Final technical report Award Information: Project Name Faith + Family Planning Organization Faith to Action Network Name Award# FF-05 Project End Project start date 1 October 2015 31 October 2017 Date Project Grant Amount USD $324,543.00 25 months Duration Report Period 1 October 2015 To 31 October 2017 From Report Due 30/11/2017 Project Director: Surname Munene E-mail [email protected] First name Peter Phone +254722 443306 Chief Web Title Executive www.faithtoactionetwork.org Site Director Faith+FP | Final technical report | Faith to Action network | 01/12/2017 page 1 Summary In Sub-Saharan Africa progress in enabling 120 million more women and girls to use family planning services and contraceptives by 2020 has been accelerated by collaborating with faith organizations. Faith organizations account for 30 to 40% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s health infrastructure. Deeply rooted in and trusted by the communities, faith organizations have reached large numbers of people with messages that resonate with local beliefs and culture and are repertoires of spiritual sustenance and social networks. Winning the support of faith organizations has had a snowball effect in policy arenas in target countries, reversing regressive positions promoted by conservative religious groups. Faith organizations have exerted influence as strong advocates vis-à-vis authorities, impacting legal, health and education systems. With the Faith+FP project, Faith to Action Network catalyzed faith leaders and organizations’ advocacy in support of family planning services, supplies and information in Africa and Asia. Although initially intended to focus on five countries, the support from PAI enabled Faith to Action Network to increase faith leaders understanding of and support for family planning in the DRC, Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, the Philippines and Uganda from October 2015 to October 2017. It contributed to 40 policy, budget and administrative changes at the East African Community and at national and subnational levels, and supported 21 institutional changes towards greater uptake and ownership of family planning within faith organizations. In the past few years, pressure to reverse family planning policies has increased in Sub-Saharan Africa: sexuality education has been banned from Ugandan schools, and the School Health and adolescent sexual and reproductive health policies halted. In Tanzania, President Magufuli declared that “no pregnant student will be allowed to return to school.” In Kenya, a bill to introduce comprehensive sexuality education and provide access to contraceptives in schools has faced intense resistance. In this period, Faith to Action Network has played a crucial role in defending hard fought gains, and contributing to several groundbreaking developments whose full-fledged impact is yet to be documented. Noteworthy is F2A’s major rallying effort around the East African Legislative Assembly’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Bill. F2A coordinated 10 religious leaders and faith organizations’ participation and contribution to consultations on this new bill. Once ratified by Eastern Africa’s heads of state, it will supersede national legislation. F2A contributed to the revision of ACT Alliance’s global gender policy which integrates a full definition of sexual and reproductive health and rights and comprehensive sexuality education. ACT Alliance is a coalition of 146 churches and faith-based organizations working together in over 100 countries. Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa’s Standing Committee adopted a recommendation calling on the African Anglican Church to promote family planning services and information. 13 primates, 500 bishops, 20,000 pastors and over 100,000 lay leaders have been called to prioritize family planning in their pastoral work. This is accompanied by many more organizational changes at different levels within the Anglican Church, and points towards a major breakthrough in taking ownership of family planning services and information for holistic development. Together with Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims and Pwani University, F2A revitalized the partnership between Kenyan Muslim institutions and Al Azhar University. This has the potential of Faith+FP | Final technical report | Faith to Action network | 01/12/2017 page 2 addressing Kenyan imams’ challenges in interpreting contemporary issues in reference to religious texts, including family planning, and may reduce Wahhabi influence in the region. In Kenya and Uganda, faith based organizations have pioneered and led policy advocacy in support of family planning resulting in “Costed Implementation Plans” at district of county levels. In DRC, Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, the Philippines and Uganda, F2A has contributed immensely to putting family planning onto religious and cultural leaders’ agenda. Family planning has entered faith organizations and spaces, for example by including family planning into theology schools’ curricula (Church of Uganda), into policy documents that guide faith organzations’ theological and development work, and training manuals which identify scriptures supporting family planning. Faith to Action Network draws major lessons from this experience. Decision makers and secular advocates and activists need to proactively engage in constructive dialogue with faith leaders and faith organizations when developing related policies and interventions in the region. Inviting faith leaders and organizations to participate in the development of new policies and programs brings significant advantages: It generates ownership and buy-in, and reduces antagonisms. It shifts the public agenda in favor of family planning. It leverages faith organizations’ health infrastructure for more and better services, supplies and information, and it leverages its networks of clergy and lay leaders in behavior change communication. Harnessing faith organizations power in shaping public policy, however, requires a subtle strategy tailored to local context. Change can only come from within faith organizations and requires deep trust. A Kenyan faith leader says “Language becomes totally provocative even violent to some people. We must be very sensitive how we are using language. The presentation matters, the packaging matters, the content matters and even how we deliver it matters”. Over the years, F2A has developed this expertise and trust, and looks forward to renewing its partnership with PAI to continue in brokering worldwide faith action on family planning. Faith+FP | Final technical report | Faith to Action network | 01/12/2017 page 3 Outcome report Objective (1) Increase faith leaders’ understanding of and support for family planning During the reporting period, Faith to Action network and its partners gained wide spread commitment for family planning from faith leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, the Philippines and Uganda. Between 69% and 98% of the population in Africa describes religion as “very important” in their lives” (Pew 2010). This gives faith leaders and organizations a great deal of influence over political decision-makers and public agenda setting. Faith leaders’ understanding and support is paramount for promoting family planning services and information on the continent. Faith to Action Network’s close allies, Father Constantine Mbonabingi and Bishop Stephen Kaziimba, demonstrate what individual commitment and passion for family planning can achieve (see profiles 1 and 2), when they receive tailor made information and technical support. In Uganda, commitments to promote family planning services and information have been recorded for faith leaders from Karamoja region, Kabarole, Namayingo, Kyejonjo, Rakai, Mityana and Wakiso districts. For example, representatives from the Church of Uganda, Muslim community, Orthodox Church and Evangelical Churches in Mityana district have signed a commitment to promote healthy families within their structures. In addition, F2A gained commitments for family planning from pastors from the Disciple’s Network and Nation Fellowship of Born-Again and Evangelicals from six districts of Rwenzori region. Of the many awareness creation and sensitization activities, the Uganda national family planning conference is of particular importance: This was the opportunity for faith champions to call for faith leaders’ greater engagement in family planning. In addition, F2A and its partners informed and educated cultural leaders of Kabarole, Wakiso and Rakai districts in Uganda, who committed to support family planning within their cultural events and through their structures and networks. Similar broad support was achieved in the Philippines. A newly formed group of faith leaders was instrumental in mapping faith leaders and organizations positions on family planning in the Luzon region, developing a regional interfaith network for family planning, organizing consultations and workshops with faith leaders and interfaith groups. As a result, 100 Christian, Muslim and Hindu faith leaders voiced their commitment to promote family planning services and information. 100 policewomen and 25 imams were sensitized on gender and development and reproductive health. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the leadership of Sheikh Luaba Mangala, Faith to Action network held a groundbreaking consultative meeting with all major faith organizations, and all leaders committing to promote the “Plan Stratégique National de Planification Familiale 2014- 2020”. Faith+FP | Final technical report