. How does this play out practically? Let’s look at Burundi as an example.


Burundi ranks as the 22nd most vulnerable country to climate change, but only the 173rd most prepared to handle it. Irregular rainfall causes less predictable crop yields which means less food for families who depend on farming to eat. To address this challenge, FH trains families in the communities of Kabarore on more resilient farming techniques.



But when we look closer, we see that some families belong to a minority ethnic group, the Batwa. Because of their low status, Batwa families typically don’t own or even have access to farmland.Engaging with Indigenous communities like the Batwa from a community-led angle empowers them to plan and design new livelihoods that factor in their challenges, while respecting their rights to self-determination and decision-making on issues that affect them.


Second, we must understand resilience. This is the capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties. In fragile contexts, the pathway to flourishing is blocked by compounding risks like climate change; repeated crises like political instability; health emergencies like pandemics and the increase of dengue fever; and even small, daily setbacks such as a sick child.


A community’s resilience—their ability to resist or bounce back—is key to breaking the cycle of poverty.


At FH, we want to help communities build capacities and systems that create transformative change by strengthening their resilience. What does that look like?


Resilience in Guatemala


On a recent visit to Santa Avelina, Guatemala, I saw three aspects of resilience in action—the ability to absorb, adapt, and transform—in a women’s savings group. This is how it worked: the group, Mujeres Trabajadoras, started with the help of FH. By saving together, building relationships, and looking to the future, these women became leaders in their community. They save money every week and now have the capacity to absorb shocks, such as a child’s illness.


The women of Mujeres Trabajadoras are going even further by turning their savings into profit and steady income for their families. Through this adaptive capacity they became entrepreneurs and have more than just an emergency fund—now they can meet their children’s daily needs while still putting money away to deal with the unexpected.


Their next step toward resilience will be the capacity to transform the very structures they live in, creating fundamentally new economic, social, or even political systems resilient to shocks. 


Social cohesion: connecting for our own good 


The third area of focus for FH is social cohesion. Change doesn’t happen in isolation. By strengthening bonds of trust, solidarity, and mutual support within and across communities, we help them respond collectively to chronic challenges and unforeseen crises. Social cohesion builds resilience because it fosters cooperation, enabling community members to share knowledge and mobilize resources like time and money.


What now?


When I read the stats about the world today, I feel like my grandfather did 52 years ago. He wrote that the statistics carry


“just enough truth...to put my back against the wall. I know there’s not much I can do to change that. I’m not even sure I understand where to begin, but I’m sure the time has begun for me and my family to start...acting on what we believe.” —Ed Dayton


Organizations like FH and individuals (like me!) must create space for vulnerable communities to own their futures. We need to recognize our shared responsibility in achieving a collective global resilience that meets tomorrow’s threats today.


So, like my grandpa, I’m asking: How do I foster community and build resilience, at home and globally? 


It’s a privilege to work at FH where we take the world seriously and help communities build evidence-based solutions to address global fragility in their own contexts. But I think I need to do more than that. This isn’t just a job for me; it’s a way of life. I’m called to make personal changes, even when they’re inconvenient. I believe there’s a role for each of us to play in bringing shalom to the entire world. I hope you’ll join us as we think and learn, work and grow together. 


I’ll leave you with Ed’s final words, and take them as my own: “I know all about the theory. I’d appreciate your prayers as I work on the practice.”


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