Harnessing the Power of Faith: Resilience, Compassion and Psychological Well-being Amongst Women in Contexts of Global Precarity

This research is the product of an innovative partnership between a secular university based in the UK (Goldsmiths University of London) and a faith-based (Christian) humanitarian not for profit based in the US (Convoy of Hope). Despite coming from different traditions, both partners bring a wealth of experience and shared values, and both are committed to being changemakers in their respective areas of policy and public engagement.

The common vector for changemaking has been a shared desire to make a difference to the life outcomes of women living in contexts of multiple challenge and precarity, particularly in the Global South, and who are accessing the Women’s Empowerment programme of Convoy of Hope.

The research has evolved out of close listening and experimentation and trying to understand each other’s cultures and language, even when that has occasionally seemed a little disorientating and confusing. The research was also conducted in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic which directly affected all the women with whom we worked because of the multiple challenges they are already facing. But these women, and the research teams with whom we worked in the field, showed huge resilience and determination to ensure the research was carried effectively and efficiently for the sake of producing an impactful piece of research.