Resources

This paper aims to: Highlight the work of local churches as key actors in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and resilience building.It does this by: using existing evidence to identify opportunities, gaps and challenges collecting further evidence generating discussion and engagement…

This article explores the perceptions of COVID-19 among faith communities in north-eastern DR Congo and their intersection with public health responses to disease outbreaks. In a situation of a political and economic insecurity and significant unaddressed health needs, faith communities…

What is the role of local faith actors (LFAs) in the pursuit of SDG 16, the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all…

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…

Evidence suggests that gender-transformative approaches that promote critical examination of prevailing norms of femininity and masculinity can contribute to improving gender and health outcomes by addressing MOMENTUM —Lessons From Partnering with Faith-Based Organizations in Very Young Adolescent Programming 2 the…

The SBF/JLI project on cultural adaptation for MHPSS programmes in the Syrian context began in March 2022. At the beginning of the project, the SBF and JLI teams co-developed the project design. Following that, Senior Research Fellow Dr Jennifer Philippa…

Annotated Bibliography on MHPSS, Culture and Faith in Syrian Communities by the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI) and Syria Bright Future (SBF) MHPSS and Culture in Syria Hub.

The first two years of the project culminated in the Project dldl/ድልድል Annual Conference on 11-12 November 2022, which was delivered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with the option for UK speakers and audiences to join online The Annual Conference was…

Episcopal Relief & Development and ECLRD commissioned an independent endline evaluation of phase 2 of the project in Liberia. The purpose of the evaluation was to measure project achievements and capture key project learnings for further interventions. The key objectives…

An increasing number of recent studies on mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) points to the importance of cultural adaptation of MHPSS programmes to suit the context in which they are applied. There is a significant need for MHPSS interventions…

L'inclusion des jeunes, la liberté de religion ou de conviction et la transformation des conflits sont liées ; il n'y aura pas de paix durable sans aborder les trois. Les conflits violents et les contextes fragiles donnent lieu à de…

Youth inclusion, freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), and conflict transformation are interconnected; there will be no lasting peace without addressing all three. Conflict and fragile settings are rife with FoRB violations, which act as both drivers and consequences of…

COVID-19 heightened interest in faith partnerships as governments and international agencies sought rapid behavior change to reduce the spread of the pandemic. It illuminated the unique capacity of local faith groups to reach people quickly, effectively, and relevantly. To increase…

Humanitarian responses to violence against women (VAW) in forced displacement rarely account for religion as an influential intersecting category shaping women’s experiences. Yet, Dr Sandra Iman Pertek writes that religion remains an important matter for many displaced women, which should…

The research project that informed this brief deployed intersectional and socioecological analysis of violence against women (VAW) in forced migration and identified two aspects of religious influences on survivors’ experiences as: 1) a vulnerability intersecting with other factors, and 2)…

Faith actors shape understandings of what climate change is and what responses ought to be pursued at local and global levels and in civil society and policy arenas alike. As an issue which can be described and responded to in…

Report on JLI’s 2022 progress on goals in Evidence, Research and Knowledge Partnerships, Fair and Equitable Initiative, and Communications, while highlighting projects and learning hub work.

Based on case studies, the book creates a multidisciplinary conversation on the gendered vulnerabilities resulting from extractive industries and toxic pollution, and also charts the resilience and courage of women as they resist polluting industries, fight for clean water and…

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Enhancing Gender Equality and Mainstreaming in Afghanistan (EGEMA) programme – implemented from 2016 to 2018 - proposed to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices on gender equality among religious leaders specifically related…

Mindanao State University-Sulu (MSU-Sulu) partnered together with the ICRC to produce the book’s translation into Tausug, a major language spoken in the Sulu archipelago and Zamboanga, among other places. Pana’ta offers guidance on important topics, such as ways to attend…

The Regional Forum was a hybrid event held in August 2022, with participants at the physical location at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and other participants joining virtually. The organisation of the event was itself a cooperative effort. Thirty-nine…

The 2022 Evidence Summit brought together more than 430 faith actors and faith-based organizations (FBOs), donors, and peacebuilding practitioners across 12 unique sessions to explore evidence on strategic engagement and partnership with faith actors and FBOs in the peacebuilding, development,…

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…

Research on religion and intimate partner violence does not appear to have integrated well the current evidence on religion/spirituality, marital functioning, and mental health and lacks a cross-sectoral perspective that bridges psychology, public health, international development, anthropology, and sociology. A…

This report focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and its partners and examines their advocacy and policy engagement work during the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made evident that the field of global health – its practices, norms, and failures – has the power to shape the lives of billions. Global health perspectives on the role of religion, however, are strikingly limited.…

There has been an increase in research on narratives in extremist communication and their role in radicalization processes as well as on both counter- and alternative narratives as tools to prevent or counter radicalization processes. Absent from the PVE literature…

Niger is a secular country with a Muslim majority. The communities live in harmonious peace and cultivate the spirit of living together regardless of ethnic or religious differences. Freedom of worship is a reality in the country. However, in recent decades,…

In a bid to promote a peaceful society, free from violent extremism and all forms of violence, young women peace efforts have been greeted with physical assaults and other forms of abuses, capable of affecting them mentally. This is besides…

Religion is a positive force for peacebuilding and preventing violent extremisms (PVE). Indeed, religious institutions and actors play an important role in building peace yet underutilized instruments in the prevention and resolution of violent extremisms. The objective of this research…

South Sudan has been embroiled in a cycle of violent conflict since it attained independence from the Sudan through a popular plebiscite where about 99% of its citizens voted for secession – ushering in the world’s newest country in the…

This project focuses on the impact of the Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) education in preventing youths from violent extremism in Afghanistan, using Kabul University students as a case study. The data has been collected by questionnaire from randomly sampled…

This study uses storytelling techniques to highlight the perspectives and thoughts about Italian far-right parties of three Muslim Italian women based in northern Italy. They represent three different paths that intersect when it comes to spirituality, social activism, representation and…

The eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been plunged into a deep and multifaceted crisis for several decades. This is characterized in particular by violent conflicts between the local communities (generally ethnic) which accuse each other and…

Religion has become increasingly important in conflict resolution worldwide. Religious leaders may play a key role in mobilising believers as they can call for peace or instigate violence. But what makes religious leaders support peace or promote violence? Several studies…

Hi Voices conducted a review of previous research and a new survey both in person and online to analyze youth behavior towards people of other religions, their interaction and learnings with them. We conducted a survey from 366 young people…

This study explores how resilient and vulnerable youth active in interfaith are to hate speech and the correlation between hate speech and mental health among youth aged 18 to 35 years old who are activists/volunteers in interfaith in Lebanon.

This brief is aimed at policymakers, practitioners and donors working on PVE, conflict and peace and/or research capacity-sharing. It summarises key learnings from a PVE-focused collaborative research capacity-sharing project implemented by the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities…

Faith and spiritual leaders are often deeply trusted and hugely influential people in the heart of their communities. Co-hosts, Elizabeth Dartnall, Executive Director, SVRI, and Angelica Pino, Grants Manager and Capacity Strengthening Specialist, SVRI speak to guests Dr Rafael Cazarin,…

The current report summarises the panel presentations and the roundtable discussion held during the two days of the conference focused on the nexus ‘Domestic Violence – Gender – Faith’ held in November 2022 in Addis Ababa. Emphasis is placed on…

Purpose of this Toolkit The Toolkit aims to help equip faith actors to engage actively in the protection of children from violence in early childhood and the promotion of children’s holistic well-being by supporting parents, caregivers, educators and communities to…

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…

This Working Paper discusses inequalities caused or exacerbated by religious diversity in displacement and how humanitarian action can be aware of and responsive to this. It is based on interviews with Shi’a Hazara refugees from Afghanistan and local, national and…

This article examines the role of local faith actors in institutional responses to refugees (henceforth refugee response), first in relation to global policy guidelines and frameworks promoted through the Global Compact for Refugees (GCR) affirmed by the UN General Assembly…

The Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI) is  working towards shifting power, resources and leadership in its faith-focused research and evidence work to a regional level – to the Middle East, East Africa, South East Asia, and…

The Evidence for Development podcast shares methods and approaches to locally-led development and research developed by Christian Aid, its partners and communities living in the Global South to improve their lives. Episodes are available here on Christian Aid's website.

This document was developed by the WCC’s Child Rights programme in response to requests by children and youth urging adults to find solutions to the climate crisis. This is the third updated edition. The research examines the impact of financial…

The East Africa Learning Hub on Governance, Peacebuilding and Local Faith Actors was launched in April 2022. The East Africa Hub brings together researchers, practitioners, and faith actors in the region who have a shared interest in governance and peacebuilding,…

Curious about JLI's work? Take a look at our brochure down below !   Here are the resources mentioned in the brochure: The State of the Evidence in Religions and Development JLI’s Recommended Approach to Strategic Religious Engagement Putting the…

As a joint learning network focused on evidence in religions and development, we (i.e., JLI) are often asked to summarize the “evidence” on religions and development. While that may seem like a simple request, it is, in fact, a complicated…

Report on JLI’s 2021 progress on goals in Evidence, Research and Knowledge Partnerships, Fair and Equitable Initiative, and Communications, while highlighting projects and learning hub work.

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…

This review article looks at trends from academic articles published on religions and the COVID-19 pandemic between March 2020 and October 2021 in relation to their relevance for international development and global health researchers, policy makers, and practitioners. It focuses…

This online conference takes stock of developments relating to the engagement between humanitarians and religious actors aimed at generating greater compliance with humanitarian norms in times of armed conflict. It seeks to serve as a platform for exchange and reflection…

This article focuses on the challenges of gathering, presenting, and using evidence that shapes deliberate and systematic religious engagement linked to international development and humanitarian programs. It sets the topic in a historical context, exploring the abrupt shift from a…

This guide summarizes the vision and basic elements of the Faith and Positive Change for Children, Families and Communities initiative. A resource guide, available at the end, gathers all the main resources produced for the FPCC initiative. More information about…

The European Union funded project, Awareness with Human Action (AHA!), supported the efforts of activist Mohan Rabidas, founder of the nonprofit Jagoron Youth Forum. Rabidas’ involvement with the tea estate communities is well documented in Bangladeshi news media.1 The AHA!…

The AHA! Project (supported by the European Union) has directed 50 small grants in South Asia to groups that aim to address these facets of the COVID-19 crisis. The case review series draws primarily on this experience, with the goal…

The distinctive roles of women and youth, as well as the various entities which support them, deserve particular attention. Religious actors play especially significant yet often poorly understood roles in responding to the pandemic emergencies. The European Union funded AHA!…

AHA! small grant recipients work to address specific impacts of COVID-19 in South Asia, with a focus on threats to social cohesion, the spread of hate speech and misinformation, and the pandemic’s distinctive religious and gender dimensions. This case review…

While state-led efforts to address Sri Lanka’s fraught history have fallen short, civil society actors have found innovative ways to promote peace at the grassroots. Kiyawana Muddara, one such grass roots organization, uses the study of postage stamps as a…

Civil society groups are working to equip Pakistani youth to counter online hate and build peace through dialogue and education. One youth-led organization, Parindey, partnered with the Organization for Educational Change (OEC) and the Indus School of Knowledge to launch…

“Discovering Humanity,” led by Aravinda Indrajith, is an AHA! small grant funded project led by one such civil society organization. It has worked to spread the message of social cohesion through positive social media narratives. The goal is to address…

Social and economic shocks from the COVID-19 crisis have taken a heavy toll on the mental health and the wellbeing of women and girls in Nepal. Like many countries, Nepal imposed lockdowns, including school closures, to curb the spread of…

This paper is one of a series of research elements produced by the European Union funded AHA! Awareness with Human Action project that seeks to contribute to the response efforts of the COVID-19 pandemic by preventing conflict and building social…

This paper is one of a series of research elements produced by the European Union funded AHA! Awareness with Human Action project that seeks to contribute to the response efforts of the COVID-19 pandemic by preventing conflict and building social…

This paper is one of a series of research elements produced by the European Union funded AHA! Awareness with Human Action project that seeks to contribute to the response efforts of the COVID-19 pandemic by preventing conflict and building social…

This paper is one of a series of research elements produced by the European Union funded AHA! Awareness with Human Action project that seeks to contribute to the response efforts of the COVID-19 pandemic by preventing conflict and building social…

This paper is one of a series of research elements produced by the European Union funded AHA! Awareness with Human Action project that seeks to contribute to the response efforts of the COVID-19 pandemic by preventing conflict and building social…

This paper is one of a series of research elements produced by the European Union funded AHA! Awareness with Human Action project that seeks to contribute to the response efforts of the COVID-19 pandemic by preventing conflict and building social…

The disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have challenged social cohesion across the world but with particular force across the South Asia Region. Heightened intergroup tensions are linked in historical factors and to inequalities but in the current crisis a…

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…

The publication explores such important topics such as how to deal with victims of armed conflict in accordance with Islamic Shariah, looks at lessons learnt from the early Islamic battles like Badr, and lays out what Islamic law says about…

This important reference work, now available to the many millions of Kiswahili speakers around the world, is divided into four chapters focusing on ways to protect civilians, the wounded, the dead, non-combatants and their property during armed conflict, as well…

Women Leading Change emerged out of the 2021 17 Rooms flagship process- a partnership between The Rockefeller Foundation and The Brookings Institution. In Room 5, led by Blessing Omakwu and Jean Duff, we explored the opportunities to accelerate the positive…

Promising Practices for Engaging Local Faith Actors (LFAs) to Promote Uptake of COVID-19 Vaccination - Lessons Learned from Four Countries: Ghana, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, and Uganda Engaged local faith actors (LFAs)1 have long contributed to promoting and achieving increased immunization…

Promising Practices For Engaging Local Faith Actors To Promote Uptake Of Covid-19 Vaccination - Lessons Learned from Four Countries: Ghana, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, Uganda. Engaged local faith actors (LFAs)1 have long contributed to promoting and achieving increased immunization uptake, coverage,…

Engaging Faith Actors To Boost Immunization Uptake And Combat Vaccine Hesitancy - Evidence and Promising Practices Local faith actors are generally recognized for their role in influencing health in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including immunization uptake, coverage, and equity.…

Effects of faith actor engagement in the uptake and coverage of immunization in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) - Phase 1 Global Landscape : Evidence Summary This report summarizes evidence about vaccine hesitancy trends for both COVID and non-COVID immunizations.…

In November and December 2021, over 80 Inter-Religious Council (IRC) and Faith-Based Organization (FBO) nominees from eight countries were trained as national Mind-Heart Dialogue teams and equipped to support the Faith and Positive Change for Children (FPCC) initiative. Facilitators were…

Since 2015, over 5 million refugees from Syria have sought safety and protection in cities, towns and camps across Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey. Key responders have included local faith communities, whose members have provided material and spiritual support alike to…

Series 4: Resource Guide for Religious Leaders and Faith Communities Violence against children and women increases during emergencies, conflicts, and health crises. The COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. Infection prevention measures that require staying at home have brought on a…

The COVID-19 experience offers fresh perspectives about religious roles in public health and in broader efforts to promote human well-being. Public health officials have understood and engaged with religious factors during the COVID-19 emergencies with greater awareness of their actual…

How do adaptations to COVID-19 inform strategies for enhancing local faith leadership in health and development? The changes COVID-19 imposed on faith actors' ways of working, while challenging, also released creativity and innovation. It opened new avenues for partnership with…

This book illuminates the intersection of religion and gender within the development sector, exposing challenges in both policy and practice and suggesting implementable solutions. This book argues that a better understanding of the religion–gender nexus is needed by development sector…

The GIIN’s Faith-Based Investing repository is a curated set of publications and online resources designed to demonstrate the business and impact case for faith-based investing. The repository includes research, case studies, webinars, books, and other resources to enable and motivate…

In recent decades, more studies have emerged that examine the relationship between religion /spirituality, marital functioning and mental health. The scholarship on domestic violence (DV) / intimate partner violence (IPV) and religion does not appear to have integrated this evidence…

Towards Achieving Positive Change for Children, Families, and Communities This guide is primarily for UNICEF staff who aim to engage more strategically with faith actors, particularly for social and behaviour change and high-level advocacy, but also for wider programmatic efforts.…

This guide was updated in 2024. The updated version is available here in English. Supporting faith leaders and organisations to influence attitude, behaviour, and social change that protects and empowers children, families and communities. This guide is for ‘Champions’ of…

The study explores the role of religion and local faith actors in peace building and reconciliation from Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christian groups and denominations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka. A mixed method approach was employed in this…

Almost all religions reflect on the creation of the universe, or universes, in different forms and with varying degrees of clarity or detail. Common across most religions is an agreement that “creation” is an act of God and should be…

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…

This article is based on qualitative semi-structured interviews with managers of Danish Red Cross-operated asylum centres regarding religion and religious freedom at asylum centres. Three main findings are reported. First, asylum centre managers view religion as largely irrelevant while having…

Localisation, as it aims to shift power in the humanitarian system, will involve the increased inclusion of local faith actors, those national and local faith-affiliated groups and organisations that are often first, and last, responders in crises and have been…

A Review of Training Materials for Religious Leaders Religious leaders and communities can play a significant role in reducing HIV-related stigma. In order to strengthen that role, training materials and toolkits for religious leaders have been developed and used in…

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence As the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign takes off, it is an opportune time to revisit the role of faith and theology in addressing domestic violence. The article discusses the…

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…