Project Profile

Cooperative Development Foundation (CODEF) was formed in 1999 and registered in 2001 as Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Nigeria.

Background:

• Prevailing economic scenario includes:
• Declining national revenues in the face of massive corruption;
• Increasing population and pressure on the depleting resources;
• Massive unemployment even for the educated;
• Deteriorating social values and escalation in violent crimes;
• A growing pool of disciples willing to be God’s agents for change.

Guiding Principles:

• For effective transformation, ministry concepts should be holistic (proclaimatic and demonstrative) and ministry goals comprehensive (i.e. with SPEECS-scope).
• To play its role effectively, the church must arise and contest against the gates-against humanity. The church can do this through a balanced understanding of scripture and ministry interventions using the reformations 3-model approach of God in family, church and government.
• Ministry interventions should aim at establishing God’s shalom on earth and establishing systems that function based on biblical values (because other milestones in economic thought have proved to be limited).
• As royal priests of the biblical milestone, the church prepare its adherents for presentation at the ultimate shalom. Its road-map is discipleship-discipling WHOLE individuals in WHOLE nations.
• Africa is blessed with people, mineral resources, fauna, land mass, wildlife, water bodies and energy, yet Africa is driven by ignorance, diseases, poverty and conflicts. The church cannot remain indifferent.
• Healthy church interventions must be participatory and project teams must apply emotional intelligence to ensure understanding and to create motivation.
• Poverty reduction strategies must empower people to realize their God given life opportunities, while living in relationship (with God, self and environment) and meeting their basic needs (spirit, soul and physical).
• The church need  to promote Fail’ Trade Organizations (FTOs) to empower small producers and contribute to their sustainable development.
• Project formulation requires understanding the project communities and accurate assessment of their needs. Also, project design must be facilitative and the project cycle so participative as to place ownership, decisions and responsibility on the communities.
• MDGs and SDGs provide suitable framework for systematic intervention and networking with development partners and other NGOs for holistic development of communities.
• Holistic development projects must integrate the theology of gender, population, environment, human rights, good governance and sustainability.