Event Summary
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
WFDD EVENT SUMMARY wwww.wfdd.usww.wfdd.us AAPRILPRIL 20162016 Exchange Visit to Mauritania by Senegalese Faith Leaders on Religious Engagement in Maternal and Child Health From April 12-16, 2016, a group of Senegalese religious leaders and a representative from the Senegalese Ministry of Health and Social Action visited Nouakchott, Mauritania with an aim to exchange experiences on engaging religious leadership in promoting maternal and child health. These Senegalese religious leaders are part of the Cadre des Religieux pour la Santé et le Développement (CRSD), an interfaith association working to promote the well-being of Senegal’s mothers and children within Senegal’s National Family Planning Action Plan. Their work focuses on encouraging healthy timing and spacing of births based on religious teachings. In Nouakchott, the group met with diverse actors PARTICIPANTS (government, religious leaders, development agencies, Imam Mouhamadou Takhiyou Kane, etc.) to discuss the intersection of faith and family CRSD Secretary of Information and Culture, planning. The visit allowed both the Senegalese and Representative of Léona Kanene community Mauritanians to discuss the importance of religious Serigne Bou Mouhamet Kounta, CRSD Vice- engagement to improving maternal and child health, President, Representative of the Qadiri community and particularly the roles that religious leaders can and Elhadj Djibril Diop Laye, CRSD Assistant should play in promoting birth spacing. Many Treasurer, Representative of the Layene community conversations focused on the teachings of Islam related Serigne Saliou Mbacké, CRSD President, to maternal and child protection, as well as the Representative of the Mouride community recommended time period between pregnancies. The Senegalese group drew on its own experiences to discuss Imam Mbaye Ndiaye, Representative of the best practices with its Mauritania counterparts. Association nationale des imams et oulémas du Sénégal Serigne Baye Lamine Niass, CRSD member, ORGANIZATION Representative of the Niassène community The visit was organized by CRSD with support from Monsieur Massamba Sall, Communications at the the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) and Direction de la Santé reproductive et de la Survie de the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Members l’enfant, Ministry of Health and Social Action of CRSD began working together in 2014 to improve Saida Arame Seck, CRSD Assistant Secretary maternal and child health in Senegal. The association is General, Representative of the Haut Conseil Islamique committed to promoting more active communication du Sénégal about family planning (understood as birth spacing) among Senegal’s religious communities. A priority Thierno Chérif el Moctar Sy, CRSD member, Representative of the Omarien family objective of CRSD is to share experiences of collaboration between government, civil society, and Lauren Herzog, WFDD Program Coordinator religious actors on family planning initiatives among Wilma Mui,WFDD Program Associate countries in the Ouagadougou Partnership. MEETINGS Embassy of Senegal in Mauritania Mr. Mamadou Tall, Ambassador The delegation met with Ambassador Mamadou Tall to inform him of the objectives of the visit to Mauritania. The group members described their work in Senegal and shared with him the approaches and resources that they utilize in discussing family planning. The Ambassador provided feedback and identified key actors in Mauritania for the delegation. Programme National de Santé de la Reproduction (PNSR, National Program of Reproductive Health) Dr. Mahfoudh Ould Boye, National Coordinator Dr. Mahfoudh Ould Boye reported that family planning remains a taboo subject in Mauritania although mothers and children are vulnerable. Family planning, generally referred to and more accepted as birth spacing in Mauritania, is a priority area for the PNSR and its partners that notably include UNFPA, WHO, Médicos del Mundo, and USAID. The Ministry of Health’s Plan d’action en faveur de l’espacement des naissances 2014-2018 (Action Plan in Favor of Birth Spacing 2014- 2018), developed in 2013 with the support of USAID, the Ouagadougou Partnership, and the Health Policy Project, repositions maternal and child health as a priority area for the government. The official strategy highlights the importance of religious engagement to create a climate more favorable to birth spacing, and this is a key focus of the PNSR. As in Senegal, some in Mauritania have said that Islam is against family planning and that it is a policy that comes from the West. Religious leaders can play key roles in promoting family health and well-being based on religious teachings. Mauritania’s Ministry of Health has worked with partners to publish the Rapid Islamique Mauritanie 2014: Population et développement : Stratégies en faveur de l’émergence de la Mauritanie (Islamic Brief Mauritania 2014: Strategies in Favor of an Emerging Mauritania) and Islam, population et espacement des naissances (Islam, Population, and Birth Spacing), which was published in collaboration with the Association des Oulémas (Association of Ulamas) and the Union des Imams en Mauritanie (Union of Imams of Mauritania). Other strategic activities have included training journalists on birth spacing and working to launch a new youth project. Association des Imams (Association of Imams) Imam Haddamine Ould Salik, Head of the Mosque and Head of Communication for the association The Association des Imams of Mauritania met with the male members of the delegation at its headquarters at the central mosque in Nouakchott. The Association detailed its work surrounding the family, even though the topic is still taboo in some circles. The group has been active in HIV/AIDS work since 1993 and works in conjunction with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, Doctors without Borders). CRSD and the Association des Imams work on similar themes surrounding family planning, including dispelling misconceptions. The Association has written documents detailing its stance. In 2 its experience, family planning is shrouded in mistrust and ignorance. These obstacles and opposition by some ulamas have led to difficulties in promoting family planning. Association des Oulémas (Association of Ulamas) Dr. Hamdan Ould Tah, President of the association and former government Minister In the meeting, the Association des Oulémas, described its long-term engagement to reconcile Islam and science for the people of Mauritania. Islam and science are compatible, and through research and study, the Association has found strategies to address obstacles. The association is allowed to issue fatwas and make declarations, which aids its work. The Association helped the delegation to better understand the Mauritanian context. The fact that struck the CRSD members the most was that polygamy is not widely practiced in Mauritania. While the Association acknowledges that polygamy is accepted under the Islamic system, the Berber tradition limits a man to one wife. The differences that exist between the two countries can determine which approaches to family planning are most likely to be successfully adopted. Le Réseau des Parlementaires pour la population et la santé reproductive (Network of Parliamentarians for Population and Reproductive Health) Sendi Ould Abidine, President Babah Ould Ahmed Babou, Coordinator The Réseau des Parlementaires pour la population et la santé reproductive (RPPDSR) has produced many publications that support reproductive health. The Reseau has been involved in various aspects of reproductive health, including participating in national and international summits, working to fight HIV/AIDS, and promoting the health of mothers and children. The Réseau stressed that framing family planning as “organizing the family” is a bit risky. “Birth spacing” is more appropriate in the Mauritanian context in its experience. The Mauritanian Family Code outlines the nuances and details of what is acceptable in terms of reproductive health and rights. In discussion with CRSD, they found that the objectives of Mauritania and Senegal are the same, but the strategies vary. UNFPA Mauritania Cecile Compaore Zoungrana, Resident Representative Aidara Seynath, Assistant Representative Mohamed Ould Ahmed Abd, Head of Monitoring and Evaluation Program In the meeting, UNFPA Mauritania shared its work on family planning, which includes religious leaders as a focal point. The religious leaders of Mauritania have been active in their role of message disseminators, including putting forth fatwas, declarations from ulamas, and a publication on Islam and birth spacing. UNFPA has hosted dialogues and trainings since as early as 1994 to facilitate discussions on family planning between religious leaders, religious scholars, and health professionals. 3 UNFPA is working on integrating reproductive health information into the mahadras (Qur’anic schools) curriculum. The organization views working in mahadras as an opportunity to correct erroneous positions and to teach the new generation of imams and ulamas to be open to new ideas. UNFPA also plans to involve the Islamic University of Aioun by incorporating modules into programs that will build capacity in advocacy, trainings, and research on population. While the environment is favorable to discuss family planning, UNFPA Mauritania identified lack of partner organizations and funding as the main obstacle and hopes to collaborate with the Senegalese to mobilize partners. Le Complexe Culturel Cheikh Sidy el Moctar Kinty (Cheikh Sidy el Moctar