More than a decade ago, Faith to Action Network supported the Western Uganda FBO Network (WUFBON) as it began mobilising faith leaders and communities to address barriers to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

At the time, the work focused on issues including reproductive health, family planning, maternal health, adolescent health and gender equity areas where faith leaders had an important role to play in shaping community conversations, addressing stigma and connecting people with health information and services.

Today, WUFBON is seeing how that early investment helped lay the foundation for something much bigger.

The faith-led SRHR mobilisation and advocacy has evolved into the establishment and operation of the Nsinde Specialized Women and Neonatal Health Facility, a faith-owned health institution serving more than 30,000 people annually in Kyenjojo District and surrounding communities in Western Uganda.

From investment in faith leadership to lasting community action

Faith to Action Network’s early partnership came at a formative stage in WUFBON’s SRHR journey. Through support for faith leader and community mobilisation, WUFBON was able to strengthen dialogue around reproductive health and equip faith actors to engage their communities on issues that are often difficult to discuss.

This included increasing access to accurate SRHR information, addressing stigma, promoting family planning and maternal health, and encouraging faith leaders to become advocates for the health and wellbeing of women, adolescents and families.

According to WUFBON, this foundation helped create trusted relationships within communities and demonstrated the value of faith actors as partners in advancing health and human dignity.

That work did not end with individual awareness or community conversations. Over time, it contributed to a broader vision for bringing essential health services closer to underserved communities helping pave the way for the Nsinde Specialized Women and Neonatal Health Facility.

A growing health facility serving its community

Today, the Nsinde facility provides a wide range of essential services, including maternal and neonatal care, cervical cancer screening and treatment, reproductive health and family planning, adolescent health services, community health education, Type 2 diabetes screening and sensitisation, referral services and outreach programmes for vulnerable populations.

The facility now reaches more than 30,000 people annually.

During the most recent quarter alone:

• 300 women were screened for cervical cancer.
• 70 women received treatment for identified cervical health conditions.
• 25 women were referred for advanced diagnosis and specialised care.
• Type 2 diabetes awareness, screening, counselling and referral services were expanded.
• Maternal and neonatal healthcare services were strengthened.
• More people accessed health information through faith-based and community platforms.

More than a health facility

The Nsinde journey has also grown beyond healthcare delivery.

The facility is integrating climate resilience, environmental sustainability, gender equity, peacebuilding and social inclusion into its work, reflecting a broader approach to building healthy and resilient communities. The facility completed an Environmental Self-Assessment as part of efforts to become a more climate-smart health facility and strengthen its ability to respond to future health and environmental challenges.

What sustained partnership can make possible

WUFBON recognises the catalytic role of its early partners in helping build the foundations for this work. Alongside Faith to Action Network, organisations including Preston Werner Ventures/128 Collective, PAI and Panorama Global supported the journey at different stages.

For Faith to Action Network, the WUFBON experience is an example of what can emerge when faith leaders and communities are supported to move from dialogue to sustained action.

What began with strengthening faith-led conversations around SRHR helped build confidence, relationships and community engagement that continued to evolve over time. The result is now a functioning health facility providing essential services to thousands of people each year.

The journey illustrates an important principle at the heart of faith-led development: investment in faith leaders and community systems can create foundations for change that continue long after an individual project or intervention has ended.

Looking ahead

The Nsinde facility is now entering a new phase of growth, with priorities including strengthening maternal and neonatal services, expanding cervical cancer and non-communicable disease programmes, improving diagnostic capacity, enhancing infrastructure and increasing access to quality healthcare for underserved rural populations.

For WUFBON, the journey continues.

What started with faith leaders and communities coming together to address barriers to SRHR has grown into a broader vision for healthier, more resilient and empowered communities.

From faith-led dialogue to health service delivery, the Nsinde journey demonstrates what can happen when communities are supported to turn conviction into action.

Learn more about the Nsinde Specialized Women and Neonatal Health Facility and its work in Western Uganda.