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A policy brief developed collaboratively by ReAct Africa, Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network, African Christian Health Associations Platform and WCC was released on antimicrobial resistance, one of the most pressing global health and development challenges, directly responsible for over one million deaths annually and associated with nearly five million deaths worldwide.
The policy brief highlights the critical but underutilized role of faith-based organizations in antimicrobial resistance mitigation in Africa; and presents concrete case studies of faith-based organizations’ engagement in community advocacy, antimicrobial stewardship, supply chains, and maternal and child health. The policy brief also provides evidence-based recommendations for systematically integrating faith-based organizations into national, regional, and global responses.
Co-organizers included ReAct Africa, the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network, and the African Christian Health Associations Platform.
Dr Manoj Kurian, director of the WCC Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing, who moderated the discussion, reflected that those who spoke brought both technical competence and moral authority to the dialogue. “We covered many, many layers of this issue,” he said.
Gracia Violeta Ross, WCC programme executive for HIV, Reproductive Health, and Pandemics, said the policy brief has the potential to help distribute accurate information to countless people.
“People who come to the church—they will listen to the pastor sometimes before they listen to the doctor and so we need to have pastors speaking our language,” she said.
Dr Mirfin Mpundu, director of ReAct Africa, opened the dialogue by commenting on the need to prevent and treat antimicrobial resistance.
“It is having a particularly severe impact in Africa and some of the Asian communities,” said Mpundu.
Dr Alex Muhereza, senior technical advisor with the Africa Christian Health Associations Platform, gave an overview of the large network of health facilities delivering care, and how faith-based institutions provide training of healthcare workers, and are involved in a network of schools, from primary levels to universities.
Judy Asin, a programme lead in the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network, shared how the network collaborates with primary health facilities, most of them located in vulnerable communities. At the heart of the network’s mission are local spokespeople, many of them faith-based. “We know that these are the foot soldiers in our community and we depend on them to raise awareness in our communities,” she said.
Rev. Jane Ng’ang’a, policy and advocacy advisor with the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network, noted that faith leaders are trusted and they have the moral authority not just as influencers but also trusted voices who can shift values and behaviors.
“We already using these platforms to share information,” she said. “We look ford to uniting together because we know that when we empower faith communities and communities at large, we will not just be creating a programme, we will be creating a movement.”
Dr Sherin Susan Paul, monitoring and evaluation consultant with ReAct Africa, introduced the policy brief, and also described the way the document has been formatted: “It is very short and very brief in the sense that we really want people to read it,” she said.
Viviana Muñoz, a programme coordinator with the South Centre, emphasized the importance of faith-based actors not just in Asia and Africa but worldwide in preventing and treating antimicrobial resistance. “In some countries in Latin America, it continues to be very important as well,” she noted.
Nada Hanna, a pharmaceutical and antimicrobial resistance expert at the UN Environment Programme, spoke of environmental aspects of the issue.
“Community engagement is also a priority and a key role of the faith-based organizations is essential in this engagement,” she said. “It’s a part of our daily life.”
Nicoletta Dentico, from the Society for International Development, challenged the communities to look beyond healthcare settings and address widespread antimicrobial misuse across the food chain and animal farming. She highlighted how policies such as monoculture practices can inadvertently exacerbate antimicrobial resistance and urged faith-based organizations - given their strong grassroots presence - to prioritize action in these areas.
Tracie Muraya, deputy director of ReAct Africa, closed the dialogue by reflecting on the opportunities ahead. “We can no longer look at things and treat them business as usual,” she said. “If we speak for Africa, over 90 percent of our population subscribes to one faith or another. Empowering faith communities has the potential not only to strengthen programmes but to catalyze a broader movement for sustainable action with regards to tackling antimicrobial resistance.”
