We promote gender equality and women’s rights

Faith leaders and organisations have the power to influence gender norms and values in communities where religion is an important dimension of culture. By engaging faith leaders and organizations as an important pathway of eliciting change, Faith to Action Network helps address various forms of gender discrimination and promotes women’s rights.

Increasing awareness of policies and norms on women’s rights: Often decision making suffers from accountability gaps, and resulting policies remain toothless paper tigers: For example, African Union policies are unknown to the public, who consequently cannot demand for their domestication at home. Faith to Action Network increases faith organisations’ knowledge and awareness of policies and empowers them to be powerful change agents challenging restrictive gender norms that constrain women’s rights.

Opening up spaces for faith organisation participation in policy making. The African Union’s Constitutive Act ensures the ‘participation of African peoples in the activities of the Union’. The establishment of ECOSOC opens space for faith organisations to participate in African Union decision making. Many more consultative mechanisms exist, e.g. AUC-Women, Gender and Development Directorate, Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women. However, little engagement actually takes place. Faith to Action Network opens up decision making spaces and facilitates meaningful dialogue, thus increasing faith organisations’ participation in African decision- and policy making processes related to women's rights.

For many women and men, faith organisations are repertoires of spiritual sustenance and social networks. Many faith organisations play a crucial role in supporting women’s daily survival strategies, whether in terms of surviving material hardship or developing the inner spiritual strength to cope with emotionally difficult circumstances. Faith organisations adopt a holistic approach that addresses both the spiritual and material aspects of well-being. Faith organisations do not only engage with material development but with the spiritual dimensions of well-being as well. Faith organisations have a more holistic view of development since “their theories about change do not only concern outward, social but also inner and personal transformation” (Tyndale 2006). Faith to Action Network leverages this role to empower women and men, girls and boys at the community level.

Faith organisations may be challenging gender norms on one level and reinforcing it on another. The nature of a faith organisation’s gender agenda is difficult to determine, because often a single organization takes different standpoints on various gender issues. Caution is needed in engaging with gender agendas as if they are “a package deal”. In some cases, faith organisations will address harmful gender practices on the ground while simultaneously lobbying against policies. By connecting scientific evidence and faith scripture, Faith to Action Network offers technical assistance to faith organisations grappling with gender equality and women’s rights.

Women’s agency in faith organisations: It’s complicated. The way in which some faith organisations provide women with a range of spiritual and social activities while at the same time delineating the ways in which they are expected to exercise their agency is complex. In the analysis of women’s agency and power, what becomes critical is not only whether women have opportunities for assuming leadership positions within faith organisations, but the conditions of their participation. Faith to Action Network encourages its members to develop institutional gender policies and provides technical support in drafting and applying them.

 

The #RightByHer campaign works across Africa to make women’s rights a reality.

For the first time, a unique coalition of youth-serving organizations, faith organizations, feminist groups and sexual and reproductive health and rights activists has come together to develop a joint campaign to promote women’s rights in Africa. The #RightByHer campaign works across Africa to make women’s rights a reality. We research the status of inequality, advocate for change, raise awareness, and empower civil society.

Through membership to Faith to Action Network, the campaign engages religious leaders and faith organizations of all denominations. In addition, the campaign comprises Young Women Christian Associations with a membership of 900,000 young women, 38,000 volunteers of International Planned Parenthood Federation member associations in 43 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, 30 African First Ladies who coordinate their advocacy work through Organisation of African First Ladies (OAFLA). Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), Stiftung Weltbeölkerung (DSW) and Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) contribute their excellence in research and knowledge creation, communication and advocacy capacity.

Faith to Action Network's most recent efforts to promote gender equality and women's rights

  • Faith to Action Network is working in Palestine to promote gender equality and women’s rights in collaboration with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL). In 2019, the ELCJHL formed the ‘Gender Justice for Palestine’ coalition. This is an interfaith coalition working to address the root causes of gender injustice in …

  • Doesn’t the Bible call for gender justice? Paul is very clear when he says “For in Jesus Christ you are all children of God through faith. There is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, slave nor free, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26–2). The reality looks different: Everywhere, we can …

  •                               Who is MCJL?    Muslim Centre for Justice and Law (MCJL) was officially registered in 2011 as a faith-based NGO dedicated to promoting and advancing Justice, tolerance and human rights in Uganda. MCJL has expanded its geographical coverage from 2 …

  • Faith to Action Network recognizes that there are barriers that have contributed to the discrimination against women. One of the barriers is the misinterpretation of scripture; religious scriptures have been misused to justify discrimination, inequality, and violation of women’s rights. The other barrier to women enjoying rights is the mixing of culture and religious practices. …

  • Faith to Action Network promotes women’s engagement in the understanding of religious doctrine and scripture by partnering with faith actors and faith-based organizations (FBOs). This is due to the idea that, depending on how they are used and interpreted, some religious viewpoints and texts  contribute to the liberation of women.   As part of the Joint …

  •                               Across the Globe, women and men are socialized  and nurtured differently. In Kenya, girls and boys experience different power dynamics because of their upbringing and education. According to Spronk, R. (2014), boys are socialized to be sexually adventurous and aggressive …

  • Women’s rights and gender equality are one of our main focus areas as a network. This work is implemented across different contexts, including our work in Palestine. According to a UN context analysis, over 40% of the population in Palestine lives below the poverty level. About 54% of people do not have access to enough …

  • Faith leaders and organizations have a significant influence on the norms, attitudes, and beliefs of African society. Faith leaders ought to provide a welcoming environment where young people’s issues about sexual and reproductive health (SRH) are acknowledged in order to better safeguard adolescents from the vices of teenage pregnancies, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), HIV, and …

  • Faith to Action Network wishes to share with you our bi-weekly news alerts featuring stories from our network, upcoming events, a case study and job opportunities that might be of interest to you. We hope that the stories we have been sending have been insightful and that you have enjoyed reading the last two pieces …

  • Every year, Faith to Action Network member organizations, partners, friends and allies gather to deliberate and reach consensus on issues they are grappling with. In 2019-2020, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the Network from holding more than one convention that offered a safe space for intra- and inter-faith dialogues so as to encourage mutual learning and …

  •                                     Empowered young people play a critical role in the development of communities. Young people need to be imparted with vital skills that enable communities to thrive, especially in areas concerning youth. Young people require information and education …

  •                                             Faith to Action Network in partnership with ACT Ubumbano and Brot für die Welt are working together to promote interfaith and intergenerational partnerships for young and older generations to jointly create change on …