Resources

This Policy Brief represents the reflections of more than 120 practitioners, policy-makers, academics and faith representatives engaged in work with displaced and migrating children from Syria, Ukraine and Latin America. In a series of consultations, this body identified three barriers…

Around 12 million girls aged 15–19 years and at least 777,000 girls under 15 years give birth each year in low and middle-income countries. Prioritizing adolescent sexual and reproductive health services and information can address these and other urgent 1…

This is one in a series of three learning briefs presenting findings of an updated review of faith-based action for children on the move. A set of briefs was first published in 20181 to support the evidence base for the…

This is one in a series of three learning briefs presenting findings of an updated review of faith-based action for children on the move. A set of briefs was first published in 20181 to support the evidence base for the…

This is one in a series of three learning briefs presenting findings of an updated review of faith-based action for children on the move. A set of briefs was first published in 2018 to support the evidence base for the…

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…

Series 2: Resource Guide for Religious Leaders and Faith Communities Ensuring trust, mental health, spiritual guidance, and social support are essential during a pandemic, when people are coping with intensified levels of fear, uncertainty, loss, and anxiety. Based on their…

“Created in Gods Image” Southern Africa Faith Leaders Support Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights for All We, as members of the faith community, believe that we cannot stand by and watch when our people are without information on Sexual and…

December 2019 A joint work of the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities and the PaRD work-stream on SDG 3: good health and well-being. The PaRD Health Work-stream commissioned this scoping study and the report was prepared under…

For millions of refugee girls, education is out of reach. Despite substantial increases in access to girls’ education around the world over the last two decades, refugee girls remain left behind. In countries affected by conflict, girls are 2.5 times…

On October 16 -18, over 185 participants and 85 organisations gathered at the General Curia for the Society of Jesus in Rome, Italy for the Faith Action for Children on the Move – Global Partners Forum. The Forum was co-organised…

The initial draft of this text was developed based on discussions at workshops in Geneva (May 2018), New York (July 2018), and Rome (July 2018). It included comments and feedback received from partner organizations, the international advisory committee members, and…

See here for webinar video on refugees, migration and children on the move

Faith Action for Children on the Move: October 16-19 in Rome, Italy

Published by JLI and WVI in preparation for the Faith Action for Children on the Move – Global Partners Forum.

Role of faith and faith actors in faith in psychosocial and resilience programmes

Faith Action for Children on the Move: October 16-19 in Rome, Italy

Published by JLI and WVI in preparation for the Faith Action for Children on the Move – Global Partners Forum.

Role of religion and faith actors in local communities: holistic and multi-sectoral approaches

Faith Action for Children on the Move: October 16-19 in Rome, Italy

Published by JLI and WVI in preparation for the Faith Action for Children on the Move – Global Partners Forum.

Role of religions and faith actors in combatting xenophobia; the embeddedness of religion in social, cultural, political and economic dynamics

Religious belongings help migrants, especially irregular ones, to confront the precariousness of their lives. France represents a peculiar case because it is a secular country where undocumented migrants have access to free medical care and their children to compulsory education.…

Gauteng City-Region Observatory This is a case study of the violence of May 2008 was by far the most devastating event of its kind since apartheid ended in 1994 in South Africa. Although not exclusively, a considerable number of foreign…

A survey by Open Doors Religiously Motivated Attacks on 743 Christian Refugees in German Refugee Shelter This extended survey, covering attacks on 743 Christian refugees in German asylum shelters, constitutes the most extensive of its kind so far. In addition…

This page contains news articles and journals that are relevant to the Faith Action for Children on the Move Forum. For more information on the Forum see here. Below you will find links to these pages as: a) they are…

Published in the Journal of Global Health Background. Over half of displaced civilians in humanitarian emergencies are children, and these settings pose unique threats to children’s safety with long–lasting consequences. Our study broadens the limited evidence on violence against adolescent girls…

Girls are hit particularly hard and face many forms of violence during times of conflict, disasters and displacement. Child marriage is on the rise at alarming rates in humanitarian settings. This brief summarizes what's known and needs to be done.

In 2018, world leaders will come together to draft and adopt two landmark compacts that have the potential to impact the lives of millions of migrant, displaced and refugee children. UNICEF has joined the voices of many who have called…

Learning to Play Together, the initiative featured in this booklet, sought to introduce ethics and intercultural learning into physical education using Arigatou International’s Learning to Live Together programme as a foundation. It was launched in Greece in 2011 by Dr.…

Partnering through Faith South Sudan Context and overview

An activity handbook for children in secondary education Based on THE JOURNEY TOWARDS HOSPITALITY – Vol. 2: Secondary is part of a Campaign for Hospitality organised by the Jesuit Network for Migrants in Latin America and the Caribbean (RJM LAC)…

34 years of service to refugees Summary of JRS work globally: Education, rebuilding lives Reconciliation, recreating right relationships

This strategic FBO framework was developed to support and guide work already being undertaken globally, regionally and nationally by a diverse range of committed individuals
and organizations. The UNAIDS–FBO strategic framework is the result of an 18-month consultation process between the UNAIDS Secretariat and Cosponsors, many FBOs, networks
of people living with HIV, government representatives and technical experts during 2008–2009.

This essay examines local and international Christian efforts on Mount Kilimanjaro to educate children. A prevailing idea among people who live on the mountain is that children engender trust and trade. This idea is illuminated through the adage 'Take the…

There is a burgeoning body of research about refugee youth that adopts a deficit approach by focusing on the problems and barriers youth encounter in adjusting culturally and academically to schools. Less research takes an asset approach through an examination…

This paper addresses the operations of faith-based humanitarian organizations and their rationale for the measures taken for education provision for the non-camp Syrian children in Turkey. In unveiling the role of the Islamic humanitarian sector in exercising education facilities for…

The field of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in humanitarian emergencies has shown remarkable development over the last two decades.1 Mental health was once a notable omission from the health priorities to be addressed in the context of humanitarian…

Worldwide, refugees often live through devastating experiences prior to fleeing their homes, including fearing or being close to death, seeing the death of loved ones and experiencing deprivation or torture (Cardozo, Vergara, Agani, & Gotway, 2000; Kleijn, Hovens, & Rodenburg,…

This booklet from Jesuit Refugee Service presents teaching, reflections and guidance of Pope Francis regarding migrants and refugees. It contains a Message from Pope Francis and twenty action priorities in two versions. One is meant for active pastoral engagement with migrants…

Children in Syria live under the constant threat of violence. The blatant flouting of international humanitarian and human rights law has earned this crisis the dubious honour of being recognised as the most significant humanitarian protection crisis in living memory.1…

No parent, no adult relative or guardian was with them on the way: in 2014, not a few, not a thousand, but more than 50,0003 boys and girls like Karla and Freddy journeyed unaccompanied through deserts and forests, through mountains…

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…

Psychological First Aid (PFA) is the recommended immediate psychosocial response during crises. As PFA is now widely implemented in crises worldwide, there are increasing calls to evaluate its effectiveness. World Vision used PFA as a fundamental component of their emergency…

The Rohingya Refugee Crisis is a children's emergency. Over a five-month period, 655,500 people have fled widespread violence in Myanmar, 58 percent of which have been children. Since arriving in refugee camps in Bangladesh, many of these children have reported the…

In the summer of 2007, focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted with Liberian refugee women living in the Buduburam Refugee Camp in Ghana. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the means through which Liberian families were…

The impact of the post-migratory experience on young voluntary migrants’ mental health has often been overlooked. As mental health conditions often first manifest in adolescence (Patel, Flisher, Hetrick, & McGorry, 2007), it is important to examine youth resilience strategies. Migrants…

The relationship between spirituality and resilience has been enquired into by academic researchers across different disciplines, especially around people experiencing death (Greef et al. 2008, 293), violent trauma (Connor et al. 2003, 491), war (Fernando et al. 2011, 55), austerity…

Resilience—the ability to anticipate, withstand and bounce back from external pressures and shocks—is an increasingly important construct in shaping humanitarian strategy by the international community (DFID 2011; UNICEF 2011; USAID 2012). Local faith communities (LFCs)—groupings of religious actors bonded through…

Religion is a powerful force in southern Africa, affecting all aspects of daily life and health (Anderson 2001, Chitando 2007a), particularly among rural women (Agadjanian 2005). Rural churches are a center for informal social interaction, shaping attitudes and behaviors of…

International standards, currently being developed, define a CFS program as one that “supports the resilience and well-being of children and young people who have experienced disasters through community organized, structured activities conducted in a safe, child friendly, and stimulating environment”…

Since the beginning of the current humanitarian crisis in Iraq, more than three million school-aged children and adolescents have experienced disruption to their education. Providing continuity of learning and protection for affected children demands that agencies such as World Vision…

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.

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.

These Guidelines provide a critical framework for engagement with faith‐based organisations (FBOs). They are not a blue‐print. Like all similar guidelines, these are provided with the pragmatism that each UNFPA Country and Regional Office will consider them in light of the specific political, social, cultural and economic circumstances.

UNICEF and other child rights organizations* have a long history of partnering with religious communities of all faiths on a wide range of issues that affect children. Religious communities are uniquely positioned to promote equitable outcomes for the most vulnerable…