Faith-based organizations working to aid the people of Africa have been effective despite institutional barriers within U.S. government agencies that impede their ability to operate, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) said today after convening a hearing on the role of faith-based organizations in U.S. programming in Africa. 

    “Far from being a Western intrusion in African life, working with faith-based organizations in Africa is actually a means of connecting with African heritage, which is in part why they have been so successful in helping address the critical issues that exist in the poorest region in world, Sub-Saharan Africa,” said Smith, Chairman of the House International Relations Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations. “Unfortunately, despite doing yeoman’s work, these organizations still face unwarranted discrimination when it comes to securing funding through the federal grant process.” 

    The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has worked with faith-based organizations since its creation in 1961, but many of these organizations feel they have been limited in or even declined funding because of a bias toward religious organizations receiving program funding. While the President’s faith-based initiative and his AIDS initiative (PEPFAR) have helped allow more faith-based organizations to participate in foreign programming, there remain concerns about the uneven application of this program.

    “Faith-based organizations wear their beliefs on their sleeves and there are some bureaucrats who are very uncomfortable with that fact. That is the field we play on,” Kenneth Hackett, President of Catholic Relief Services said during his testimony. 

    Despite these obstacles, faith-based organizations have effectively worked to address the myriad of problems facing African nations. For instance, faith-based organizations have successfully worked to reduce the number of HIV-positive persons in Uganda by promoting the behavior modification aspects of the comprehensive ABC approach.

    “In the early 1990s, an estimated 30% of adult Ugandans were HIV-positive. By 1999, the rate of HIV infection declined to 12%. Today it stands at 5% and that is in a large part because of the efforts of faith-based organizations to address the issue in ways other NGO’s refuse, primarily through the promotion of abstinence and monogamy. We must continue to seek ways to expand and enhance the admirable work of these good Samaritans in Africa,” said Smith.