Our Partnerships

Working together to build a better world

Our new report, Together: The Global Solidarity Fund, brings our work to life, presenting concrete examples of GSF in action, catalyzing partnerships for the most vulnerable.

Private Sector

With business, philanthropic leaders and the development community, we are promoting increased inclusion of the most vulnerable, starting with offering an alternative to forced migration through job creation and entrepreneurship for migrants. The private sector needs outstanding employees who will help their businesses grow. Catholic congregations have deep links with migrants and refugees seeking a better life. We connect businesses which know workforce needs and opportunities with Catholic congregations which support and train motivated people for good jobs and entrepreneurship. To make these partnerships systemic and scalable, an Innovation Lab fostering collaborative efforts will draw from successful examples and recognized gaps to help deliver technology-based solutions to address context-specific needs and enable migrants and refugees to access labor markets.

UISG

GSF seeks to foster advocacy collaboration between sisters and potential partners from the Catholic, business, government and development communities, creating opportunities to elevate sisters’ voices. With GSF support, the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) is building sisters’ capacity for communication and advocacy for the people they serve. Bringing sisters’ unique voices to the global dialogue will strengthen not only programs led by sisters, but other efforts that lift up people in need.

As an initial effort, GSF is working with UISG to tell the compelling story of sisters’ leadership in developing community-based solutions to COVID-19. Their experience in hard-hit communities provides important lessons to inform the global effort to ensure that future development priorities are holistic, inclusive, and sustainable.

Inclusive Economy Efforts of the Catholic Church, Including COVID-19 Response

As the world works to recover from the devastating economic shock of COVID-19, Pope Francis and the Catholic Church have been unique voices in the international community, drawing from vast experience to promote inclusive economic development in the future, calling other faith and development leaders to work together to catalyze true global change. GSF has responded to this call to action, and our network draws from its diverse strengths to support this leadership. Click here to learn more about how GSF has supported the Church’s response to COVID-19.

In addition to GSF’s work to support Vatican leadership on COVID-19 and its aftermath, it has also supported other important Church initiatives to promote development that is sustainable and inclusive, including support for:

A conference marking the anniversary of the Pope’s landmark Laudato Si’ encyclical, driving collaboration with governmental, private sector, philanthropic and other partners on creation of an action plan to accelerate action to care for our common home.

Church engagement in the discussion on the Global Compact on Refugees and Migration, providing Catholic-inspired voices of compassion which helped ensure that the final Compacts reflected a spirit of solidarity rather than exclusion.

Strengthening Ethiopian Catholic University in order to increase opportunities for the young people of Ethiopia, accelerating the country’s development and providing alternatives to economic migration, as well as programs to engage youth to promote cross-community peace and understanding, particularly toward migrants.

The launch of a Church nutrition educational center for women in Mozambique, promoting collaboration between the local community and a western university including knowledge transfer and use of local technology.

Inter-congregational platform

In many places worldwide, Catholic communities, and congregations of women and men in religious life, have long worked on the front lines to foster social and economic empowerment of the most vulnerable. To maximize impact, many congregations agree that there is an opportunity to create inter-congregational networks to break down silos, foster synergies, and create systemic and long-term partnerships with businesses, governments and other development actors.

In GSF’s work for an inclusive economy, it has organized a global platform of six leading religious congregations to develop joint programs on job creation/placement for migrants. Participants include Salesian women and men, Scalabrini International Migration Network, Missionaries of Charity women, Ursuline women and Jesuit Refugee Services. The first action will be to assess the impact of COVID-19 on job creation/placement for migrants across Latin America and Africa, so that programs draw from congregations’ experience to advance the vision of an inclusive economy.

Inter-congregational partnerships are also delivering impact at the local level, starting in Ethiopia, where a new network of congregations is partnering with businesses and others, with a goal of combining jobs, health and education to enable sustainable alternatives to migration. The inter-congregational platform will provide a vehicle for bringing these collaborations to scale in multiple geographies.

In Focus

In Focus: Fr. Leonir Chiarello CS

Fr. Leonir Chiarello CS, Superior General, Scalabrinian Missionaries, describes the work of the Global Solidarity Fund in supporting religious congregations and the private sector to create a model of job creation for migrants.

In Focus: Sr. Patricia Murray

Sr. Patricia Murray, ibvm, Executive Secretary, International Union Superiors General, talks about UISG’s collaboration with the Global Solidarity Fund.