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The Faith Effect The Faith Effect A Facilitator Manual to Train Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) Faith Leaders THE FAITH EFFECT Early Marriage and Female Genital Cutting A Facilitator Manual To Train Muslim Faith Leaders Table of Contents Curriculum & Activities Acknowledgements i Introduction for Trainers iii Goals of Training iii Preparation iii Location of Trainings v Materials vi Do’s and Don’ts vi A Note About Using This Training Manual vii Day 1: Welcome and Introduction Day 1 Goals 1 1.1 Welcome 1 1.2 Getting to Know Each Other 3 1.3 Key Terms and Definitions 4 Daily Wrap-Up 7 Day 1 Evaluation Checklist 7 Day 2: Female Genital Cutting (FSG) Day 2 Goals 9 2.1 Ice Breaker 9 2.2 FGC Sociological/Cultural Unit 11 2.3 FGC Sociological/Cultural Modeling Tool 16 2.4 FGC Anatomy/Health Unit 21 2.5 FGC Policy Unit 27 2.6 FGC Programs Unit 31 2.7 FGC Theology Unit 32 Daily Wrap-Up 34 Day 2 Evaluation Checklist 34 Day 3: Early Marriage (EM) Day 3 Goals 35 3.1 Ice Breaker 35 3.2 EM Sociological/Cultural Unit 37 3.3 EM Sociological/Cultural Modeling Tool 42 3.4 EM Anatomy/Health Unit 45 3.5 EM Policy Unit 51 3.6 EM Programs Unit 54 3.7 EM Theology Unit 56 EOTC Six-Point Resolution on FGC and Gender-Based Violence 59 Daily Wrap-Up 61 Day 4: FL Equipping, Wrap-Up & Closing Ceremony Day 4 Goals 63 4.1 Ice Breaker Activity (Role Play) 63 4.2 FGC Tool Presentation and Practice Unit 66 4.3 Group Discussion of Lessons Learned 68 4.4 Declaration 72 4.5 Training Certificates 74 4.6 Billboard Revealing Ceremony (if applicable) 74 4.7 Closing Speeches (Participants, NGO’s, Government Officials) 76 6 i Acknowledgements This Facilitator Training Manual is based on a previously prepared manual by Samson Estifanos Hailegiorgis (MD, MPH, PhD), in collaboration with the Center for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty (CIFA) and the Nike Foundation. This 2012 original guide is the product of a strenuous, two-year effort led by a group of medical professionals, social researchers and theologians who reviewed hundreds of research documents, and consulted with over one thousand informants. This manual has been tested and accepted among renowned Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) scholars selected by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Development and Inter-Church Aid Commission (EOTC-DICAC). These esteemed scholars recognize this material as scientifically correct, theologically sound and culturally acceptable. We would like to thank the Nike Foundation for its financial assistance and contributions to CIFA. We encourage free use of this training manual in religious, educational, or community settings throughout Ethiopia. 6 i ii iii Introduction for Trainers Goals of Training This manual has been created to guide trainers in equipping faith leaders to address the harmful traditional practices (HTPs) of female genital cutting (FGC) and early marriage (EM) with their congregants. As such, the manual has been tailored to meet the unique and appropriate needs of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) faith leaders. (A second guide, identical in content but theologically adjusted, has been created for Ethiopian Muslim faith leaders.) These sessions have been carefully designed to guide faith leaders through sensitive material and discussions, so that they can effectively support their congregants in healthy decision-making regarding FGC and EM. The sessions of this Facilitator Training Manual focus on achieving the following goals among participating faith leaders by the end of the trainings: • Faith leaders will have a substantial understanding of the sociocultural, policy, health and theological underpinnings of EM and FGC. • Faith leaders will adopt the necessary knowledge to improve the health of women by spreading awareness of the dangerous effects of EM and FGC. • Empowered faith leaders and their congregations will be equipped to start dialogues and activities that result in a stronger network of Ethiopians who care for the health of their young girls and women. Preparation This Facilitator Training Manual is specifically designed to educate faith leaders and mobilize them to be advocates for girls/women by addressing the negative effects of early marriage and female genital cutting with their congregation and community. Training Days/Sessions/Hours These trainings should be conducted over the course of four full days, with each unit presented exactly as outlined in the manual. Each day is divided into sessions of subtopics, with goals, required materials, speaking guides, discussion sections, activities and an evaluation checklist. The evaluation checklist helps the trainer ensure that all participants clearly understand the session goals and can effectively act on them with their congregants. If, at the end of a session, the trainer does not feel confident that participants have achieved those session goals, it will be necessary to review that material via more discussion before moving on to the next session. ii iii Who Should Lead These Trainings? These trainings should be led by an educated, passionate, sensitive individual with a respected connection to the faith community being addressed. The trainer does not need to be an adherent of the faith itself (i.e., a Christian can lead a training for a Muslim audience), provided the leader is open, tolerant, knowledgeable about and sensitive to the beliefs of the audience). However, it is vital that any trainers leading these training sessions must: 1) Be willing to dedicate the time to familiarize themselves with the contents of this manual, and seek relevant information from trusted sources to answer any questions that may remain; 2) Have some knowledge of, and familiarity with, the faith tradition being addressed; 3) Have some knowledge of, and familiarity with, the local community in which the trainings are being conducted, and the community’s attitudes towards the practices of FGC and EM; 4) Be able to read, write, and communicate fluently in the local language of these faith leaders; 5) Be able to operate audio-visual equipment, and set up a training hall as necessary; 6) Be able to energetically lead and engage a group of people; 7) Be fully aware of the devastating effects of FGC and EM on the lives of women and girls, and be passionately dedicated to ending these practices. Ideally, before the trainings commence, the trainer should establish contact with high-ranking leaders within the faith (Church officials, Imams, other religious officials etc.), and secure some level of openness and trust. Additionally, it is advisable for the trainer to have some connections or experience working with non-government organization NGO representatives and government officials. Religious officials, NGO representatives, and government officials will be vital allies and resources, and should be invited to speak to the faith leaders in these trainings. Who Should Participate? Faith leaders whose congregations are in communities where FGC is practiced, and girls are married before the age of 18, are the ideal targets for this training. Because the goals of this training are sensitization, education, and empowerment, the faith leader trainees do NOT need to be completely convinced that FGC and EM are negative. In fact, it is good for discussion to involve faith leaders from all sides of the spectrum; multiple opinions lead to healthy disagreement and dialogue. However, the invited faith leaders must be willing to participate in the discussions about the topics, and be open to new ideas. They should be willing and able to stay for all four days of the training. iv v How Should Participants Be Invited? How to go about inviting potential faith leader participants to these trainings is entirely up to you! It helps to have an established connection with a religious or community leader who can facilitate introductions, and possibly provide names of influential faith leaders in the area. Approaching the head office/religious authority in the area with a respectful request for advice, resources, introductions, and connections is strongly advised. Once you have selected your list of faith leaders to invite, allow ample time for them to respond and make travel arrangements, which can vary depending on the location of the trainings, and the accessibility of roads, transportation, etc. However, do not invite faith leaders so far ahead of time as they could forget and/or allow other commitments to supersede. Above all, be sensitive to the needs of your faith leaders and their communities when scheduling these trainings and inviting faith leader participants. Be aware of events that may restrict travel or disruption in routine, such as religious and cultural holidays, and even harvest/rainy seasons (for example, many faith leaders in Ethiopia are also farmers, and cannot travel during the harvest season). Number of participants It is strongly encouraged that each training be conducted in a group of no more than 20 participants. Reasons for this include: 1) The sessions are meant to be interactive, giving everyone a chance to participate instead of just listening to the trainer or visitors; 1) In big groups, it is easy for a handful of the more verbal participants to take over. This would be counter-productive to the goals of the training; 1) People are more likely to agree or disagree with each other if the group is smaller. This promotes healthy discussions; 1) In smaller groups, individual attention and participation is possible; 1) Given the sensitive nature of the topic, it is even more important that the group dynamics and intimacy be at the right level in order to engage everyone and establish a level of comfort. This cannot be effectively done in the time given with a large group. Location of Trainings Because of the sensitive nature of the topics, we highly recommend that training sessions occur in a neu- tral, safe setting.
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