2. Merchants And Ministers: Understanding Snv’s Background

This chapter describes the story of Dutch post-war involvement in the development enterprise. It starts with colonial and missionary development experiences from earlier times. This frames Stichting Nederlandse Vrijwilligers (SNV) in a historical context of colonial and post-colonial, national and international development experiences. In the missionary sphere, the relationship with development was one of mutual influence. Social welfare and charity had been a feature of the missionary enterprise since its inception but after World War II, missions and churches became very active in the development sector and still remain a major force in development work today.Keywords: Christian organisations; colonialism; Dutch post-war development era; merchants; ministers; Stichting Nederlandse Vrijwilligers (SNV); White Man's Burden