Peter Munene of the Faith to Action Network discusses a recent initiative in Uganda to train religious leaders to serve as family planning champions to promote healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies.

1. Delivering for family health and wellbeing
Enhancing Sub-national Family
Planning & Faith Advocacy initiative
through Faith Based Approaches
Peter K. Munene

2. Delivering for family health and wellbeing
About Faith to Action Network
 Started in 2011 as a global interfaith network
 Its registered and headquartered in Nairobi,
Kenya.
 Has 94 members across 26 countries in 4
continents.

3. Delivering for family health and wellbeing
Significance of Faith leaders and organizations
• Faith organizations and leaders harness
tremendous power to influence people’s
behavior, shape policy and where priority areas
for government financing
• Faith leaders and institutions command respect
and trust of the people
• Faith leaders and institutions have led
transformations in society through establishing
education, training, health, agriculture, finance
and other services.

4. Delivering for family health and wellbeing
Leveraging Faith Resources for Health
• 30-70% of health facilities in Africa are owned by
Faith organisations providing 40-50% of services.
• However, there is large unmet need of family
planning in faith based health organisations.
• Some main reasons linked to this:
o Support by religious leaders for FP
o Range of services provided in faith led facilities
o Resources to initiate interventions (financial,
literature, technical, others….)

5. Delivering for family health and wellbeing
Interventions by Faith to Action Network
• Increasing knowledge of religious leaders on FP
o Identifying the scriptural support for FP – two
manuals (Christian and Muslim)
• Platforms for learning and experience sharing among
religious leaders, with technical persons - medical,
media, institutions ………
• Provision of skills in different aspects of SRH
• Identifying and training some to lead as Champions
• Supporting some religious leaders and their institutions
to start choice interventions on FP with small targeted
grants
• Documenting evidence through studies, stories

6. Delivering for family health and wellbeing
Beneficiaries of small grants
 Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA)
 Catholics for Reproductive Health (C4RH)
 Anglican Diocese of Mityana
 Church of Uganda
 Western Uganda FBO Network
 Inter-religious and cultural Dialogue (INTERDIP)
 Friends of Christ Revival Ministries (FOCREV)
 Ngombe Health Project - Orthodox Church
 Union of Muslim Councils for East, Central and Southern Africa
(UMC)
 African Council of Religious Leaders – Religions for Peace (ACRL-RfP)
 Muslim Counselling Services of Ghana (MFCS)
 Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM)
 Al-Azhar University’s International Islamic Center for Population
Studies and Research (IICPSR)

7. Delivering for family health and wellbeing
Some milestones
• Mityana, Kyenjojo, Namayingo District Costed Implementation Plan in
Uganda
• Nakuru, Kilifi and Wajir County Costed Implementation Plans in
Kenya
• Religious leaders invited to join national health and UN technical
working groups
• Religious leaders meeting over 400 decision makers to provide faith
input to influence policy
• 199 faith leaders, health workers & journalists trained
• 111 trainees report increased RH/FP skills
• 20 champions actively promote RH/FP
• 63 imams adopt a 7 point commitment in support of Child Spacing
• 12 faith representatives from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania &
Uganda provide oral & written submissions

8. Delivering for family health and wellbeing
How faith based organisations can stretch the $
Dr. Edward Kanyesigy (seated, Dean of Public Health, Uganda
Christian University) is flanked by Dr. Gloria (left, Dean of
Theology) and Dr. Ruth Obaikol (Health Coordinator, Church
of Uganda) after agreeing to review the religious leaders
training curriculum of Uganda Christian University to include
FP/SRHR, in March 2017.
Effort led by Western Uganda FBO Network.

9. Delivering for family health and wellbeing
Transformation trough Champions

10. Delivering for family health and wellbeing
Transformation trough Champions Cont…
Sr. Gorette Kisakye at UNAIDS
Consultative meeting in Uganda
Fr. Constantine Mbonabingi with one
of the Imams in Ngombe District

11. Delivering for family health and wellbeing
Transformation trough Champions Cont…..
Religious and cultural leaders in Wakisio District, after discussions on
youth and SRHR
Standing next to Sister Mary Gorette is Kooki Kingdom in Uganda
"In all the countries where I have worked, its my first time to find religious leaders and
cultural leaders come on around table to discuss challenges facing young people“
UNAIDS Country Representative in Uganda

12. Delivering for family health and wellbeing
Transformation trough Champions Cont…..
• Council for Anglican
Provinces in Africa’s (CAPA)
Standing Committee adopted
a recommendation to
support FP as it saves
mothers and children.
Rev. Canon Grace Kaiso,
Secretary General of the
Council of Anglican
Provinces of Africa (CAPA)

13. Delivering for family health and wellbeing
Transformation trough Champions Cont…..
Sheikh Luaba Mangala meeting
with Archbishop Marcel Utembi
Tapa.

14. Delivering for family health and wellbeing
Transformation trough Champions Cont…..
Faith to Action Network signed a
Memorundum of Understanding (MoU)
with Al Azhar University, Egypt.
Prof. Ahmed Ragab – Vice
Chair, Faith to Action
Network joined the FP2020
Reference Group
Prof. Gamal Serour – Advisory Council Member,
Faith to Action Network

15. Delivering for family health and wellbeing
Transformation trough Champions Cont…..
• In Philippine's, an
Forum for FP has been
formed “Interfaith for
Dignity and Equality
Advancement &
Solidarity (IDEAS)”
• Ms Bicbic Chua - C4RH

16. Delivering for family health and wellbeing
Transformation trough Champions Cont…..
Dr. Emma Rachmawati – Member, F2A
Steering Council, Board Member –
Muhammadiyah - Indonesia
Ms Geertje van Mensvoort, Member,
F2A Steering Council, Netherlands

17. Delivering for family health and wellbeing
Transformation trough Champions Cont…..
Rev. Andrew Kayiranga – Anglican
Church – Kigali Diocese
Dr. Douglas Huber - Member, F2A
Steering Council, United States

18. Delivering for family health and wellbeing
Thank you!