Erika Pearl of IMA World Health presents experiences from IMA's work to engage faith leaders in sharing important health messages with communities through the development of sample sermons.

1. Faith, Woman, Culture and Context:
What is the Way Forward?
Sermon Guides
Erika S. Pearl, MEd – Senior Program Officer
Christian Connections for International Health
June 2013

2. Women, Health & Education
• Evidence worldwide
establishes that better
education of parents,
especially of mothers,
improves child survival.
• Educated women also have
healthier children who are
more likely to survive.
• A mother’s education is
more important to her
child’s survival than is
household income or
wealth.
(Human Development Report 2013. The Rise of the South:
Human Progress in a Diverse World. UNDP. Page 89.)

3. One of the Many Ways to Improve
Women’s Health & Education
• Empowering the most trusted leaders in the community to
raise awareness and educate not only the women but also the
families and communities
• Linking evidence based interventions with scriptural teachings
increases acceptance, behavior change and actions manifold
• Sermon Guides on various health topics are a great tool to
empower religious leaders and through them their
constituencies resulting in not only saving lives but healthier
individuals, families and communities.

4. Sermon Guides
• Tool for Religious Leaders to educate community on health
& development issues
• 95 % of African affiliate with a religion
• 75% of Africans trust religious leaders more than anyone
else
• Integration of scripture with evidence-based messages
Sermon Guides Available Online: http://www.imaworldhealth.org/get-involved/technical-publications.html

5. Sermon Guides
• Challenge of Religious Leaders having the
necessary knowledge and training in weaving
health messages with scriptural teachings
• Led to the development of Sermon Guide for
Reproductive and Child Health: A Toolkit for
Tanzanian Religious Leaders

6. Tanzania MNCH Sermon Guide
• Funded by USAID through
MAISHA Project
• Focus on Maternal, Newborn,
Child Health issues
• Kiswahili and English
• Approved for use by Ministry
of Health and Social Welfare
• Developed in collaboration
with:
– Ministry of Health and Social
Welfare
• Health Education Section
• National Malaria Control
Program
• Reproductive Child Health
Section
– Tanzania Episcopal Council
(TEC)
– Christian Council of Tanzania
(CCT)
– Pentecostal Council of Tanzania
(PCT)
– National Muslim Council of
Tanzania (BAKWATA)

7. Messages
1. Importance of ANC
2. Malaria Prevention
while Pregnant
3. Birth Preparedness
4. Birth Spacing
5. Importance of Family/
Community Support
6. Skilled Attendant for
Delivery/Health Center

8. Messages
7. Importance of
Breastfeeding
8. Infection Protection
9. HIV/AIDS Testing &
Care
10. Good Nutrition for
Mother and Child
11. Importance of
Immunization of
Children

9. Impact
• 9 National Sermon Guide Trainers trained
– 2 each MOHSW, BAKWATA, IMA and 1 each TEC,
CCT, PCT
• 300 Religious Leaders & MOHSW
representatives trained on Sermon Guide
• 86,895 individuals reached in 6 Districts in
Tanzania (September 2010 – March 2012)
– Kilombero, Lindi, Nachingwea, Masasi, Iringa,
Ludewa

10. Monitoring
Focus Group Discussion
• 203 Participants from 5
Districts
– Iringa
– Lindi
– Masasi
– Nachingwea
– Ludewa 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Male Female
Christians
Muslims

11. Monitoring
Focus Group Discussion
MNCH Sources of Information
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
Health Facility Church Mosque Health Facility
& Religious
Network
Other place

12. Monitoring
Focus Group Discussion
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Early
Attendance
for ANC
Family &
Community
Support
Birth Spacing
Religious Institutions
Other

13. Testimonials
I am pregnant and I am now attending ANC clinic after being taught at
Church importance of attending at ANC clinic. – Iringa Mother
I got this education when I was five months pregnant and I had not
gone to clinic so after that day I went to clinic and I delivered safely. –
Nachingwea Mother
I liked the message on family planning because I realized that women
who deliver in healthy intervals of at least 3 years remain healthy and
children also grow well. We are able to improve our economy through
working and manage planned family. I liked also Family Planning
education because the Holy Quran teaches on importance of spacing
children. – Ludewa Father

14. Action to Advocacy
• Action programming is
critical and so is
Advocacy
• Advocacy leads to
Action
• Action/Experience
informs advocacy