Resources

Based on data collected on domestic violence over 10 years by the IRC in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ivory Coast, said domestic violence is the “most urgent, pervasive and significant protection issue for women in west Africa”.

Contextual Bible Study Manual on Young People Africa is a "young continent.". The majority of the continent's citizens are young people. Churches in Africa must reflect this reality in their planning, activities and programmes. Unfortunately, however, young people tend to…

EARLY ADOPTERS’ WORKROCK LIBERIA 25-28 NOVEMBER 2019 The ‘Faith for Positive Change for Children’ (FPCC) global initiative aims to build a new form of partnership between UNICEF and faith-based actors, enabling them to work together in a more effective, systemic,…

This scoping research conducted by Oxfam America in Partnership with Harvard Divinity School, combining a literature review and interviews of more than 45 stakeholders, set out to examine the varying approaches and effectiveness in local humanitarian leadership by secular and…

Speech by Chief Information Officer - Mrs Grace Kwalapu at Closing Ceremony of WorkRock in Mponela Malawi WorkRock page

EARLY ADOPTERS’ WORKROCK MALAWI 11-15 NOVEMBER 2019 The ‘Faith for Positive Change for Children’ (FPCC) global initiative aims to enable UNICEF and faith-based actors to work together in a more sustainable, systemic, integrated and scalable way to impact children’s lives.…

!is report has been produced as part of the Global Initiative for Faith, Health, and Development (GIFHD). GIFHD
seeks to serve as a bridge between faith and secular development communities, to give voice to the concerns and
capacities of the faith sector, and to advocate for the full engagement of the faith sector with governments, bilateral and
multilateral institutions, other civil society actors, and private philanthropy. !e Global Initiative is convened and
supported by the Center for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty (CIFA), a Washington DC-based organization committed
to building the collective capacity of the international faith community to increase its impact on poverty and disease.

Despite the benefits of antenatal care, evidence from sub-Saharan Africa suggests that women often initiate these services after the first trimester of pregnancy and do not complete the recommended number of visits. This study examines the impact of mobilising faith-based…

Extending Service Delivery (ESD)

This is a living document. It is up-to-date as of April 2020. We expect that new resources will be issued and can be used in addition to this document in the future. This document was produced in a short time…

The objective of the Khutbah Guide is to increase knowledge on MNCH and to assign them on providing Khutbah on MNCH issues for Friday worship. The guide encourages Religious Leaders to also use this knowledge for premarital and duple counselling,…

This review documents Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, and inter-faith initiatives in Cambodia and their varying response to HIV. This review highlights their contributions to HIV/AIDS and the important role they play in development of families, women, and children.

The Key Roles of Faith Actors in Meeting Needs of Refugees and Forced Migrants Presented by Jean Duff, JLI President

En Francais: NIGER PLAN D'ACTIONS The Action Plan details the steps to take on promoting child care and well-being in Niger from January to December 2020. The topics include health, education, child protection, child nutrition and hygiene and clean environment…

9-13 December 2019 Local faith actors and religious leaders with UNICEF Niger, Religions for Peace and the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities convened the Niger WorkRock in Niamey, in the conference room of the Radisson Hotel Blue de…

Synthesis report of the UK-Government funded project: ‘Working effectively with faith leaders to challenge harmful traditional practices’

This JLI GBV Hub study funded by UK-Aid on engaging with faith leaders on harmful traditional practices follows a multi-case case study design, with each individual case study focusing on one of five organisations, four of whom are international faith-based organisations (FBOs), and their work on HTPs and with faith leaders. This survey report is on the data from an anonymous, online survey that was completed by 65 individuals from across the globe. As such, the survey report merely details and explains the data gathered through this survey.

The COVID-19 lockdown has revealed –across the entire world –the challenges of parenting and shown how many parents are eager to learn simple strategies that can make a big difference to their daily family life, wherever they live. As a…

The U.S. and other Western governments are now turning to strategies known as countering violent extremism, or CVE. According to the White House, CVE addresses “the root causes of extremism through community engagement.” Instead of fighting violent ideology with bombs,…

The goal of this document is to provide faith leaders who frequently work with HIV/AIDS patients tips for pastoral care.

A Toolkit for Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction & Management for members and partners of the Anglican relief and development community Episcopal Relief convened a global Disaster Risk Reduction and Disaster Management Working Group to collaborate on creating these tools. Twelve…

This policy brief on "The role of faith communities and organisations in prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence" was completed by Elisabet Le Roux, Stellenbosch University, on behalf of the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities Gender-based…

In many contexts, faith leaders are a key reference group within programs who have specific, recognized, and institutionalized power in a community. As power holders they are seen to hold considerable influence over the emergence of social norms, have a stake in maintaining or reinforcing existing…

In Africa, more than four in every 10 women of reproductive age want to avoid pregnancy. However, 47% of African women who do not want to become pregnant either use no contraceptive method or use traditional methods, which typically have…

This toolkit is funded as a part of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) MOMENTUM Country and Global Leadership project, which includes an initiative to identify and address concerns among religious leaders and faith-based communities around vaccination. From 2020…

A review of efforts of faith based providers working to improve maternal health.

The OSCE, which already engages with religion in a number of contexts, should promote greater ‘religious literacy’ and regard religion as a potential resource for security-building. This means engaging with religion, and with religious leaders, institutions, congregations, and communities, to…

The Collective Action for Adolescent Girls Initiative (CAAGI) is a two-year pilot funded by Christian Aid, and jointly implemented by Development and Peace Initiative (DPI) and Gender Awareness Trust (GAT). The project aims to improve significantly the choices and opportunities…

A decade ago, talk about religion in public spaces was largely limited to discussions about either theology, or terrorism - or both. Today, the role of religious organizations - whether churches, mosques, temples, or faith-inspired NGOs delivering critical development and…

The G20 Interfaith Forum, explores religious dimensions of both key G20 policy concerns and priority agendas of religious communities. Leaders from networks that include religious leaders, religiously affiliated aid organizations, and scholars present proposals to G20 leaders. This document highlights…

Policy Brief 03/2020 This policy brief reports on preliminary findings of the online survey Religious Leaders’ Perspectives on Corona. It is the first survey comprehensively exploring the development and relief efforts of religious leaders worldwide as well as their social…

The First South Asia Regional Strategic Faith Engagement Forum for Positive Change for Children (FPCC), Families and Communities was held from the 8th to 10th May 2022 in Kathmandu, Nepal. For a detailed experience of the meeting, please see Annex…

Desde su fundación en 1946, la participación de iglesias cristianas locales han sido parte fundamental en las respuestas de CWS a situaciones de desplazamiento forzado de personas. Cuando a comienzos de 2019 concebimos esta investigación, lo hicimos con la convicción…

In India, the issues of energy access and climate change are inextricably linked. If the 200 million people in India without access to electricity receive their energy from clean renewable sources, India will make a vital and positive contribution to…

Monitoring the objectives of the project indicated in the message addressed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI to the Islamic Conference of Environment Ministers to “consider the possibility of setting up an Islamic academy for environment and sustainable Development to…

Role of Religion and Religious Leaders in Farmer-Pastoralist Conflict in Plateau State: An Inter-Religious Peacebuilding in Northern Nigeria (IPNN) Qualitative Research Report In the context of persistent, low-intensity conflict, which has characterized Nigeria’s Middle Belt for the past decade, Mercy…

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all countries irrespective of their state of development. In countries with traditional societies, religious leaders have been acknowledged as key stakeholders in community engagement activities, including disease prevention. A community-level prevention model was established in…

Article by Saferworld Bangladesh, January 2016 By involving religious leaders and using their influence in the local community, a Saferworld project in Bangladesh has been able to more effectively address safety and security issues and promote peace, write G.M. Shoeb…

November 2017 In 2017, the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI) undertook a study funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), entitled ‘Working effectively with faith leaders to challenge harmful traditional practices. The following policy…

EARLY ADOPTERS’ WORKROCK SOUTH SUDAN 7-11 OCTOBER 2019

UNICEF South Sudan was the first of five early adopter countries in Africa (with Malawi, Liberia, Cameroon and Niger) to host this ‘WorkRock’ – a term that shows that this is not ‘business as usual’ but about figuring out a new way of working together, based on strong foundations in evidence. With the help of the South Sudan Council of Churches and Islamic Council, it brought together 65 faith leaders and organisations, government officers and UNICEF staff.

Preventing Malaria in Our Communities A Guide to Help Faith Leaders Educate Congregations and Communities About Malaria Christian Joint initiative between IMA World Health and the Center for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty. For more information [email protected]   Also see resource…

Preventing Malaria in Our Communities A Guide to Help Faith Leaders Educate Congregations and Communities About Malaria Muslim Joint initiative between IMA World Health and the Center for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty. For more information [email protected]   Also see Christian…

Maximizing a Health System Approach for an Improved Epidemic Response Recommendations from IMA’s Experiences Containing Ebola Outbreaks in the DRC IMA World Health’s work on the frontlines of strengthening fragile healthcare systems often brings us in contact with new infectious…

These khutbah and sermon guides were developed to empower religious leaders with the tools and skills to reach their congregations with key messages on pediatric HIV transmission and prevention; stigma and discrimination; and treatment, care, and support; as well as…

Exploring the Nexus between Harmful Traditional Practices, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Religion: Working effectively with Faith Leaders September 19, 2017 Lisa Le Roux and Brenda Bartelink Presentation For more information about the JLI SGBV Hub Study see here See…

This is book is about a church where members are physically separated from one another due to specific heath concerns and safety regulations. Yet the church is still called to be a social institution, where people engage, support, and care…

Center for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty The center, with funding from the GHR Foundation, published an evaluation and analysis of NIFAA's early work in 2011, two years after NIFAA's founding. The report demonstrated NIFAA "offers a sustainable and replicable…

This is a comprehensive report of the GNRC 5th Forum. It is a summary of all aspects of the Forum, including the speeches, papers presented, contributions and transcripts of messages delivered at the Forum. Includes remarks from distinguished guests during…

Given the challenges faced with ongoing efforts to contain the spread of Ebola that arise as a result of incompatibilities between some religious and cultural practices and prescribed scientific methods, it is high time we explore ways in which traditional…

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FAMILY PLANNING RECOMMENDATION PAPER The ICFP forum brings us together to learn, share and find innovative ways to improve the quality and coverage of our family planning work in order to meet the reproductive health needs of…

Frequently, community based strategies include engagement with local faith leaders. However, there have been few systematic attempts to document how faith leaders themselves define their roles in these initiatives. This study examined local faith leaders and their spouses, in flood…

Since the time of Christ, caring for the sick and the poor has been a core distinctive of authentic Christianity. The response of Christians during many of the great plagues of antiquity played an important role in the spread of…

This book: Discusses the roles that mosques play in saving lives and reducing losses Shows the role of imams' flexibility to help communities in need Presents point of view to see religion differently in a much broader constructive array than…

G20 Interfaith Forum Japan 2019 7-9 June 2019 Faith actors, reflecting their deep moral convictions, vast global networks, daily lived experience with communities across the world, and their witness for the most vulnerable and those left behind, call the leaders…

Baseline Study Case Study: Lebanon In mediation processes, usually an outsider and impartial third party mediator is sought. In certain contexts, especially in traditional and high-context societies, an insider mediator who is intrinsic (geographically, culturally and normatively) to the conflict…

A Technical Brief for the Capacity Project describing faith leaders’ impact in low-income settings.

Religious leaders are in a prime position to change harmful attitudes about family planning. They are some of the most important and respected opinion leaders in Ugandan communities who can help shift social norms. By virtue of their status and…

A regional summary of the Tearfund’s “Men, Faith and Masculinities” studies in Rwanda, Burundi and DR Congo.

A step by step guide for implementing Transforming Masculinities projects This implementation guide has been developed to support the scale-up of Transforming Masculinities (TM), an evidence-based intervention developed by Tearfund to end sexual and gender-based violence and to work toward…

In 2018, the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations (CTPSR) at Coventry University was contracted by World Vision to conduct three in-depth, qualitative analyses of Celebrating Families, focusing on implementation in Afghanistan, Myanmar and Tanzania. These were commissioned to…

Religious beliefs and leadership can play important if complex roles in family planning decisions at many levels, but there are significant gaps in understanding how these influences affect family planning policies and programs. The World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), in…

The Partnership Note sets out broad guidance for UNHCR staff to engage with, reach out to, and partner with faith actors in the context of forced displacement. It describes UNHCR’s understanding of the range of faith actors and the role they play in humanitarian responses. The Note also flags the challenges of partnership and highlights instances where we would not normally engage owing to humanitarian and human rights considerations. More importantly, it contains examples of good practice and lessons learned from existing partnerships in the field and highlights principles that are a point of departure for dialogue and cooperation with faith actors and communities, while setting out actions and activities to put these principles into practice. The Partnership Note may be used as point of departure for conversations on many issues between UNHCR and faith actors. It can also help guide you, as partners, to establish dialogue across faiths and with a range of humanitarian actors.

The dialogue on 13 June represents a next step in a continuous effort by the World Food Programme to mobilize support for Zero Hunger. In support of this discussion a number of religious leaders representing various faiths and geographic regions…

We Will Speak Out (WWSO) is a global coalition of Christian-based NGOs, churches and organizations, supported by an alliance of technical partners and individuals – chief among them Tearfund, a MenEngage Alliance member - who together commit themselves to see…

The declaration, known as an Affirmation of Welcome, is the first to involve UNHCR and a spectrum of faith-based groups. It sets out principles to guide faith leaders in providing welcoming environments for refugees and displaced people, and those without citizenship, including through promoting community understanding and tolerance, and combatting xenophobia.

The idea for a joint declaration emerged from a meeting hosted by UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres in Geneva in December 2012 with religious leaders and faith-based NGOs.

Taking place between February and April of this year, drafting of the Affirmation involved a coalition of leading faith-based organizations and academic institutions. The text draws upon principles and values of welcome shared by religions including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.

In December 2012, UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres organized a Dialogue with faith leaders, faith-based humanitarian organizations, academics and government representatives from countries around the world on the theme of “Faith and Protection.” As the High Commissioner noted…

November 2017 In 2017, the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI) undertook a study funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), entitled ‘Working effectively with faith leaders to challenge harmful traditional practices.' Policy brief addressing…

Child marriage results from the interplay of a variety of factors and happens across countries, cultures, ethnicities and religions. There is no single religion that is solely associated with child marriage. But as religious leaders often hold considerable power and…

Everyone has a role to play in the movement to end child marriage. In this brief, we explore the role of religious leaders and highlight key approaches to support civil society organisations who are considering engaging with them in their…