USAID Administrator Samantha Power launched the agency’s first strategic religious engagement policy on Tuesday in hopes of easing the “trepidation” that some U.S. foreign aid officials feel about working with religious groups and leaders.
Power touted faith leaders’ unique ability to garner trust in communities and faith-based organizations’ often incomparable access and long-term commitment to the same people USAID seeks to reach with its programs.
But Power noted that USAID officials have sometimes balked at working directly with faith organizations and leaders due to concerns about the divisive role they have played in some contexts, or fears of violating the legal separation of church and state embedded in the U.S. Constitution.
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About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
