Robust evidence supports the critical role local faith actors play in immunization in LMICs through 1) Influencing caretaker beliefs, 2) Communicating immunization messages and mobilizing faith communities, and 3) Providing immunization in hard-to-reach settings. While few religious groups explicitly reject immunization, religion is the third most-cited reason for vaccine hesitancy (VH) globally. This quasi-experimental study suggests that faith-based objections to vaccination are often a proxy for more complex sociocultural or political issues, such as fears about vaccine safety, local power dynamics, and social norms. The study findings also reinforced the powerful role local faith actors play in many communities within LMICs in both promoting and inhibiting immunization uptake. It comes at a critical time, given the urgent need to expand access to COVID-19 vaccination in LMICs.  Addressing religious concerns to vaccines through tailored social behavioral change communication (SBCC) - including theological analyses, dialogue, and sensitivity - as well as understanding alternatives among available vaccines is key to engaging faith actors in this sensitive topic.  Further study is needed to understand how to most effectively combat vaccine hesitancy in different geographic, linguistic, and socio-cultural contexts.

Everyone wants the best for their children, but how do you change harmful childrearing practices and social norms? The Moments That Matter® (MTM) Early Childhood Development Program in Africa equips local faith leaders and volunteers for social & behavior change communication (SBCC) on nurturing care parenting. MTM engages vulnerable families with children 0-3, through a community-led approach. Two key challenges:
reducing harsh punishment; increasing positive disciplineincreasing gender-equitable parenting, with fathers actively engaged

Baseline-identified barriers included misinterpretation of scripture. There is clear evidence of faith leaders' influence on people adopting positive health behaviors. However, parenting is a newer frontier; some faith leaders were reinforcing the old ways.


MTM used human-centered design to co-develop with the users – men, women clergy and lay leaders:
MTM faith SBCC resources: sermon guides, Bible studiesNurturing Care Faith Leader workshop – learning to use SBCC resources through a self-reflection process

Implementation research on the Kenyan and Zambian Moments That Matter® Program was conducted by Dr. Patricia Kitsao-Wekulo and the African Population and Health Research Center. Study findings included that faith leaders:
changed the way they parented their childrenused the faith SBCC resourcesincreased SBCC on sensitive, harder-to-change parenting areascontributed to increased fathers' engagement; increased use of positive discipline

Children's brains almost fully develop by three, thus everyday parenting actions have a lifelong impact on children reaching their full potential. Empowering faith leaders as nurturing care change agents with effective SBCC tools is a vital strategy to achieve the goal of young children thriving.

Les chefs religieux et culturels constituent l'épine dorsale de la société nigérienne. Ils sont les éducateurs de la communauté et assurent le leadership de la pensée dans toute la société. Un tel pouvoir s'accompagne d'une grande responsabilité. Ces leaders peuvent être des voix fortes du changement, mais souvent ils ne sont pas impliqués dans les activités de changement social et comportemental. En utilisant le cycle d'action communautaire, un cadre fondé sur des preuves, pour motiver les communautés à résoudre leurs propres problèmes, le projet Breakthrough ACTION de l'USAID et le Programme national de lutte contre le paludisme du Niger introduisent un solide programme d'engagement communautaire dans deux régions du Niger (Dosso et Tahoua) pour améliorer l'adoption et le maintien des comportements individuels de prévention et de traitement du paludisme et transformer les normes sociales relatives à la recherche de soins contre le paludisme. Cette approche intègre activement les voix des chefs religieux et culturels pour renforcer l'adoption des comportements souhaités, tout en tirant parti de leur statut au sein de la communauté pour accélérer la transformation. (123)