By Shem Oluchiri.
Faith Leaders commit to shifting harmful gender and social norms.
Kilifi County, Kenya – In a landmark step towards gender justice and adolescent health, Faith to Action Network has launched the Interfaith Adolescent Girls’ Health Hub Project at Pwani University. The event brought together faith leaders, community champions, and gender justice advocates with one unified goal: to confront and shift harmful social and gender norms in Kilifi’s Magarini and Rabai sub-counties.
At the heart of the initiative is a bold commitment by local faith leaders to take a stand against practices and beliefs that hold girls and young women back from achieving their full potential.
“Faith leaders have influence and with that comes the responsibility to protect, uplift, and empower the community,” said Kilifi County Governor Gideon Mungaro in his speech read by her deputy during the commissioning. “Today, you have boldly chosen the path of transformation”.
This multi-faith, community-centered project focuses on three strategic pillars:
- Challenging Harmful Norms – Directly addressing attitudes and beliefs that drive teenage pregnancy and gender-based exclusion.
- Strengthening Faith-Based Advocacy – Equipping religious leaders to speak out for adolescent girls’ health and rights.
- Building Evidence for Change – Documenting community-led best practices to shape broader policies and programs.
A Faith-Led Movement for Dignity and Equity
Faith leaders are not only supporting the project they are leading it from the front.
“This project is not just a program; it’s a movement towards dignity, equity, and health for our young people,” said Peter Munene, CEO of Faith to Action Network.
Kilifi County’s leadership has also reaffirmed its commitment to ending teenage pregnancy and promoting gender justice.
“This is more than a project, it is a proactive and forward-facing course, and a center for strategic transformation,” noted Dr. Ruth Dama Masha, County Executive Committee Member for Health. “Let us speak with one voice to protect our generation, position them for success, and ensure their future is not defined by harmful traditions.”
Kilifi County has made notable progress in reducing teenage pregnancies — from 22% in 2014 to 15% in 2022. However, child marriage remains high at 47%, and only 17.5% of girls advance beyond primary education. The new Health Hub aims to address these statistics head-on, using a faith-based, evidence-driven approach.
A Declaration for Change
The commissioning culminated in a powerful moment: faith leaders signed the Kilifi Declaration, committing to work together to shift entrenched social and gender norms and support adolescent girls’ rights to health, dignity, and opportunity.
Governor Mungaro through his speech emphasized the broader impact of the initiative:
“When we invest in our girls, we invest in our future. When we shift harmful norms, we open the door to lasting peace, health, and prosperity”.
A Shared Commitment
The Faith to Action Network and its partners reaffirm that sustainable change is only possible when communities, faith leaders, and government walk hand in hand. The Adolescent Girls’ Health Hub in Kilifi is not just a local intervention it is a replicable model for transforming norms through trusted institutions of faith.
