How working with faith schools is different

Working with faith schools offers a unique opportunity to engage the wider community. That's because they are usually part of a bigger faith structure – one that is highly trusted and influential. 
 

Linked into the community

For a start, the school is usually linked to the local place of worship – church, mosque or temple. This is often at the heart of the community. Involving the local place of worship offers opportunities to:
  • Harness its influence and trust. 
  • Reinforce WASH messages through preaching, story-telling and faith celebrations.
  • Engage faith networks such as women's groups and youth groups. This can be significant. For example, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church has six million young people in its Sunday schools. 

Part of a bigger structure

The local place of worship is also part of a bigger structure – the parish, diocese, church headquarters, Islamic Supreme Council or National Hindu Council.

This has the leadership and the institutional structure to scale up WASH promotion and activities across a wider area. Engaging the faith structure brings:
  • Leadership and mobilisation 
  • Sharing of best practice 
  • Potential for replication 
  • Development of centres of excellence 
  • In-service training and in-kind support 
  • Use of faith media such as newspapers and radio to disseminate WASH messages.
In addition, faith groups are:
  • Present in the community. Sometimes the only formal, communal structure in the village is the church, mosque or temple.
  • Sustainable and lasting; they are involved in their communities for the long term.
  • Bring a sense of ownership to projects – enabling lasting impact and behaviour change. 
'It is surprising that Islamic teachings are 
not being used more widely to promote `
water conservation as they offer a basis for 
teaching people about conservation and a 
motivation for them to stick with it.'

– Water Conservation Training Manual, 
by Muslim-led NGO Global One 2015, 2012
'It is not too late. God's world has incredible healing powers. Within a single generation we could steer the Earth towards our children's future. Let that generation start now.'

– Pope John Paul II, 2002 ‘

How faith structures deepen impact

Click here to download the PDF below illustrating how working through faith structures can scale up WASH activities.

Why work with faith groups?

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Faith groups are the biggest organised element of civil society – and often the most influential and trusted. Globally, more than one in eight people describe themselves as belonging to a faith. In Africa, 90% of people say they are Christian or Muslim. 
Picture credits, clockwise from top: Kashmiri kids, by Sandeepashetan.com. Singing in Nairobi, by ARC.