1. Faith, family planning and family well-
being: Maximizing effectiveness
through collaboration
Institute for Reproductive Health
Georgetown University
EXPANDING FAMILY PLANNING OPTIONS

2. Slow progress on MDG 5
“The MDG for maternal mortality has been reported
as the most off-track of all of the goals.”

3. Who makes up the faith sector?
Center for Interfaith Action (CIFA), “Many Faiths, Common Action: Increasing
the Impact of the Faith Sector on Health and Development”

4. Increasing cross-sector
collaboration:
FBOs engage in achieving MDGs
HIV/AIDS
Religions for Peace
Malaria
CIFA
Child survival
UNICEF
Maternal Health?

5. Initiative Methodology
Literature
Review
In-depth
Interviews
Phase 1 Next
Data
Analysis Steps?
(ATLAS.ti)
Consultatio
n
Further
Phase 2 Analysis
Report

6. Study Objectives
• Explore the role of the faith sector in improving
maternal and child health (MCH) through family
planning;
• Describe unique contributions of the faith sector in
MCH and family well-being;
• Understand the current relationships between
FBOs and secular organizations working in MCH
and family planning; and
• Identify areas/opportunities for increased
collaboration and more effective partnerships
around family planning.
• Identify challenges to increased
collaboration and assess potential for

7. Respondents were from:
Muslim
• Faith-based organizations Protestant Christian
• Churches Orthodox Christian
Catholic
• Non-governmental Interfaith
organizations
• International aid agencies
• Governments
Afghanistan
Mali
Ethiopia
Kenya

8. Key Informants
Global Kenya Mali Ethiopia
Secular Extending Services Delivery (ESD) GTZ Malian Parliament UNFPA
Project Pathfinder/APHIA2 ATN + Project Packard Foundation
CORE Group Marie Stopes Kenya Health Policy Initiative USAID
MCHIP Inter-Religious Council of Association for Support Pathfinder
Futures Group Kenya of Population Activity Engender Health
Population Action International (PAI) USAID Development (ASDAP) Ipas
CEDPA National Coordinating Malian Association for the Marie Stopes Ethiopia
Family Health International (FHI) Agency for Population Promotion and Protection Integrated Family Health Planning
Engender Health and of the Family (AMPPF), Consortium of Reproductive
Gates Foundation Development (NCAPD) IPPF affiliate Health Associations
World Bank UNICEF Ethiopian Interfaith Forum for
WHO UNFPA Development Dialogue & Action
USAID Family Guidance Association of
UNFPA Ethiopia
Center for Inter-Faith Action (CIFA) DKT
Christian Christian Connections for Christian Health Christian & Muslim Ethiopian Orthodox Church –
International Association of Kenya Alliance of Mali Development and Inter-Church
Health (CCIH) (CHAK) Aid Commission
Adventist Development and Relief Kenya Episcopal ADRA-Ethiopia
Agency (ADRA) Conference (KEC) Christian Relief and Development
CARITAS Catholic Diocese of Association
Catholic Medical Mission board Nairobi Ethiopian Evangelical Church
(CMMB) Presbyterian Church of Mekane Yesus – Development
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) East Africa (PCEA) and Social Services Commission
IMA World Health Meserete Kristos Church Relief
Tearfund and Development Association
United Methodist Church - General CRS-Ethiopia
Board of Church & Society (GBCS)
Food for the Hungry
World Vision
Muslim Islamic Relief Muslim Charitable Islamic Network for Islamic Affairs Supreme
Society Population Development Council – Ethiopian Muslims
SUPKEM, Islamic (RIPOD) Development Agency
Society, RISE, Haut Conseil
Family Resource Center Islamique
Federation of Muslim
Women in Mali (UNAFEM)

9. Findings
Family planning is consistent with both
Christian and Muslim values
―Whether a Muslim is liberal or
conservative, their core values come
from the Koran and religious teaching.
Islam supports the health of the mother.
If we can show that the mother’s health
is improved by timing and spacing of
pregnancy, we can make the case. We
talk to Muslims in our own language.‖
–Global Muslim FBO ―Sometimes there is misconception, the
secular world may just present the
attitude that the church does not support
family planning. This is very misleading
because if there is any institution that
promotes the family unit, it is the
church.‖ - Country-based Protestant,
Christian FBO

10. Findings
FBOs and religious leaders are engaged
in FP-related activities
Number of respondents engaged in FP-related activities
30
Country-based
20 Muslim Organizations
10 Country-based
Christian
0 Organizations
Global FBOs

11. Findings
Family planning messages are important
―Our mandate is to promote health. The church
work in the family is a very key component that we
deal with. Secondly, we do recognize that the health
of the mother and the health of the child literally
reflect the health of the population. So we do have a Common
lot of programs that focus on the health of the ground around
mother and the child like family planning.‖
–Country-based Christian, Protestant FBO
health
―The key message is that when you space the children
you give the children a better opportunity to grow up
healthy. You give them a better opportunity to access
education. So this is really the key message: that
spacing has a direct impact on the health of the children
and the health of the mother.
– Country-based Donor

12. Findings
Family planning messages are important
―During premarital counseling, we encourage couples to do child spacing and not have
a number of children that they cannot afford to maintain. We also do an exegesis of the
Genesis story where God is telling man to go and fill the earth. It is filling the earth, not
filling the house. Because if you are filling the house, it means you have many children
in one house and cannot afford to maintain them. But if you are filling the earth, it
means you plus other people—it is not solely your duty to fill it. So we encourage family
planning.‖ –Country-based Christian, Protestant FBO
―It is rare to find a woman in a health center accompanied
by her husband! It’s the woman who comes, accompanied Family Values,
by her children. For a year now, we have been talking to
men about coming with their wives. We show the men that
Responsibility,
even the imams accompany their wives. We persuaded & Male
them that they should accompany their wives to the health Involvement
centers for prenatal consultations and vaccinations. We
have found there are men who are not negative, they don’t
refuse family planning.‖ –Country-based Muslim FBO
“Connecting to family values and putting family planning into the larger context of the
family, rather than simply as the spacing of children, is very, very important. And the
whole area of being able to help -- hopefully, it’s spouses but also others who are
involved in sexual relationships -- to communicate with each other about these values
and not just see this as a mechanical action. I think that’s very important and needs to
be spoken about much more in the international community.‖

13. Findings
Family planning messages are important
―We’re trying to avoid controversial statements like family
planning. There’s not a big difference between family
planning and child spacing though. Child-spacing is planning
when you want to be pregnant and when you want to space.
It’s similar. But they have different connotations, details,
implications and methods. There are terms that are more
community friendly - like child spacing, healthy living - these
are terms which are more acceptable than the term family
planning. In my community, family planning unfortunately
amounts to birth control which is against Islamic teaching. – Words Matter
Country-based Muslim FBO
―I think there is an issue of language. The moment you talk
about family planning, there are still so many, even in the
U.S., who think abortion, a lot of it is misperceptions and
ignorance. From my perspective, what helps us is we don’t
do anything without involving the local community. The
partnership building and listening to our partners is
extremely important. That dialogue informs us how to move
forward.‖ – Global Christian, Protestant FBO

14. Findings
The messenger is important
―The tendency is that if a Christian comes and talks to
me about family planning, I will think that he is talking to
me about his religion - and he’s against my religion. That
is really a big problem. So it is important who gives the
information. The information should come from the right
people - people who speak their language, who know
their nature, who understand them, who can identify. The
moment you come with somebody else, the response is,
Hey, this guy is teaching about this religion. I’m not one.
Full stop. That door is closed.‖ – Country-based Muslim
FBO

15. Phase 2: Consultation on Faith,
Family Planning and Family Well-
being

16. Consultation Objectives
• Recognize the faith sector’s strengths and
contributions to global MCH, as well as
understand issues that remain to be
addressed in increasing partnerships
• Recognize of the importance of family
planning and the variety of approaches to
improving MCH and the well-being of families
• Commit to support family planning and
engage in effective partnerships that lead to
improved MCH
• Collect additional information to enrich
study findings

17. Organizational Attendance
Adventist Development and Relief Islamic Relief
Agency (ADRA) Johns Hopkins University
Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) MCHIP/Flex Fund
Catholic Relief Services Management Sciences for Health
Christian Connections for International Muhammadiyah
Health (CCIH) Muslim Women's League
Center for Interfaith Action on Global National Campaign to Prevent Teen
Poverty (CIFA) Pregnancy
CEDPA Population Action International
CORE Group Pathfinder International
Samaritan's Purse
Dept. of Health and Human Services
TearFund
DSW – German World Population Fund UNFPA
Episcopal Relief and Development United Methodist Church
Extending Services Delivery Project United Nations Foundation
Futures Group USAID
Georgetown University US Conference of Catholic Bishops
Global Health Council World Faiths Development Dialogue
IMA world Health World Bank
Institute for Youth Development World Vision

18. Challenges to Collaboration
Video

19. Challenges
• Mutual mistrust and suspicion
• Organizations holding false stereotypes and assumptions
• Perceptions of Western or foreign agendas inhibit projects
• Philosophical differences in project approaches
• Muslim concerns regarding FP methods that limit children
• Catholic concerns regarding artificial contraception
• Hesitancy of FBOs to provide FP to unmarried youth
• FBOs and religious leaders used instrumentally by other agencies
• Antiquated project approaches
• Short project cycles that do not allow time for relationship building and
collaborative design
• Projects are not integrated
• Low funding levels for FBOs
• Donor desire to work with same partners
• Lack of capacity of FBOs in technical areas, program
management, and monitoring and evaluation

20. Moving Forward
Video

21. Moving Forward
• Foster safe spaces for continued dialogue
• Regional consultations for public and faith sectors
• Interfaith consultations
• Pursue opportunities for capacity building when working with
FBOs or religious leaders
• Be attentive to message development and who delivers the
message
• Recognize the necessity of developing trust and clear
expectations among partners
• Allocate time in the work plan for developing and maintaining the
partnership

22. Final Report
tinyurl.com/IRHfaithFP

23. Thank you
EXPANDING FAMILY PLANNING OPTIONS