Strategic Plan 2009-2012
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Foreword
In 2004, Misean Cara was established to support the
development work of missionaries. As our organisation developed, and
in order to more clearly reflect its role, we changed our name in
2008 from Irish Missionary Resource Service to Misean Cara, a
name which highlights the core values of our company.
Misean Cara is an Irish missionary development organisation
rooted in a commitment to further strengthening and promoting the
gospel inspired development work of missionary organisations. We are
a membership-based organisation, currently with 86 member
organisations whose missionaries are spread throughout the world,
working with the poor.
The role of Misean Cara is to support these organisations and
their members in their development work.
Misean Cara support for members involves both financial
support (so far exclusively from Irish Aid) and support in the form
of related advice, information, and capacity-building. Since 2004,
we have channelled a total of just under €68m of funds to our
members. Misean Cara funding currently supports up to 800
personnel in the field. Alongside this, up to 100 projects in over
50 countries are funded annually.
We are now entering a new Plan period, taking us to 2012. Reflecting
the continual changes in our external environment, this Plan
contains many challenges, but also involves many opportunities. In
many ways the challenges are better known. On the international
front, these include the prevalence of HIV and AIDS, climate change,
war and conflict, and in recent months, the global financial crisis.
On the domestic front, we face economic downturn, increased
competition from ever more professional NGOs for public and private
funds, and more demanding but appropriate governance and
accountability requirements.
There are also many positive trends and these are often less high
profile. Internationally, there is increasing recognition of the
distinct role and importance of the development work of faith-based
organisations in terms of our commitment, outreach and
sustainability, and the ability to go boldly where other
organisations frequently fear or fail to tread. Crucially, the
missionary movement is also experiencing an influx of a new
generation of local members into our organisations, allowing a
transition to this new generation from older missionaries of Irish
origin. This creates a new dynamic, forwardlooking and locally based
but Irish-linked missionary family. Therefore, while individual
faces may change, our member organisations survive and thrive.
Internationally and in Ireland we are also witnessing an upsurge in
private philanthropic activity and fundraising, much of it directed
to the poor communities we serve, which presents new funding
opportunities for ourselves and our members. Against this
background, our new Strategic Plan reflects these and other changes
and responds to the demands they place on Misean Cara.
Reflecting its importance, the new Strategy is the result of a
lengthy and detailed preparatory process. This included discussions
at a series of Board meetings; the establishment by the Board of a
Strategic Planning Committee, which included external members, to
oversee the process; the holding of consultative workshops for
member organisation representatives; bilateral meetings with some
member organisations; and the preparation and distribution to
members of a background Issues Paper for feedback. This process was
also supported by independent external consultants, Fitzpatrick
Associates.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved,
not least my fellow Board members and the Executive of Misean Cara led by Mike Greally; our external members of the Strategic
Plan Committee, Séamus Collins from Trócaire and Rev. Joe Cantwell
SPS; and also Fitzpatrick Associates, who offered expert advice and
support throughout the process.
For centuries the gospel call has motivated Irish women and men to
go abroad as missionaries in the belief that our world could be a
better place. Our dream has been consistent: to spread the Good
News, to fight injustice and poverty, and to empower and enable
people to be agents of their own destinies.
As Chairperson, I am confident that in the period ahead we in
Misean Cara will continue to support the uniqueness and humanity
of the faith-based approach to development and the gospel-inspired
development work of our missionary organisations.
Together, we can look forward confidently to further strengthening
our capacity as missionaries to make real, lasting and substantial
differences in the lives of those oppressed by poverty, war and
environmental degradation.
Sr. Noelle Corscadden
Misean Cara Chairperson
December 2008
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Strategic Plan 2006-2008
DOWNLOAD THE PLAN To download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF files please click here |
