Channels of Hope for 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 leveraged in CoH MNCH click here.

Channels of Hope for Maternal Newborn Child Health Overview

An overview of the Channels of Hope for Maternal Newborn Child Health model

Programme learning: Operations research in Kenya & Ghana

Faith leaders advocate for increased timing and spacing of pregnancy

Operations research in Ghana and Kenya

Research on the effectiveness of the Channels of Hope methodology in tackling family planning

Learn more

Report and Critical Research Reflection on Channels of Hope HIV&AIDS and MNCH – Zimbabwe

Spirituality as a conduit for social transformation?

Research reflection on Channels of Hope HIV and Maternal Newborn and Child Health in Zimbabwe

Key strategies from Channels of Hope MOMENT grant

Overview of the Mobilizing for Maternal and Neonatal Health through Birth Spacing and Advocacy project

From opponents to advocates: faith leaders promote child well-being

Story of faith leader engagement in maternal newborn and child health in Kenya

Knowledge about birth spacing changes a Kenyan mother and her family's life

A story about World Vision's MOMENT grant

'Let me be a channel of hope'

A personal story told by Kenyan pastor and maternal/child health champion

User Guide

Download the CoH User Guide Summary (5 pages)
Download full CoH User Guide (36 pages)

e-Orientation

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.