Heather Saville: Friends in Deed: Fifty years of Quaker Service Australia. Quaker Service Australia, Sydney, 2009. Order online
I have long wondered why a comparatively small religious body, the Society of Friends or Quakers, have been so prominent in peace, welfare and aid.
Through Quaker friends I have some inkling of the spirit of concern and opening towards others that leads to prison visitation, involvement in the aftermath of war and care for the poorest. But I sought in vain for more precise answers in the history of Quakers' involvement in aid and development projects over the last 50 years.
The closest we get is a quotation from Mark Deasey's 2002 James Backhouse lecture:
'If we acknowledge the indwelling presence of God in every human being, we inescapably acknowledge that we have an obligation for the wellbeing of others, whether this be through meeting immediate needs (or) seeking to change the order of the world...'
Perhaps my question is the wrong one. We should rather ask why the majority of Christians do not seem to feel this overwhelming sense of mission; why work for social justice is an optional extra not a mainstream activity for all. Or perhaps our involvement is too remote: we contribute money but not our hearts and minds.
The variety of projects initiated or facilitated by Quaker Service Australia in India, Africa, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Australian Aboriginal communities, as described in a lively and people-oriented style by Heather Saville, is extraordinary.
Saville answers the obvious questions. Can small-scale projects such as those of QSA bring about the changes we all want to see? What are the consequences of partnerships with governments? Do women as well as men profit from the projects? And can aid projects be effectively organised from the outside?
There are constant themes. QSA projects have tended to be small-scale, rural and focused on food and water security. Critics of such a concentration are having to reassess their views in light of climate change and the global financial crisis. Small-scale technology, solar power and permaculture may be the destiny of all of us.
Other themes will be familiar to those involved in overseas aid: the need for local partners, the necessity to hand over completely as soon as possible to avoid dependence, the careful spelling out of obligations and expectations from the beginning and the prescription of major female participation.
The strength of the book lies in the