The Faith & Positive Change for Children, Families and Communities (FPCC) is a pioneering global Social and Behavioural Change Initiative launched in 2018 by UNICEF, the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI), and Religions for Peace (RfP). This initiative aims to transcend traditional single-sector, single-faith, small-scale, and sometimes instrumentalist approaches to faith engagement in development and humanitarian work.
How Can Faith and Positive Change for Children Impact Other Sustainable Development Goals Pathways?
The Faith and Positive Change for Children, Families and Communities initiative has a significant impact on achieving Sustainable Development Goals by leveraging the influential role of faith leaders and religious communities.
Faith leaders have tremendous capacity in influencing behaviours. That’s why UNICEF, Religions for Peace and the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI) collaborated on an initiative to better understand the reach and influence faith leaders bring to the Sustainable Development Goals.
The initiative on social and behaviour change equips faith leaders with the knowledge and tools to tackle challenges like children’s Immunization, education, child protection, nutrition and climate change. The hope is to observe positive change in our communities for faith engagement to address humanitarian and developmental issues, especially in children.
The Faith and Positive Change for Children initiative can be a powerful driver in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by utilizing faith leaders’ moral authority. The extensive community networks faith leaders reflect have influence that extend well beyond the reach of other programs. They can address barriers to immunization, out of school children, girls education, child protection, birth gender barriers, promoting health and education, fostering peace, and encouraging environmental stewardship. The integration of faith-based approaches into broader development programs can accelerate progress towards a more just, equitable, and sustainable future.
As the initiative continues, Faith and Positive Change for Children will focus on extending its reach to even more faith leaders, facilitating national and regional dialogues, and integrating faith leaders more deeply into discussions on key issues like child protection, vaccination, education, and gender equality. By maintaining consistent dialogue and providing the necessary tools and resources, Faith and Positive Change for Children can continue to harness the power of faith leaders to create lasting social and behavioural change.
