Resources

This is a broad scoping review mapping and understanding the available literature on ‘religion and immunization’. The goal is to note where evidence and information can be found and to identify key areas for further research, engagement and partnership. An annotated bibliography accompanies the Report

This 2014 Progress Report details the global movement to end preventable child deaths by accelerating progress on maternal, newborn and child survival. In support of the United Nations Secretary General’s ‘Every Woman Every Child’ strategy, “A Promise Renewed” brings together public, private and civil society actors committed to advocacy and action for women, newborns and children.

This report charts the progress that has been made , and what still needs to be done as of 2014 to achieve Millennium Development Goal 4: Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate.

This report on Religion and Development deals with a range of issues on the table of governments for discussion for the Post 2015 international development agenda. Issues include governance, peace and security, financing and development assistance, gender equality, nutrition, education and health.The Consultation was hosted by UNFPA, as Chair of of the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Engaging with FBOs for Development, and involved major bilateral development donors as well as international faith-based organizations and scholars.

Report of an independent mid-term evaluation of the Faiths United for Health program, a pilot program of the Nigerian Inter-Faith Action Association (NIFAA) that uses an interfaith action approach to train Muslim and Christian religious leaders to educate and motivate Nigerians to undertake behavior change in the fight against malaria. This report details NIFAA’s promising early work to mobilize religious leaders to use their influence to increase usage rates of insecticide-treated bed nets, as well as increasing other action against malaria. Produced with funding support from GHR Foundation.

In December 2013, representatives from 12 faith-based organisations came together to explore and articulate a theory of change for faith group and community mobilisation. The process examined assumptions about what success looks like and how we contribute to change; and specifically analyzed the role of faith, drawing on any existing evidence base. A small working group then met together in July 2014 to draw together the theory of change. Throughout the process, the group was careful to surface both similarities and differences. The theory of change diagram captures the core underlying beliefs that the group hold in common, while the narrative explains the diagram, fills in more detail and highlights areas of debate and that need further learning and testing.

The Purpose of this Principles Paper is to strengthen and guide DFID’s future relationship and collaboration with faith groups on international development. The key Principles of the Partnership between faith groups and DFID are transparency, mutual respect and understanding. The areas in which these Principles will be applied include: building a common understanding of faith and development; documenting the impact of faith groups through research and evaluation; and, working on difficult themes and areas to find effective ways to progress development and bring about transformational change in the lives of the poor.

In the literature on the religious contribution to health and development, it is commonly stated that faith-inspired institutions (FIIs) provide from 30 to 70 per cent of all health care provision in Africa. This article tracks the sources of such statements back to the 1960s, highlighting a process of ‘broken telephone’ whereby estimates are passed on and frequently distorted by policy- and advocacy-oriented influences at both the national and international levels. This demonstrates how estimates are being wielded bluntly, often resulting in poorly substantiated claims to the detriment of more careful research, thereby weakening the empirical knowledgebase and improved practice.

The overall purpose of this study was to provide a description of the contribution of faith based organisations (FBOs), institutions, and networks to the health of vulnerable populations in resource-poor areas of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA); and to identify key areas for investment that would accelerate, scale up and sustain access to effective services, and/or encourage policy and resource advocacy among and in African countries.

The World Health Report 2004 – Changing History, published by the World Health Organization, calls for a comprehensive HIV/AIDS strategy that links prevention, treatment, care and long-term support. Until now, treatment has been the most neglected element in most developing countries: almost 6 million people in these countries will die in the near future if they do not receive treatment – but only about 400 000 of them were receiving it in 2003.

This “Best Practice” Report attempts to tell the story of the leadership exercised by the Catholic bishops of India, particularly through their national episcopal conference, and of the heroic and dedicated HIV-related service and teaching provided by Catholic Church-based organisations throughout the country.

The article attempts to demonstrate the key contribution by people of faith to the global HIV pandemic response. Special attention is paid to the work of the Catholic Church in this field in view of its vast infrastructure of education, health care, development and social service activities and of its exemplary efforts to coordinate an effective HIV response from global to grass roots levels. Independent evaluations and statistical data regarding the level and quality of faith-based engagement in this field are presented in order to demonstrate the basic premise of the article – i.e., that faith-based organisations
are lending exceptional energy, expertise, and experience in order to achieve the commitment of the international commitment to advance universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

This report reviews the work of faith-inspired leaders, communities, and organizations in worldwide efforts to reduce maternal mortality. Maternal mortality rates represent one of the most extreme cases of inequality in public health worldwide, but decades of global action have failed to remedy the gap between wealthy and poorer countries when it comes to maternal health. However, recent evidence that global maternal mortality is decreasing significantly, if gradually, has helped strengthen momentum and refocus attention on the issue.

This report reviews the work of faith-inspired leaders, communities, and organizations in worldwide efforts to reduce maternal mortality. Maternal mortality rates represent one of the most extreme cases of inequality in public health worldwide, but decades of global action have failed to remedy the gap between wealthy and poorer countries when it comes to maternal health. However, recent evidence that global maternal mortality is decreasing significantly, if gradually, has helped strengthen momentum and refocus attention on the issue.

Religious communities are critical players in the world of global development, but we know relatively little about their activities. The Luce/SFS Project on Religion and Global Development is devoted to closing that knowledge gap. It explores the role of religious groups and ideas in donor and developing countries and points to areas for greater religious-secular cooperation in the development field. The project supports faculty and student research and publications, development related courses, and an on-line databases that captures the activities of religious actors engaged in development activities worldwide.

This draft background report was prepared as part of the Berkley Center’s global “mapping” of the work of faith-inspired organizations worldwide. The report serves as background for the consultation on faith inspired organizations and global development policy in South and Central Asia in Dhaka, Bangladesh on January 10-11, 2011.

On March 24th and 25th, 2014, the International Interfaith Peace Corps (IIPC) in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Senegal cohosted an international summit entitled Vaccinations and Religion: Issues, Challenges, and Prospects. The summit brought together more than 80 African Muslim government officials, medical professionals, and religious leaders to identify the challenges associated with vaccination in resistant and hard-to-reach communities in Africa in order to issue a declaration in support of disease prevention and help raise awareness within Muslim-majority communities about the necessity and importance of vaccination. Ultimately, the goal was to identify strategies to increase vaccine acceptance in their domestic constituencies.

This series focuses on assessing the role and market share of faith-inspired providers and on assessing the extent to which they are involved in and benefit from public-private partnerships. The purpose of this series is three HNP discussion papers is to round up various analytical perspectives and emerging research on faith engagement in health in Africa from a range of researchers and practitioners from the north as well as the south. The series is structured into three volumes: a first volume on the role and market share of faith-inspired providers and public-private partnerships, a second on satisfaction and the comparative nature of faith-inspired health provision, and the third on mapping of faith inspired provision and the extent to which faith-inspired providers reach to the poor.

As African governments, donors, and a wide range of organizations increase their efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and set the agenda for the post-MDGs era, the role of non-state providers of health care is gaining new attention. In Africa, the largest non-state networks of providers are often faith-inspired. But how important is the role of faith-inspired institutions (FIIs) in health care provision in Africa? How substantial are their market share and reach to the poor? How affordable are the services provided by FIIs to households? How satisfied are households with these services? What are some of the interesting and innovative experiences that have been documented in terms of FIIs providing quality services to underserved populations? Beyond facilities-based care, which types of non-institutionalized initiatives emerge out of communities of faith that are generative of health? How can these initiatives be mapped, understood and leveraged for better health and development? The objective of this edited series of three World Bank HNP Discussion Papers is to gather tentative answers to such questions.

Channels of Hope training approach described in French by Malian Imam.

Australian aid is funding an innovative approach to tackling gender-based violence in the Solomon Islands. In a country that is 97% Christian, a new project is working with churches to challenge traditional understandings and incorrect Bible teachings about gender roles and domestic violence.

Channels of Hope equip faith leaders to reduce HIV-related stigma in their communities and promote compassionate care for people and families affected by HIV. This video presents the experience of two Christian leaders from vastly different context – an Ugandan pastor and an Armenian Orthodox priest.

World Vision’s HIV and AIDS response strategy focuses on building the capacity of communities to prevent the spread of HIV and on providing care and advocacy for people living with HIV and for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). The Channels of Hope (CoH) methodology, one of World Vision’s three core HIV and AIDS response models, is used to mobilise the infrastructure, organisational capacity, pool of current and potential volunteers, and unmatched moral authority of local churches and faith communities towards positive action on HIV and AIDS. Once they have been mobilised, World Vision works with churches and faith-based organisations to co-ordinate and equip sustainable, community-based HIV and AIDS programmes with an emphasis on reaching OVCs in need of care and support.

Channels of Hope for Maternal Newborn and Child Health (CoH MNCH) is a programme methodology that catalyses faith communities and individuals to act on their God-given responsibility to honour, uphold and restore the dignity and value of every human being, to help ensure that even the most vulnerable experience fullness of life. Once catalysed, congregations work with World Vision to meaningfully engage with sustainable, community-based MNCH interventions and advocacy.

Recognising the gaps in healthcare for children is the first step to resolving them. It becomes particularly important in communities or geographic regions facing inequity of services, where the poorest or most marginalised children are missing out on health opportunities that policies aim to provide. Fostering responsibility and knowledge for improvements to maternal and child health within affected communities is part of the Child Health Now advocacy approach.

There is an urgent need to improve access for HIV-positive pregnant women to services that can dramatically reduce the transmission of HIV to their babies. Globally, approximately 45 per cent of women in resource-poor settings have access to prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services.1 There is growing recognition of the need to create greater awareness amongst HIV-positive women and others about the value of PMTCT in order to create demand for services at the community level and to support adherence and follow-up after delivery. In recent years, community-based mother support groups have played a key role in creating this awareness and building confidence among HIV-positive women to have access to these services. Mother support groups provide safe environments in which women can learn how to help themselves in making difficult decisions.

Many have observed that children are neglected in the HIV response. Within this there are sub groups of the most neglected who are very difficult to reach and may be overlooked, resulting in even greater levels of suffering. In a scenario of great need, and donor focus on results based payments, there may be a tendency to reach for the “low hanging fruit”. This research explores the challenges of reaching those most marginalised and hardest to reach children.

The research focuses on orphans and vulnerable children in four of the worst-affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Based on surveys and focus group discussions with children, parents, caregivers and officials in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia, it provides a useful review of the UNGASS commitments and how much difference a decade of action has made.

Every year, millions of people around the world are affected by humanitarian crises, both natural and man-made. A significant proportion of people living with HIV (PLHIV) are also affected by conflict, disasters or displacement. HIV can spread quickly in conditions of poverty, powerlessness and social instability, conditions that are often at their most extreme during emergencies.

World Vision HIV & AIDS Fact Sheet

Channels of Hope (CoH) for Gender is an innovative approach to exploring gender identities, norms and values from a faith perspective. The programme methodology challenges faith leaders to acknowledge and act upon gender injustices in their communities, as these are realities in many places where World Vision works.

When faith leaders promote principles of equality, and the shared access and utilisation of family and community resources, this contributes to harmonious relationships within families, faith groups and communities.

Channels of Hope for Child Protection (CoH CP) is a programme methodology that motivates and builds capacity in faith communities to address harmful traditional practices toward children, to support and advocate for children’s rights, to become better child protectors, and to ultimately strengthen the local child protection system.

CoH CP relies on Scripture-based guiding principles, interactive activities and scientific information. It builds on the desire of faith leaders and communities to be better parents within their own families. More than that, it aims to ensure that children can celebrate who they are and become who they were created to be with the love, respect and help of their parents and faith communities.

In the communities where WV works, many serious issues often limit improved child well-being (CWB). These might include violence against children, poor birth spacing, gender inequality, early marriage, wife inheritance, malnutrition, early marriage, gender-based violence, HIV infections, TB and malaria, trafficking, and more.

The toolkit has been designed to be a practical resource for our staff and is designed to be used in tandem with existing guidelines. We hope, insh’Allah, that this toolkit will not only be used by Islamic Relief staff, but also by colleagues from other agencies who are working with Muslim communities towards building lasting peace. To this end we have included a separate ‘Introduction’ for readers who are less familiar with Islam and Muslim communities.

This toolkit draws from current knowledge and best practice across the field, but approaches each area of work from an Islamic perspective and offers suggestions to the reader on how they might approach programming in conflict-affected areas from that basis. The tools included should be considered as facilitating (not as an alternative to) context specific approaches. Readers are actively encouraged to re-design and amend tools and approaches to reflect the knowledge and experience of their beneficiaries.

The central argument in the paper is that development is primarily about safeguarding and enhancing the dignity of human beings. Human dignity originates from God who has singled out humankind from other creations and favoured it in several ways. We are the only creatures that contain the Divine spirit which was placed in humankind by God during creation (Qur’an, 15:29). God has also distinguished humans from the rest of creation by endowing us with intellect (‘aql). Further, God has given humans the custodianship (khalifa) of the rest of creation on earth.

The success of integrated sustainable development (ISD) entirely rests upon a firm foundation of sound analysis of the following: Start-up assessment, Well-being and assets, Structural causes of poverty, Vulnerabilities to shocks and climate change, Opportunity analysis.

This report summarizes the USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1 project titled The Role of Religious Communities in Addressing Gender-based Violence and HIV, which was designed and implemented by Futures Group International and Religions for Peace. Recognizing the importance of collaborating to prevent and reduce gender-based violence (GBV) and HIV among women and girls, the Initiative partners formulated the project to improve the capacity of religious leaders and faith-based organizations (FBOs) to respond to GBV and its links to HIV.

The following case study takes in a small sampling of activities conducted by the Adventist Church
under the Papua New Guinea Church Partnership Program between 2010 and 2012. This study focuses on family life, education, and HIV/AIDS.

Policy note prepared for the UNHCR Dialogue on Faith & Protection in December 2012 based upon the JLI Scoping Report on LFCs and resilience.

Tearfund commissioned some research in February 2010 on the role of the church in sexual violence in Liberia, in a preventative sense and as a caring institution.

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”.

Tearfund commissioned some research in January 2011 on ‘The current situation regarding sexual violence in Burundi, the role of the church and possible avenues for intervention.’

Tearfund commissioned some research in February 2010 on the role of the church in sexual violence in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in a preventative sense and as a caring institution.

Sonke Gender Justice and UNFPA have completed a study on involving men and boys in preventing and responding to gender-based violence in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian settings.

A reflection on violent attacks on innocent civilians as a spin-off of armed struggle and proposals from a Christian standpoint

This article draws on a public lecture ‘Recent Scholarship in Religion, Ethics and Reconciliation: Shame, Silence and Human Dignity’, at the Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, 29 August 2012.

Tearfund has launched a report (2013) into the potential role of the church in ending female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in Tanzania.

The MRC Policy Brief looks at: The Scale of the problem; Why the problem? and What can be done?

Faith Health International have launched a report entitled: Exploring gender based violence against men who have sex with men, male sex workers and transgender communities in Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea

hildfund Australia and Papua New Guinea have launched a report looking at violence (including sexual violence) against women and children in Papua New Guinea and calling for an end to the violence.

There are many lessons that can be drawn from the movements of people with HIV, where they became key advocates in shaping the global response. The aim of this report therefore is to assess the depth and breadth of survivors needs in order to determine the legitimacy and potential
benefits of a survivor movement.

RWAMREC in collaboration with the Rwanda Men Engage Network is pleased to present this report which shows the results of the first national household survey ever done in Rwanda on perceptions about masculinity and GBV. The study, conducted from January 2010 to June 2010, examined the roots of GBV in relation to perceptions about masculinity within Rwandan society. This quantitative and qualitative research explored the experiences and opinions of men and women with relativity to how men are supposed to act and behave according to the socio-cultural norms and values in Rwanda.

This report is a compiled from two pieces of research commissioned by
Tearfund’s HIV & Sexual Violence Unit. The full reports and researchers are:
– Sexual violence in South Africa and the role of the church by Elisabet
le Roux at the Unit for Religion and Development Research at
Stellenbosch University
– Breaking the Silence (full report) by Robyn Curran, Bongi Zengele and
Solange Mukamana.

Evidence shows that men who experience violence or witnessed domestic violence as children are more likely to
accept violence as a means of resolving conflict both in their relationships and lives.

Coalition member, Tearfund has recently completed research looking at the social attitudes and practices of men in relation to gender. The research was completed in Burundi, Rwanda and DR Congo, facilitated by the Anglican Church in each country. See all three reports here: http://www.wewillspeakout.org/resources/men-faith-masculinities/

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

The extent of faith-based organizations’ participation within the overall health systems of developing countries is unclear. Recent reports state that faith-based organizations play a substantial role in providing healthcare in developing countries, cited in some publications as up to 70% of all healthcare services. The data behind these numbers are sometimes difficult to pinpoint and seem at odds to national and regional survey data.

Global disparities in maternal and newborn health represent one of the starkest health inequities
of our times. Faith-based organizations (FBOs) have historically played an important role in providing
maternal/newborn health services in African countries. However, the contribution of FBOs in service delivery
is insufficiently recognized and mapped.

A background document used by the UNHCR on faith and development as it relates to refugees.

!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.

This report presents findings from a mapping initiative that aimed to capture how faith-based organizations respond to violence against women and girls in the Asia-Pacific region. As a collaborative initiative between UNFPA and the Asia-Pacific Women Faith and Development Alliance (AP-WFDA), it sought to identify examples of strategies used by faith-based organizations. The report brings together the experiences of 58 organizations collected through an online survey, supplemented by in-depth interviews conducted with selected agencies. Importantly, the survey results represent only a small proportion of the faith-based organizations addressing violence against women and girls across the region.

This third volume in the series focuses on ways to ‘map’ (in the different uses of that terminology) faith-inspired providers, and on assessment of their cost for patients and the extent to which they succeed in reaching the poor.

Description of the Featured Member, World Vision, and their program, Channels of Hope.

A review of the results of a consultation regarding how faith leaders and groups can and are contributing to the development of Latin America.

Extending Service Delivery (ESD)

This document examines whether and how FBOs’ approaches to development work are unique to NGOs engaged in similar activities in the same contexts.

A report summarizing the discussion of a meeting focusing on FBOs’ capacity, and partnerships. Coalition of German Institute for Medical Mission, World Council of Churches, Caritas Internationalis, Ecumenical Adovcacy Alliance and Norwegian Church Aid.

An evaluation report of the partnership between the United Kingdom Department of International Development and the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development.

This UNAIDS document describes the principle and rationale behind the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV (GIPA) in national policies and programmes. It also discusses the challenges to implementing GIPA initiatives and describes a variety of effective ways to address these challenges.

This background paper presents regional strategies to strengthen the role of faith-based organizations in responding to HIV & AIDS. It brings attention to four key areas: access to essential services, building a supportive environment, strengthening the capacities of families and mobilizing and supporting community-based responses in addressing the needs of children affected by HIV and other vulnerable children in the EastAsia and Pacific region.

This background paper incorporates initial research carried out on the issue of faith, HIV and the
criminalisation of homosexuality.

This paper reflects on CAFOD’s thematic review and recommendation for HIV-related care and on the indications of how they will contribute to our HIV-related care and response work in the future.

This document presents a thematic review of CAFOD’s HIV-related care and mitigation work.

The Faithful House PMTCT Supplement builds upon the information presented in The Faithful House program. Information for facilitators and counselors supporting pregnant women who are HIV positive is included in this supplement.

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

A report discussing the differences between international development agencies and FBOs, and how they can work together and overcome their differences.

The scoping report for the JLI F&LC Immunization Hub.

A summary of the HIV AIDS and Maternal Health JLI F&LC report.

The Final Report from the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and AIDS, founded by Dr Geoff Foster, which serves as a model for JLIF&LC Learning Hub approach to evidence gathering and communication.

This Scoping Study, a product of the JLI F&LC Resilience Hub, investigates evidence for Local Faith Communities’ contributions to resilience in disaster and humanitarian situations.

This Report, a product of the JLI F&Lc Learning Hub on HIV AIDS and Maternal Health reviews the available data on the nexus between faith, maternal health and HIV AIDS development work, against the framework of specific questions. The report summarizes the evidence, discusses opportunities and challenges, makes recommendations for practice and for further research.

A review of DREAM, Drug Resources Enhancement Against AIDS and Malnutrition, created by the Community of Sant’Egidio to fight AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. This project uses Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART), alongside treating malnutrition, TB, malaria, and STIs, as well as health education, to promote a holistic approach to healthy living.

A summary of a mapping project done to understand the impact of the Catholic Church in combatting HIV/AIDS.

This report is background for the Berkely Center’s “mapping” of faith-inspired organizations worldwide and global development policy focusing on South and Central Asia.

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.

A review of HIV and AIDS care-givers from sub-Saharan Africa. This report highlights their importance, and states htat 90% of HIV care is done at home by family or community members.

This literature review by ARHAP focuses on the intersection of religion and health in sub-Saharan Africa, mostly focusing on HIV/AIDS spanning a 10 year period. This review provides insight into how these systems interact and poses questions for further research.

A review of Tearfund partners in Chad and Malawi exploring how local, faith-based responses to HIV strengthen health systems. Research focuses on Christian organizations and national and local-level stakeholders.

A review of what is and is not known regarding faith institutions and their work to improve health in Africa.

A review of research from Malawi, DRC, and South Africa regarding practices and opinions of sexual health and couple decision making.

An overview of Catholic responses to HIV including challenges and successes

This report is part of an expanded partnership between the WHO and FBOs in facing health challenges, specifically HIV/AIDS.

The plan focuses on policy and programmatic actions countries will take to make sure HIV+ pregnant and breastfeeding women have access to preventative services by 2015.

“The primary goals of the research were to strengthen collaboration, increase mutual respect and understanding between religious entities, governments and donors in three countries, and to ensure significant long-term contributions will be made to national AIDS plans through effective multisectoral collaboration. Research and consultation was carried out from 2007 to 2009.”

Guidelines to plan and implement multi-sectoral interventions regarding mental health and well-being during emergencies