Faith Matters!

Faith Matters is an adaptation of the evidence-based Families Matter! program [1]. It aims to increase faith leaders’ knowledge of child protection issues, including sexual violence against children and facilitate action toward child safeguarding in faith communities. Faith Matters originated through a collaboration between the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the faith-based NGO in Zambia, Expanded Church Response (ECR). ECR identified the need for a program similar to Families Matter, specifically designed for Faith Leaders. 

The adaptation and implementation of Faith Matters responded to the need to address violence against children and adolescents in Zambia. The 2014 Zambia Violence Against Children and Youth Survey found that half of girls and boys experienced at least one type of violence before reaching the age of 18, while knowledge and utilization of support services among victims and survivors remained low [2]. 

The Families Matter! program, from which Faith Matters is derived, is an evidence-based intervention that aims to improve parenting practices and parent-child communication regarding sexual health-related issues. It was adapted to the Kenyan context from the ‘Parent Matters’ program in the United States in 2003 and renamed to accommodate diverse caregiving structures. The Families Matter! program provides parents and other caregivers of children aged 9-12 with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to discuss sexual health-related issues with their children. Delivered over seven sessions, the main goal of Families Matter! is the reduction of sexual risk behaviors and violence among adolescents [3]. Families Matter! has shown significant improvements in parenting skills and in parent-child communication about sexuality in both Kenya [4] and Tanzania [5] and has been implemented in 13 African countries, reaching over a million families [3].

To develop Faith Matters, scientists at the CDC worked closely with partners, including ECR, in Zambia and experts at the Interfaith Health Program at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, to adapt Families Matter to faith settings. Faith Matters was initially piloted among 2000 faith leaders in Lusaka, North Western, and Copperbelt Provinces of Zambia and was further rolled out, following additional adaptations, as a core intervention within the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)’s Faith and Communities Initiative (FCI) in 2018. 

What it is and how it works

Faith Matters! is a two-day training workshop consisting of four interactive sessions that engage faith and community leaders. It was implemented in four countries - Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Tanzania - between 2019 and 2021, with support from the U.S. Government through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)’s Faith and Communities Initiative (FCI).

After receiving certification for completing a train-the-trainer program, Faith Matters trainers delivered program sessions to participating faith leaders in small groups. The topics covered  in the training include:

Some unique elements of the program are that it focuses on young people’s experiences related to peer pressure, stigma, unhealthy relationships, and challenges with making responsible decisions about sex and healthy practices. Moreover, faith leaders are trained to understand the physical, emotional, and social changes that young people go through. Faith Matters! uses various learning activities, such as group discussions, role-plays, proverb discussions, mini-lectures, and audio scenarios, and is designed to be adapted to the local context and faith-based community [1]. And as such, where appropriate, adjustments are made to names and locations, and all materials are translated into local languages for local relevance

To ensure inclusivity, the curriculum was designed as a generic manual that avoided citing specific religious texts. This approach enables participation from various religious groups, such as Muslim Imams and different Christian denominations, allowing participants to provide examples relevant to their own traditions during the sessions.

Faith leaders were initially engaged through informational meetings aimed at building awareness and local buy-in for the two-day training. Those who expressed interest were then asked to identify staff, volunteers, and other leaders within their congregations who would be well-suited to participate. This approach leveraged faith leaders' knowledge of their congregations to recruit participants who could use the knowledge and skills gained through the training to better support adolescents and young adults, while also sharing the information with other members of their faith communities.

Evaluation and program outcomes 

The field study team from ECR and the University of Maryland evaluated Faith Matters! in Zambia, a majority Christian country (98%), between September 2021 and January 2022 using a pre- and post-test study design that included collecting data before and after the intervention, with a 3-month follow-up. Sixty-six Christian faith leaders participated in the evaluation. The questionnaire measured demographics, HIV and sexual violence knowledge and beliefs, and confidence in communicating about HIV and sexual violence [1]. 

The Faith Matters! program strengthened faith leaders’ knowledge and self-reported engagement around topics that are traditionally hard to discuss, including sexual violence. Whereas the evaluation suggested that prior to the program, faith leaders lacked awareness of sexual violence against children, the program broadened faith leaders' ability to recognize child sexual abuse, understanding that it can occur in many settings, including religious institutions. It also suggests that, given their influential position in the community, faith leaders are critical partners in raising awareness and advancing child protection efforts, and that programs like Faith Matters can serve as a catalyst [1].  

Changes in comfort level communicating sensitive issues were not significant. Researchers suggested including more skill-building components in the training to address this finding. [1]

Challenges

• Time and budget constraints prevented implementers from conducting a community evaluation to assess whether young people had received the messages through faith leaders.
• COVID-19 presented significant implementation challenges, including implementation delays. 

Lessons learned

• The facilitators’ understanding of the cultural and religious context helped to ensure the success of the program.
• Adapting evidence-based content for faith settings enhanced the training's relevance and acceptability across diverse faith communities. Interactive learning methods, including discussions, role-plays, case scenarios, and practical exercises, helped build participants' confidence in addressing sensitive topics.
• Training faith leaders to prevent, identify, and respond to sexual violence can strengthen community-level protection for children and young people. Because faith leaders are trusted within their communities, they are well-positioned to raise awareness, challenge harmful norms, and support safer responses to sexual violence. 
• Faith leaders are most effective when equipped with adaptable tools rather than prescribed messaging. A training approach that provides evidence-based knowledge and practical skills, while allowing faith leaders to communicate key messages through sermons, teachings, counseling, and other ministry activities in ways that align with their faith traditions and congregational contexts, supports broader uptake and sustained application of the knowledge and skills gained through the training.
• Addressing child safeguarding and safe hiring practices is an important component of training for faith leaders. Including these topics helps strengthen the capacity of faith institutions to protect children and young people.
• Evidence limitations. The evaluation did not assess experiences among adolescents, congregants, or wider community members, so findings should be understood as changes among trained faith leaders rather than evidence of community-level impact.