Norwegian Church Aid began in 1947 as a small fundraising initiative by Norwegian churches. Today, we are one of the largest aid organizations in the Nordic countries.
The great achievement of the Norwegian Church Aid organization at the end of the sixties came as a result of our relief efforts in Biafra (Nigeria). Read on to learn more about our 60-year history.
In October 1945, the Menighetspleienes Landsforbund (National Association for Collective Aid) was established to coordinate the social assistance work that Norwegian churches faced after World War II. This was a humble beginning to help the Norwegian Church.
The Association realized that aid to Europe does not reach all those in need. Food relief was sent first and foremost to our former allies in France, Holland, Belgium and Greece, and the Association saw that perhaps there was a greater need in defeated Germany. At a board meeting in 1947, the association decided to launch a campaign to help the destitute in Germany. Over time, it was also decided that churches in Norway would continue to provide assistance to refugees in Central Europe and the Middle East. This aid campaign was named Norwegian Church Aid, and the work was carried out in cooperation with the Lutheran World Federation and the World Council of Churches.
Norwegian Church Aid became an independent organization with its own statutes at a meeting of the National Assembly of Churches in 1953. Its scope of assistance was expanded to include many refugees in Hong Kong (1949), people in Algeria after the earthquake, and those affected by the war in Congo and floods in India. Aid to developing countries has been, since the first European aid was delivered, the most important aspect of the Norwegian Church’s aid work. From the beginning, the concept of Christian compassion has been our driving force.
Sixties: breakthrough
In the early years, Norwegian Church Aid was only involved in emergency response activities. But later, when it became clear that large numbers of the world’s population were living in a state of perpetual need, Norwegian Church Aid began its first long-term development project.
Biafra
The first of these projects was in Abakaliki, eastern Nigeria, in 1962. The emergency aid for the Biafra famine in 1966 was a breakthrough to help the Norwegian Church as an aid organization. Here, Norwegian Church aid entered the Northern Alliance which contributed humanitarian aid to areas not under the control of any recognized state, which were therefore areas where traditional humanitarian organizations affiliated with the United Nations and the Red Cross could not operate.
The Nowegian Church Aid’s general secretary at the time, Elias Berg, had led the fundraising campaign for relief work in Biafra. To this day, many people still associate the help of the Norwegian Church with the “fisherman priest” from Sonmore, who returned home desperate from the devastation of the war and sought help from the Norwegian people. People responded to his call to a degree we haven’t seen since.
A few years later, Norwegian Church Aid began working in South Sudan that would become the largest development aid project in Norway’s history. Norwegian experts were sent in agriculture, health, education, road construction and water supply. Asia entered the picture in 1971 with the Bangladesh War of Independence. In 1976, operations were expanded to Latin America, when Norwegian Church Aid began operating in Guatemala after the earthquake in March of that year.
The District Development Program for Southern Sudan, which began in 1972, has been dominant in our work. Large aid projects started in Ethiopia, Mali and Eritrea in the 1980s, at the same time, we started aid work with Afghan refugees in cooperation with the Norwegian Refugee Council.
In the 1990s, we came full circle with intense involvement in Europe when the organization began extensive aid work in connection with the break-up of the former Yugoslavia.
It soon became apparent during this development that the Norwegian expertise was not always appropriate for other countries. Often, the experience and knowledge of local people was a better fit for the local context.
The network is expanding
Norwegian Church Aid has evolved into a partner organization and network. Our direct involvement has been waived, and our cooperation with partners at the local, national and international levels has been expanded.
In 1995, Norwegian Church Aid became a member of a new worldwide church-related network called Action by Churches Together (ACT). The network has united the disastrous work of the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation and sister churches to aid the Norwegian Church. This network identified the origin of the ACT Alliance, and first saw the light in March 2010.
Through the ACT Alliance, Norwegian Church Aid is present in 130 countries. The ACT Alliance is one of the five largest humanitarian alliances in the world with more than 100 member organizations.
youth work
Our work with young people was most clearly emphasized by starting Changemaker in 1992, the Norwegian Church Aid youth movement. Changemaker gives young people an opportunity, through various advocacy campaigns, to take concrete action regarding injustice and need. One alternative is Communication for Change, which was developed in collaboration with YMCA/YWCA and Sunnmøre Folk High School. This is a one-year program for youth that includes a residence in a developing country, an informational tour of Norway and a part-time undergraduate credit course in Development Studies.
Media work
Since the end of the 1980s, Norwegian Church Assistance has been dedicated to disseminating information as part of our work. Changing attitudes, advocacy, lobbying, producing educational materials for schools and church work has become an important part of our work in Norway.
Our annual Lenten campaign existed alongside the Biafra Crisis of 1966. This fundraiser has grown steadily from the start, gaining entry into Norwegian gatherings when he participated in Emphasis in the 1980s in door-to-door fundraising. In recent years, the campaign has raised about 30 million kroner each year.
Complaint Handling Mechanism
The Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) wants to be accountable to everything we encounter through our work and wants to improve the quality of our work. Therefore, we are open to all complaints regarding our work in the countries in which we operate and in Norway.
However, we encourage comments and complaints regarding our work to be raised and discussed with responsible NCA staff and directors as soon as possible in the activity.
What can you complain about?
The NCA’s Complaint Handling Mechanism addresses all complaints related to:
We worked in Norway
Implementation of projects, implemented by NCA own staff and implemented by NCA partners
Conduct of NCA employees and partner employees
If the complaint is not within the scope of the NCA, the complainant will be notified.
Issues not covered
All internal terms of employment such as salary level, performance evaluations, work area, etc., will not be dealt with within this system unless deemed to be a breach of the ACT Code of Conduct or Operations Manual. These grievances should be dealt with at the lowest possible level through the executive management.
Sensitive and operational complaints
The sensitive complaint relates to violations of the ACT Code of Conduct and Operations Manual with indicated internal policies and guidelines. This includes, among others, violations of national and international laws, international human rights law, corruption, sexual exploitation and abuse, and the internal policies and guidelines of the NCA.
A typical operational complaint is a complaint about how we carry out our projects. But it could also be about the work of the NCA in Norway, the decisions made and the political position of the NCA.
The Norwegian Church’s Complaint Handling Mechanism is designed to deal with both sensitive and operational complaints. The system ensures that all information related to sensitive complaints is treated confidentially.
Anonymous complaints are welcome. However, due to the difficulty of investigating anonymous complaints without compromising the confidentiality of the complaint, we do not recommend anonymous complaints. Complainants who wish to remain anonymous are advised to file a complaint through an NCA employee to enable us to seek the information and pass it on to the relevant parties in order to investigate the case.
False Accusations
An employee who intentionally makes false accusations against another employee will be subject to disciplinary action.
Submit your complaint here:
By submitting your complaint, you accept the NCA’s complaint processing mechanism through which the complaint will be processed.
Norwegian Church Aid Contacts
Norwegian Church Aid
Visiting address: Bernhard Getz’ gate 3, 0165 Oslo, Norway
Postal address: P.O. Box 7100, St. Olavs plass, 0130 Oslo, Norway
Telephone: +47 22 09 27 00