The lack of consensus and consistency in defining and integrating the role of religion in development cooperation as well as in resilience building agendas undermines the Global Development Agenda and the effectiveness of interventions being implemented in the Global South. This research examines international development and aid organizations’ resilience frameworks and concepts, such as the ACT Church of Sweden, Oxfam, Lutheran World Relief, Islamic Relief Worldwide, and Baha’i International Community. The data collection and analysis are guided by the Social Capital Theory and by Resilience Building Approach. Analyzing how international organizations theorize the role of religion in resilience building provides this research with concrete examples to how faith-based actors are pinnacle actors of their communities during shocks, stressors, and everyday adversities. Spirituality in specific is a powerful capital that drives inner and outer movements and contribute to building hopeful and compassionate societies. However, this role of religion, faith, and spirituality and their conceptualization and use by faith actors remains to be complex and problematic to donor, intergovernmental and governmental agencies.

During my eight years of work in the communication department of an NGO based in Kampala I have undetaken several workshops organized by istitutional donors, such as USAID, on how to write what the aid sector calls stories of change.  Puzzled by the information and skills obtained in such context and the stories I have encounter and wrote during my job from one side, and on the other side acknowledging how novels helped me to navigate my feeling of disorientation while living and experiencing the Ugandan context; I have decided to embark in this research to better understand where the stories produced by INGOs and the contemporary literature differentiate.  This research involves shedding light on the differences, both in narrative construction and their impact on readers, between modern and significant literary works, like novels and stories originating from the aid industry (INGOs). To this end, the investigation embraces three distinct sources: the novels “We Need New Names” and “Americanah,” along with a concise web-based tale released by USAID. The ultimate goal of the research is to explore the power of storytelling in shaping collective imaginaries.  To unravel the interconnection between narrative potency and collective immaginaries, this study centers on the portrayal of Black Women. It draws upon the insights of Postcolonialism and Black Feminism, while exploring pivotal concepts such as Representation, Voice, and Stereotype. The study employs content analysis and reflect on complexity of character depiction. The findings reveal that well-crafted characters in literature can challenge stereotypes associated with African women. Characters like Darling (We Need New Names) and Ifemule (Aamericanah) are portrayed with depth and complexity, offering a comprehensive and multifaceted representation that defies monolithic stereotypes. In contrast, the character Aberu (USAID webstory) lacks such depth, perpetuating limited views of African women.  Furthermore, the research also highlights the potential of round characters to engage readers on multiple levels, prompting changes in perspective. Ultimately, the study concludes that storytelling has immense power to shape perceptions and calls for crafting narratives that promote inclusive and authentic portrayals of African women. The research enabled me to identify the differences between storytelling on Black women of the ‘development industry’ and storytelling on Black women in the literary field, opening a reflection on the importance to engage with narratives and media.  Differences highlighted the need for INGOs to reassess their storytelling methods. Drawing inspiration from contemporary African literature may provide valuable insights and strategies to foster more authentic, complex, and nuanced representations of Black women.

International development aid is one of the main elements of international relations and politics. It has taken place since the 1950's through great international organisations and institutions. Nevertheless, the international approach towards development has been considerably criticized. Critics have pointed out the generality of methods of development and the "one size fits all" paradigm. These programmes did not reflect and adapt enough to the conditions of specific areas, and preferred centralised approaches. At the same time a range of regional and local development initiatives has emerged. Despite the great success of local forms of aid, the international aid is still widely in demand and not decreasing. The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate the advantages of international presence in developing education programmes, with the following research question: What benefits do international organisations or institutions bring to national education programmes? Based on participatory observation of education systems in the Philippines and Myanmar, the thesis assesses the main advantages of international development programmes and the benefits for their participants. On the example of two international non-governmental organisations, namely Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult...