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UNAIDS and PEPFAR developed this compendium in 2023. WCC collaborated on translating the Executive Summary into French and Portuguese.

This vital report brings together essential lessons from faith communities’ exceptional leadership in addressing the challenge of HIV in children. It documents evidence from the core roles that faith communities have played in identifying undiagnosed children living with HIV, improving the continuity of treatment, and supporting adherence to care and treatment. It also documents lessons from how faith leaders have driven advocacy to tackle stigma and discrimination and push for targets to be achieved. It will help faith communities and those who support and partner with them to advance a step change in progress towards the goal of ending AIDS in children by 2030.

This guide aims to raise awareness in churches and church communities of the catastrophic condition of obstetric fistula—a childbirth injury usually caused by prolonged, obstructed labour without timely medical intervention. Obstetric fistula can have devastating physical, emotional, and economic consequences for women and can even result in permanent disability.

It introduces readers to obstetric fistula and explains why churches need to be concerned. It discusses how churches can help prevent the condition from occurring in the women in their congregations and local communities. It also offers practical and emotional support and encouragement to those who are suffering with obstetric fistula. Finally, this guide outlines the advocacy work being done and suggests some actions churches can take.

Available for download in English, Portuguese, and Malagasy.

In Recommended Practices to Combat HIV-Related Stigma, the World Council of Churches presents experiences of local congregations responding to HIV stigma. HIV stigma remains a significant barrier to universal access to care and prevention services and continues to be a challenge for the world, demanding our engagement and action. The faith community, with its large networks, influence and leadership, is well-placed to end HIV stigma and discrimination. It is our responsibility to participate in the HIV response; it is our calling to care for the most vulnerable.

The HIV epidemic continues to present a challenge for today’s world. The engagement and action of faith communities, in coordination with other actors, are crucial if we want to realize the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. How can the faith communities have sound and relevant responses to the current challenges of HIV? In Faith Sector Implementation of the Global AIDS Strategy, the authors summarize three global strategies on HIV and provide examples of interventions and actions for faith communities.

This booklet highlights the lessons learnt in a project, Strategic Engagement of Civil Society Networks and Faith Actors in the HIV Response in Four Countries,  implemented by the World Council of Churches (WCC), with the support of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), from July to December 2022 

This initiative facilitated dialogue between civil society networks, faith actors, and key national HIV stakeholders in the Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia, and Jamaica.

Campaign guide for churches concerned about autonomous weapons systems, also known as “killer robots".

The guide is designed to introduce churches to the issue of killer robots, and help raise awareness of the need for Christians to act to ensure decision-makers agree on a pre-emptive ban on the future development of such weapons.

“Because God Loves Me—Affirming My Value in Christ,” a new curriculum written in French that is designed to help children ages 7-12 address gender-based violence.

Though the curriculum, edited by Yvette A. Kelem and Blandine E. Ackla, was developed for use primarily with churches and church groups in Africa, it is relevant and accessible for other French-speaking populations as well.

The Christian education programme encourages the full involvement of children, adolescents and youth in becoming early proponents of nonviolence. Developed for children's Bible study leaders, teachers, parish volunteers, and others who work with children, the curriculum serves as a guide to help churches live into their responsibility to protect all children, girls and women from gender-based violence.

Based on the premise that the local congregation is the primary agent for healing, and each individual member has a unique gift to contribute to this healing ministry, this book provides guidelines, resources and tools to equip and support local Christian congregations in starting a sustainable health ministry.

It provides a theological and public health basis of the Health Promoting Churches (HPC) model and a guide on organizing the HPC programme sustainably.

To commemorate a year since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the spread of COVID-19 a pandemic, the World Council of Churches provides this resource for a week of prayer.

This book was designed as a resource for use in prayer groups, congregational services, personal prayer, and in the pastoral accompaniment of those directly affected in different ways by the pandemic. The prayers, messages, reflections, statistics and WCC resources have roots in faith challenged by mourning, fear and uncertainty in different contexts worldwide. 

This series of manuals emerged out of the realization that exclusive claims of faith healing in the context of HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa are compromising adherence to antiretroviral therapy. It recognizes that religious leaders are strategically placed to promote adherence (following through on the use of medication as suggested by a treating doctor) to antiretroviral therapy and to challenge stigma and discrimination.

The manual consists of practical, user-friendly units designed for use with faith communities, theological institutions, and theological education by extension. It is a living document and is adaptable to different contexts.

Continuing its mission of providing practical pastoral resources to counter HIV and AIDS, WCC’s Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Advocacy and Initiatives (WCC EHAIA) has published a half dozen manuals for addressing key concerns of those most affected by the disease. Context-driven and language-specific, the six pieces yet tackle topics pertinent to the whole of Africa and beyond and can be employed to structure workshops and to inform resource persons themselves. 

Up to 80 percent of Africans are estimated to be traumatized as a result of violence, poverty, disease, natural disasters, and other causes. As a continent where the majority of the population are young people, Africa’s adolescent population is particularly affected. Along with common causes of trauma, youth also experience many other struggles related to growing up. But this trauma often goes unaddressed, not only because sexual and gender-based violence become normalized, but also because of the lack of specific services and awareness. 

This book addresses this lack. It is an important gift to enhance the role of churches to provide wholeness.

This booklet includes 15 reflections on international commemorative health days from Dr Mwai Makoka WCC Programme Executive for Health and Healing, who emphasises that he is not a theologian, but “ a lay Christian who is a medical professional and keen to promote health and healing from a Christian perspective.