16.05.2022

Theory and Practice: International Master's Degree in Diaconia Management

Three participants of the fifth course in Diaconia Management, Makafui Donkor from Ghana, Sarmen Girsang from Indonesia and Julia Karimi, the only German student (from left); © Photos: Matthias Börner/UEM

The participants of the fifth course

11 students from 8 different countries of the current 5th course of the International Master Degree in Diaconia Management visited for one week  
community-based diaconal projects as well as non-governmental organizations and church-related institutions in South Africa. The programme also included nationally active diaconal organizations: drug rehabilitation facilities; projects that give young people access to education; human rights and advocacy organizations. Touching and impressive encounters with people who stand up against everyday racism, injustice and poverty in the country. Always in the bag, the St. Gallen Management Model, one of the fundamental concepts of the course, to understand organizations and critically analyze their respective strengths and weaknesses. The findings from the module "Diaconic Management in Context - Field Research" will be reflected upon, among other things, during the next three weeks at the University in Stellenbosch, 50 kilometers east of Cape Town. Public Leadership, Ministry and Sustainability, Operational Management and Cooperate Governance are other examples of teaching topics in Stellenbosch.
 
The international and interdisciplinary programme is run by the UEM together with its academic partner, the Institute for Diaconal Science and Diaconal Management at Bielefeld University. Universities in the Philippines, Indonesia and Tanzania are further partners in the study programme, in addition to the South African university. The study programme has been offered for over ten years and the alumni, who now number over 50, have occupied key positions in many churches through their acquired competencies and are shaping the diaconal profile not only of the UEM member churches.