“All religions emphasize the need to support charity, welfare and the disadvantaged. Obligatory giving is, thus, a manifestation of spirituality. This is why religious communities are capable, like no other sector of society, of mobilizing enormous resources for poverty alleviation and development initiative” (Maharaj & Chetty, 2007:82). Most African countries are faced with serious and worsening poverty (Wogaman, 1986:47), and one of greatest issues that demands our immediate attention within the church and society is poverty alleviation. Wogaman (1986:47) further argues that the increase in production has not served to bridge the great historic chasm between rich and poor. Hence, the church needs to direct its attention and its activity to poverty alleviation so that it becomes an advocate for the poor. Lawrence (2012:1) argued that we are created for fellowship with other people and also depend on God for our survival. Therefore, poverty touches all of God’s creatures and not simply those who experience it directly. Poverty prevents human beings from realizing their potential; it creates barriers of inequality between people, and bars people from experiencing the abundance of God’s creation.

Housing is one of the major problems in North America This problem becomes more acute daily in the urban centers as (1) the population explosion continues; (2) the process of urbanization increases; and (3) new household units are formed in greater numbers. Although in the United States and Canada there is no street sleeping and squatting as there is in India and other countries of Asia and South America, nevertheless, the inadequate conditions of housing of the slums and blighted areas result partially from the pressure for shelter caused by these three demographical factors. The problem of housing is essentially a problem of enabling every citizen to obtain decent accommodation at a price that he can afford. In addition to the demographic factors already mentioned, other dimensions of complexity of this problem are contributed by the fact that housing deficiencies correlate closely with low income levels, inferior employment and educational opportunities, and frequently, racial discrimination. This problem is further compounded by the increasing cost of housing construction. The search for further solutions to alleviate the housing problem, and the realization of the inter-relationship of housing standards, housing costs, and income led to the study hypothesis: That there is a certain family income level below which adequate housing cannot be obtained without assistance. A technological break-through in the housing industry can ease considerably the present housing problem. Of all man's necessities, however, housing has seen the fewest production changes in recent centuries. Until such breakthrough is achieved the existing resources must be used to combat the problem. Since the "New Deal" of the 1930's both the governments of Canada and the United States have actively participated in housing assistance and support programs. These programs, however, have not assisted the low income groups as much as the middle and upper income groups. Of over 73,000 FHA applications in 1967 only 5,000 were for a variety of social purposes which included low-income housing. The housing codes, urban renewal programs, and public housing projects have not yet sufficed to provide every North American family with a home of adequate standards. Governor Otto Kerner of Illinois, head of the Commission on a Civil Disorder, regards poor housing as one of the major causes of the social problems now facing almost every American city. A recent HUD study forecasts a need, greatest among the urban poor, for 22.5 million units of new housing in the next decade. The question is, how can this need be met? This study essentially reviews some of the methods by which government can assist low income families and households in obtaining adequate housing. The review begins with an examination of the nature of the housing problems in which the inter-relationship of housing standards, housing costs, and family incomes are analysed and evaluated. The conclusions from the review were; (1) that the costs of housing increase with the level of standard, and (2) that family income was the primary obstacle to adequate housing. The significant findings have been that a wider choice of methods of housing assistance can be adopted, as well as a wider choice of type and tenure of accommodations. Such range of choice can alleviate many of the present problems in urban renewal and relocation programs and most of all reduce the need for substandard dwelling units. In view of these findings and recognizing that adequate housing is in the interest of the family, the community, and the nation, the thesis investigates some of the ways by which the amount and method of assistance required by the low income groups may be determined if they are to be housed adequately. By means of the case study method the hypothesis was tested and verified. The most significant conclusion drawn from the case study is the substantiation of the validity of the hypothesis: That there is a certain family income level below which adequate housing cannot be obtained without assistance. This income level is established by the cost of minimum standard of socially and officially accepted housing. The measurement of this income level is therefore dependent on two factors: (1) determining what is the minimum housing standard for a family, with due regards to family size, and existing social, cultural, and official attitudes; and (2) determining what is the minimum cost of such standard of housing, with due regards to existing construction methodology and practices, technological skills, and available materials. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

The Canadian foreign aid program increasingly has been linked to trade and other commercial objectives- How and why has this happened? Has this been a successful linkage? What are the implications for Canada and its foreign aid program of this pursuit of the aid-trade linkage? This thesis attempts to answer these questions by exploring the origins and evolution of Canada's aid program, the political and bureaucratic status of Canada's aid agency, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and the various policies and policy instruments employed in this recent orientation of aid. It is here argued that in the pragmatic origins of Canada's aid efforts, beginning with the Colombo Plan of the 1950s, lay the seeds for today's aid-trade policy linkage. These origins enabled the interests and objectives of other federal government departments to intrude on and often supersede developmental considerations in Canadian development assistance. As a result, the creation of a strong central aid agency has consistently been impeded, and the needs of Third World nations consistently overshadowed by domestic concerns. Exacerbating this situation was the fiscal restraint and domestic recession of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The pressures stemming from these twin problems gave the final impetus for the increasing integration of aid and commerce. While it is questionable whether linking aid with commerce serves Canada's political and economic interests, in either the short term or the long term, the federal government seems intent on continuing this policy trend. Indeed, the aid-trade linkage superficially resolves a number of administrative problems for CIDA, and enthusiastically is promoted as a bright new opportunity for Canada and its development partners. Conversely, efforts to reverse this policy trend face many obstacles in the Canadian polity and society. In the absence of decisive political leadership on this issue, then, aid-trade linkage is likely to continue. / Arts, Faculty of / Political Science, Department of / Graduate

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No / Dependent Communities investigates the political situations in contemporary Cambodia and East Timor, where powerful international donors intervened following deadly civil conflicts. This comparative analysis critiques international policies that focus on rebuilding state institutions to accommodate the global market. In addition, it explores the dilemmas of politicians in Cambodia and East Timor who struggle to satisfy both wealthy foreign benefactors and constituents at home-groups whose interests frequently conflict. Hughes argues that the policies of Western aid organizations tend to stifle active political engagement by the citizens of countries that have been torn apart by war. The neoliberal ideology promulgated by United Nations administrations and other international NGOs advocates state sovereignty, but in fact "sovereignty" is too flimsy a foundation for effective modern democratic politics. The result is an oppressive peace that tends to rob survivors and former resistance fighters of their agency and aspirations for genuine postwar independence. In her study of these two cases, Hughes demonstrates that the clientelist strategies of Hun Sen, Cambodia's postwar leader, have created a shadow network of elites and their followers that has been comparatively effective in serving the country's villages, even though so often coercive and corrupt. East Timor's postwar leaders, on the other hand, have alienated voters by attempting to follow the guidelines of the donors closely and ignoring the immediate needs and voices of the people. Dependent Communities offers a searing analysis of contemporary international aid strategies based on the author's years of fieldwork in Cambodia and East Timor.

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