The Centre for Social Concern (CfSC), in Lilongwe (Malawi), has for mission to foster a critical reflection on issues of social concern based on faith and to generate informed action.
An integral part of this mission is to conduct action-oriented research so that especially the faith communities, but also the wider public, may come to better-informed action for the transformation of society.
In its research efforts the CfSC tries to involve those who experience the problems being researched. It strives to make use of the victims as data collectors and to give feedback of the results to the affected communities and make them subjects of their lives and involve them in action for transformation. In so doing the CfSC is like a voice for the voiceless but also hopes to enable them to find their own voice. Its main channels for dissemination of results, advocacy and lobbying are the Catholic Commissions for Justice and Peace, the Africa Europe Faith and Justice Network, the faith communities and sectoral networks.
The CfSC mainstreams gender, HIV and Aids and a concern for the environment in its research and subsequent action. It realizes that in the context of Malawi there is a great need for a rights based approach.