Faith to Action Network

When faith leaders join hands, they can exert powerful influence on leaders and communities for greater pluralism, diversity and peace. Faith to Action Network leverages this influence to promote cultural diversity and respect for equal dignity of all men and women through interfaith and intercultural dialogue and cooperation.

Marginalized from society, young people are easy targets for radicalized recruiters. Marginalised from political processes, lacking viable economic opportunities, and with an increasing sense of desperation, young people are struggling to meet their basic needs and find their place in society. They are easy targets for radicalised recruiters who lure or coerce boys and girls and young men and women with a diverse mix of religious and ethnic narratives, financial incentives, a glimmer of hope, and often, with violence. This is why our work focuses on young people at risk of radicalisation.

Faith to Action Network’s behaviour change model. Our behaviour change model summarizes how Faith to Action Network influences young people’s cognitive, behavioural and environmental factors. We increase their knowledge of their own and other people’s faith and culture. Coupled with an improvement of attitudes, emotional response and empathy towards others, this helps them to overcome faith-, culture- and gender-based stereotypes and negative perceptions towards others. We impart skills and practices of inclusive interfaith and intercultural activities and build common ground among people holding different worldviews. This helps young people believe in their role as agents and facilitators of interfaith/cultural dialogue and their ability to constructively and peacefully participate in public life. Actions improving social and religious norms such as empathy, love for strangers, forgiveness, as well as gender norms, actions strengthening community trust, support and influence reduces the potential for conflict. Taken together, this ignites changes of intentions and behaviour.

 

Concerned about radicalization in the region, Faith to Action Network has put together a formidable alliance of all major interfaith networks in Africa. With its 100 faith-based members, Faith to Action Network is specialized in empowering women and youth through interfaith development approaches. Its partner Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa’s (CAPA) force includes 13 primates, 500 bishops, 20,000 pastors and over 100,000 lay leaders. Serving as umbrella organization of 25 national interreligious councils, the African Council of Religious Leaders – Religions for Peace (ACRL) is the largest and most representative multi-religious platform in Africa. All Africa Conference of Churches has 173 Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox and Indigenous member churches in 40 African countries and is specialized in interfaith mediation and diplomacy. Jointly, this alliance catalyses faith organizations’ resources, knowledge, commitment and passion to promote pluralism.

Our members have extensive experience in promoting pluralism. Our members have extensive experience in promoting inter-cultural and interfaith understanding, and through small grants, Faith to Action Network strengthens the most promising amongst them: eg. ACRL’s inter-faith counter-radicalization campaign in Kenya’s Isiolo county has reduced the numbers of youth joining terrorist groups; The Supreme Council of Kenyan Muslims, CAPA and F2A have organized exchanges between Muslim leaders and Al Azhar University scholars, to improve understanding of religious scriptures, resulting in reducing extremist influence in the region; In Egypt, Al-Azhar and the Coptic Church and others have founded ‘Bayt al-Eila’ to promote inter-faith dialogue, where 70 priests and imams participate in “Imam-Priest Exchanges” per year with trainings, discussions, and study visits to churches, mosques, schools; The dioceses of Mbeere (Kenya), Goma (DRC) and Bujumbura (Burundi) run joint annual sports for peace events targeting young people through ecumenical peace-building forums, life skills trainings and conflict analysis; ACRL’s Lodwar Peace caravan is an annual consultation where local stakeholders discuss possible solutions to attain peace prospects in Karamoja.

Religion is deeply implicated in peace, respect, tolerance and pluralism. Religion is deeply implicated in individual and social conceptions of peace, respect and tolerance, because it addresses some of the most profound existential issues of human life, such as fear/security, right/wrong and sacred/profane. Faith organizations’ strengths include strong faith-based motivation, long term commitment and presence on the ground, extensive indigenous knowledge and local legitimacy to mobilize against intolerance, moral/spiritual authority to spread messages of peace and respect, and ability to mobilize large constituents. Building on these strengths, Faith to Action Network makes strides in promoting intercultural dialogue, cultural diversity and respect for equal dignity of all people in Burundi, Egypt, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.