As part of their SSRC-funded Covid-19 research, Marlie Holtzhausen and Cori Wielenga examine what a relational approach can tell us about the efficiency of development interventions and how a relational approach can inform whether certain interventions are sustainable during a crisis. Looking at two development organizations in South Africa, they find that “success” for these organizations was not defined by a quantifiable measures like funds raised or people helped but by the dignity of the care and aid provided, which is possible thanks to a foundation of strong relationships.
Marlie Holtzhausen
Marlie Holtzhausen holds a PhD in political sciences from the University of Pretoria and is a part-time postdoctorate fellow at the Centre for Mediation in Africa. She also works at an NGO called the James 1:27 Trust as an embedded researcher, while working part-time as a life and organizational coach at Rescript Consulting. Her research focuses on deepening the understanding of relationships in development and care interventions toward building more deeply relational societies and economies. This interdisciplinary work entails bridging the gap between research and practice in development.