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History
DanChurchAid’s history
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1922 – Church aid in Europe
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1945 – Aid to European refugees
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1950s – Aid to refugees all over the world
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1960s – Disasters and relief work
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1970s – Development aid
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1980s – The cause of need: politics
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1990s – Human rights and democracy
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The new millennium
1922: Church aid in Europe
In 1922, a number of people from evangelical churches in 22 European countries met in order to discuss how they could help each other get on their feet again following World War I.
Many small churches in the most war-torn countries were only able to survive via outside help. Denmark had got off somewhat lightly and in order to support fellow churches established the “Danish National Evangelical Lutheran Church’s Relief Aid for the Evangelical Churches of Europe”.
Dr. teol. Alfred Th. Jørgensen was appointed head of the organisation, and neither he nor anyone else imagined the Church Aid would be active for more than a couple of years.
In all the country’s churches, Whitsunday was made the collection day for the Church Aid.
1945: Aid to European refugees
Following World War II, Europe was in ruins. Millions of people were homeless and refugees – in Germany alone about 12 million people were refugees.
The international network of churches was re-established, and the Relief Aid joined the Lutheran World Federation as well as the World Council of Churches.
The Church Aid’s support was in particular channelled via the Lutheran World Federation and the World Council of Churches whose humanitarian assistance also included refugees outside Europe: Palestinian refugees in Syria and Lebanon and Chinese refugees in Hong Kong.
1950s: Aid to refugees all over the world
Due to its involvement in the international refugee work, in 1953 the Church Aid changed its name to “The Danish National Church’s Relief Aid”.
Help could now be given to indigent people all over the world – not just in Europe – and to everyone, regardless of their beliefs.
1960s: Disasters and relief work
In 1965 there were 3 billion people in the world – and 2 billion was starving! There are many contributory causes: floods, earthquakes, volcano eruption, draughts – and not least war.
DanChurchAid became experts in loading airplanes with relief aid equipment and get it to the needy in a hurry.
In 1967 Denmark experienced its first televised disaster when the province of Biafra tried to break away from Nigeria.
For four years, DanChurchAid coordinated and directed the joint international church aid: an air bridge that completed 5.000 nightly flights in Biafra.
1970s: Development aid
In 1972, the Aarhus-based priest, Herluf Andersen, opened DanChurchAid’s first second-hand shop.
At the same time, the relief organisations began to wonder what was needed when a disaster was over in order to prevent another disaster.
This became the beginning of DanChurchAid’s work with long-term development work – which was always carried out alongside local partners. To a significant extent, Danida (the Danish International Development Agency) sponsored the development work.
The development work gave rise to a necessary decision: the work should be of a non-political nature – but this decision also led to new dilemmas. Did that mean that one should help the victim as well as his executioner?
1980s: The cause of need: politics
In 1980 Bishop Desmond Tutu visited Copenhagen, and he was looking for consequences. Tutu believed that if you were truly against apartheid, it was necessary to boycott South Africa financially.
Otherwise oppression would continue.
Bishop Tutu’s direct speech led DanChurchAid to the conclusion that when you look for causes of need and oppression, the answer is often an unpopular and political one.
It is unpopular to ask why there is apartheid in South Africa, why there is a debt crisis and Palestinian refugee camps.
Nevertheless, it is necessary to ask!
1990s: Human rights and democracy
Via the slogan "Agree with the poor", DanChurchAid developed its ‘rights-based approach’ to development work – that is, a work method aimed at enabling the poor to fight for their own universal rights.
When the decade was drawing to a close, it was clear that DanChurchAid had to work for greater financial independence from Danida. This was the beginning of an exploration of new collection methods.
DanChurchAid contacted every parish in the country, encouraging them to cooperate on a national door-to-door collection.
Since the first parish collection in 1999, the collections have developed a strong working relationship between more than 1200 local parishes and thousands of volunteer collectors.
The new millennium
DanChurchAid opened the new millennium with a decentralization process, moving resources and competencies from the Copenhagen headquarter and out into the world, close to partners and the needy.
At the same time, the international ACT collaboration (ACT = Action by Churches Together) was established.
From being a collaboration focusing on disasters, beginning in 2010 the ACT Alliance also coordinates the long-term development work of 150 church organisations and institutions from the north to the south.