Government and nongovernmental organizations have consistently played a key role in addressing maternal mortality. While these initiatives are well documented, the role of faith-based organizations (FBOs) in maternal and newborn health is less well understood.
In November, the Wilson Center’s Advancing Policy Dialogue to Improve Maternal Health
series will bring diverse institutions together such as the Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns (PAIMAN) and Pathfinder International to discuss country experiences and evaluate opportunities for overcoming challenges.
According to the World Health Organization, FBOs own up to 70 percent of the health infrastructure in sub-Saharan African countries and often work in remote regions where government and NGO services are limited. FBO’s are critical to improving maternal health as they fill gaps in the health system – particularly in low-resource settings – and approaching culturally sensitive barriers that often prevent mothers from seeking health care.
The level of trust communities place on their religious leaders explains one of the main reasons why FBOs are attaining success. A study conducted by Pew Charitable Trust found that a vast majority of people in sub-Saharan Africa identify themselves as adherents of Christianity or Islam, and approximately 75 percent trust their religious leaders.
As partnerships with FBO’s increase, it is imperative that organizations share their lessons learned and identify capacity and knowledge gaps in order to improve effectiveness.
Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns
The Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns (PAIMAN), which started out as a six-year project funded by USAID and led by JSI Research and Training Institute, is a strong example of a program incorporating faith to improve maternal mortality rates. The project aims to ensure that women have access to skilled birth attendants during and immediately after giving birth. Additionally, the project focused on increasing the quality of care both in the public and health sectors. PAIMAN was able to achieve substantial success by utilizing various communication interventions such as mass media, community media, and advocacy efforts. One of the most successful initiatives PAIMAN organized was reaching out to 1,000 religious scholars, known as ulamas, to deliver frequent messages on maternal and newborn health care. Since its initiation, this project has “saved more than 30,000 newborn lives resulting in a 23 percent decrease in neonatal mortality,” according to their numbers.
Pathfinder International is another great example of an organization that has understood the value of FBOs and worked in collaboration with them to achieve results for maternal health. Pathfinder has worked in numerous countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Egypt, Uganda, Kenya, and Bangladesh to educate religious leaders and communities on communication strategies for improving maternal health behaviors.
In Ethiopia, Pathfinder organized over 250 religious leaders representing the Orthodox Christian, Catholic, Protestant, Seventh Day Adventist, Mekaneyesus Christian, and Muslim faiths to educate them about maternal mortality. At the conclusion of the seminar, the religious leaders agreed to condemn a host of harmful traditional practices, including female genital cutting, marriage by abduction, early marriage, rape, and unsafe abortion and agreed that they are not required by the Bible or Korean. Religious leaders in Egypt also came to similar conclusions after participating in these types of seminars.
“By helping religious leaders see the links between reproductive health and families’ well-being, Pathfinder enables them to become committed advocates for positive reform,” wrote Mary K. Burke, technical communications associate at Pathfinder International in the 2006 report, Advancing Reproductive Health and Family Planning through Religious Leaders.
Challenges: Equipping and Encouraging
Despite the prevalence of success stories among FBOs to improve maternal mortality, challenges do exist. For instance, although religious leaders are highly respected by their communities, their teachings become useless, as pointed out by a USAID-sponsored Extending Service Delivery Project report, unless they are also properly trained and equipped with the latest service delivery systems and scientific information.
The report also describes the importance of cooperation and support from the government and decision-making representatives. If the private, public, and government sectors are fragmented and no formal recognition exists to acknowledge the work of religious leaders for improving maternal mortality, then success may be significantly hampered.
To learn more about the role of faith-based organizations in women’s health, be sure to check out the Global Health Initiative event on FBOs coming in November, with representatives from PAIMAN, Pathfinder International, and others.
Sources: Extending Service Delivery Project, JSI Research and Training Institute, Pathfinder International, Pew Charitable Trust, USAID, World Health Organization.
Photo Credit: “Woolly hats needed,” courtesy of flickr user Church Mission Society (CMS).