Channels of Hope Maternal Newborn and Child Health
The Role of Faith in Maternal Newborn Child Health
Faith leaders play a significant role in shaping beliefs and behaviors around health, family, and community life. Their influence can promote or hinder positive health-seeking behaviors. By engaging faith leaders, CoH MNCH addresses religious and cultural norms that affect health practices and strengthens partnerships between faith structures and formal health systems.
Overview
Channels of Hope for Maternal Newborn Child Health (MNCH) empowers faith communities to improve health outcomes for pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under five. The program aims to strengthen health-seeking behaviors, promote healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies, improve nutrition, and encourage breastfeeding for infants under six months. It fosters collaboration between formal health systems and faith structures, leveraging the influence of trusted faith leaders to challenge harmful norms and promote life-affirming practices that ensure mothers and children thrive.
Outcomes
CoH MNCH works to improve health outcomes for pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under age 5, including:
- Increasing health-seeking behaviors
- The adoption of healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies
- Strengthening nutrition outcomes
- Promotion of exclusive breastfeeding for infants under 6 months
- Collaboration between formal health systems and faith community structures such as churches, mosques, and temples
To learn more about the specific root causes and assets check out page 27 of the CoH User Guide.
Resources and Quick Links
Download the CoH User Guide (36 pages) for guidance on how to use the curricula.
To learn more, check out the Channels of Hope e-Orientation: Fill out this registration form, and we’ll set up a guest account for you in the World Vision eCampus platform. If you require further information or technical assistance, please contact the fieldlearningsolutions@wvi.org.
With questions about becoming a Channels of Hope Facilitator, contact channels_of_hope@wvi.org.
