Baptist World Alliance Forum for Aid and Development (BFAD)

About BFAD

The Baptist World Alliance Forum for Aid and Development (BFAD) was launched at the BWA Annual Gathering in July 2018. Since then, people across the world have been impacted by severe flooding, cyclones, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Baptist family has been there and responding.

The Forum has been invaluable at drawing together global Baptist leaders in order to ensure a high level of coordination for maximum impact.

The Forum is the sum of all its parts, and thus relies on each member to make it happen. We rely on the different experiences, expertise and resources of participating organizations, conventions, unions and fellowships – always prioritizing the needs and expertise of those who are most local to a situation.

Members

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Webinars & Capacity Building Workshops

BFAD enlists global experts to educate and equip through webinars, workshops, and other resources. Listed below are upcoming opportunities as well as an inventory of past offerings.

Moving Beyond the Pandemic

How can the church serve faithfully in its context and community in 2022?

Many are slipping back into extreme poverty, national governments are weakening because of political and social strife, and economies are struggling as markets are continually disrupted. Some church leaders are recognizing that, in this context, their ministry hasn’t stopped. It is actually just beginning. So how can the church and development organizations begin to build back and build up in a world that is discovering new norms and ways of being? Join us to hear from a global community development strategist, an investment specialist, and a practitioner.

Safeguarding for Global Baptist Conventions & Development Organizations

In May 2021, BFAD facilitated a Safeguarding Workshop addressing what safeguarding is and why it is important for organizations. With a special focus on faith and cross-cultural contexts, Mel Harwin (Safeguarding Officer for Transform Aid International) covers international safeguarding standards, risks, and responsibilities.

The session also features case studies from ministry partners around the world about their safeguarding journeys.

In response to COVID-19, BFAD has hosted a webinar series featuring leadership experts on various topics. To watch the latest webinars focused on psychosocial support and wellbeing, click below. 

As the pressures caused by COVID-19 continue to escalate, how can we maintain personal wellbeing? Watch Part One of a webinar series hosted by the BWA Forum for Aid and Development (BFAD) featuring a leadership panel with:

  • Peter Mugabi (General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Uganda)
  • Ant Sell (Director of Design and Learning of Seed Australia)
  • Kathleen Smith (Completing Studies on Chaplaincy in Disaster Relief and former Peace Corps Volunteer)
As the effects of COVID-10 continue to grow, how can we respond to the psychosocial needs of those in our communities? Watch Part Two of a webinar series hosted by the BWA Forum for Aid and Development (BFAD) featuring a leadership panel with:
  • Peter Mugabi (General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Uganda)
  • Ant Sell (Director of Design and Learning of Seed Australia)
  • Kathleen Smith (Completing Studies on Chaplaincy in Disaster Relief and former Peace Corps Volunteer)

I would like to acknowledge BFAD for the global coordination of disaster response.  In line with our commitment to localization, we appreciate the opportunity to assist those most in need and to strengthen partnerships with local conventions and churches. In the process, we have opened new opportunities for local Baptist churches to expand their partnerships with other Christian humanitarian organizations within TAI’s network.

Aloysius Canete

International Programme Coordinator (Disaster Management), Transform Aid International

The BFAD Network has greatly enhanced our organization’s ability to respond to a disaster effectively.  By being a part of a much larger coalition of agencies, we are able to pool resources and expertise to be of far greater assistance and effectiveness to national organizations on the front lines of a disaster in their country than we would be able to accomplish independently. 

Eddy Ruble

International Disaster Response Coordinator, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

Interested in joining the BFAD?

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