Adam Taylor of World Vision discusses the Christian calling to advocate for the world's vulnerable populations and what that means to the global health community.

1. Faith-Inspired Advocacy For
Global Health
Rev. Adam Taylor

2. Isaiah 65
A New Heaven and a New Earth

3. Advocacy
Integral to Mission and Discipleship
 A project, program or programmatic approach that seeks to
address the structural and systemic causes of poverty by
changing policies, systems, practices and attitudes that
perpetuate inequality and that deny justice and human
rights.
• Seeking justice
• Increasing the sustainability of our work
• Critical for achieving WV’s vision to improve the well being
of 150 million children by 2016
• Building movements for change

4. Overcoming False Choices

5. Biblical Basis for Justice (Health)
Misphat and Tsedeq
God’s character and nature
Exodus Narrative
Sanctity of Life and Human Dignity
The Kingdom of God

6. Biblical Basis for Advocacy
Prophetic Tradition
God as our advocate
Holy Spirit or paracletos as counsellor
and comforter
Voice for the Voiceless
Persistent Widow
Esther, Nehemiah, Moses….

7. Overcoming Obstacles
Radical individualism vs. communal
collectivism
Procedural vs. distributive justice
Advocacy as too political or partisan
Corruption and poor governance.
Public misperception of aid levels

8. Principles for Faithful Political
Engagement
Engaged but never used
Political but never partisan
Principled but not ideological
The church (Christians) is called not be the
master or the servant of the state, but to be
the conscience of the state.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

9. Spiritual Advocacy:
The Pastoral and the Prophetic
Minister to people in power.
Discern and cast God’s vision
Expose and Name the Lie
Nurture and Sustain Leadership
God’s Kairos

10. Pragmatic Solidarity and Hopeful
Activism

11. Getting to the Root Cause of Health
Injustice and Inequality
Unjust Economic Structures
Unjust Domination
Unjust Violence
Unjust Exclusion from Community

12. Defeating Modern Day Goliaths

13. Five Smooth Stones for faith-inspired
Activism
Re-configure the battlefield (Mapping)
Cut the diamond (Analysis and Strategy)
Public Narrative (Hope and Urgency)
Build a winning coalition
Evaluate, Celebrate and Recalibrate

14. WHAT IS THE CHN CAMPAIGN?
World Vision’s first Global Advocacy
An innovative way
Campaign focused on a single issue:
of working on an
reducing the preventable deaths issue that is also
of children under five being addressed
by our health
An affirmed programs on the
institutional priority An opportunity to ground - adding
for World Vision, develop advocacy value to existing
with significant methods that suit programmes and
investment in the organisation’s leveraging our
health identity and presence in
programming over tradition the field
5 years

15. THE PROBLEM
Why are children dying?
Lack of political will to prioritise child health
Financial gap between funding needed and aid
received
No formal political voice for children and women
Failure to address other social determinants of
health
Decisions about health exclude families in real
need

16. CHN Campaign Goal:
• Achieve a 2/3 reduction in child
mortality figures by 2015 in line with
MDG 4 through…
• A single national plan to achieve MDG
4
• A full and timely donor response
• A focus on equity and neglected
diseases
• A comprehensive monitoring and
accountability framework

17. Why launch a child survival call to action? Because we have the power to end preventable
child deaths by accelerating progress on neonatal, child and maternal survival. But
accelerating progress requires a focused, business like approach
Under-Five Mortality Decline 1970- 2040
180
In 2000, there In 2010, there
160 were 9.6 mm were 7.6 mm
• Great progress made
under-five deaths under-five
140 globally deaths globally over the last 20 years
Under-Five Mortality Rate (/1000)
in child survival
120 By • Despite that, on
2035, we current trajectory,
100 can many countries need
reduce to
80 to accelerate action to
2.0 mm
achieve MDG 4/5
60
• We want to bend the
40
In 2010, the gap represented curve – accelerating
six million children’s deaths progress to prevent
20 neonatal, child and
maternal deaths
0
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035
• Maximize progress to
2015 and create a
Year
platform for action
Industrialized Countries 1970-2010 thereafter
Developing Countries 1970- 2010
Projected (Industrialized Countries - assumed constant)
Projected- Developing Countries (Annualized Rate of Change -2.5%)
Projected- Developing Countries (Annualized Rate of Change- 8%)
-5.5%)
17

18. CHN Progress in Brazil
 In August 2011, published research on adolescent
pregnancies reaching 60 million people through TV, radio
and press.
 Through CVA adapted model called Youth Monitoring of
Public Policies, achieved visible results in decreasing child
mortality in municipalities that have some of the worst
national indicators, including Vale do Jequitinhonha.
 Strengthened its partnership with the Ministry of Health and
is leading the organization of the International Youth
Conference on Health, which will be funded by Pan-
American Health Organization and attended by youth
delegations from 14 Latin American countries.

19. CHN Progress in Armenia
 Through lobbying and participation in government budget
hearings, secured an additional $10 million for child and
maternal health programs.
 Implemented the Child Health Certificate Program
 Advocated for the “Promotion of breastfeeding and
marketing of Breast-milk substitutes”, which is under
discussion to become legislation in Parliament.
 Promoted grassroots mobilization during May 2011 -
January 2012, 12 events/meetings/workshops have been
organized with ADPs, local CBOs and youth.

20. Other CHN Success Stories
 Bolivia –24 municipalities with some
of the highest U5 mortality rates
adopted municipal health plans and
budgets for FY12 that prioritize
maternal, newborn and child health
 Kenya – Monitored the local level
funding for MNCH, supported the
implementation of the MNCH key
National strategy and monitored
healthcare services at the local level

21. Uganda Health Fairs

22. World Vision US and Global Advocacy
 G8 Muskoka Maternal and Child Health
Initiative
 Global Health and International Affairs
budget
 Pastors Advocacy Summit
 G20 Advocacy on Nutrition and Health

23. Building a movement for Global Health