Homa Bay, Kenya, 16 March 2020 (F2A) – To celebrate International Women’s day 2020, Faith to Action Network, its member Organization of African Instituted Church of Kenya (OAIC) and the Anglican Church of Kenya, Ogande Parish provided a sermon on the benefits of healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies and conducted an integrated health outreach to its patrons  in  collaboration  with  St  Lukes  Ogande  Dispensary.

The sermon was done within the framework of the #EachforEqual campaign that challenges stereotypes, fights bias, broadens perceptions, improves situations and celebrates women’s achievements.

ACK Ogande Vicar Phelix Odhiambo who recently completed a Faith to Action Network training for faith leaders on child spacing and reproductive health, remarked during his sermon that “As the church we are not saying that you cannot have more than 10 children if that is your desire, all we are asking is that you give the mother time to heal and gain her strength back before her next pregnancy.”

A total of 150 congregants were addressed during the sermon and the outreach successfully provided 27 clients with family planning methods and referred 20 clients to St Luke’s Ogande dispensary.

Esther Odhiambo, Chaplain at Ogande Girls secondary school, recognized that the teenage pregnancies rates are quite high in Homa Bay county and would partner with Faith to Action Network to sensitize the youth on teenage pregnancies within its DESIP project. “My hope is that teenage pregnancies will be a thing of the past in Homa Bay county.”