Imagine . . .

• Communities naming their own religious and health assets
• Public health leaders, practitioners, and researchers seeing those assets, often for the first time
• These assets aligned and activated in new ways that enhance the health of those communities
• Faith communities and public health practitioners working in partnership for healthier communities

This is IHP. . . this is what we do.

IHP Mission Statement

Established to actively promote the health and well-being of individuals and communities who face health disparities, the Interfaith Health Program (IHP) brings together a diverse community of scholars and public health practitioners to assure access to health programs and services.

Through alliances with national and global partners, IHP facilitates collaboration, provides training, builds networks, conducts research, and implements programs that improve the health and wellness of communities around the world.  IHP’s work is rooted in respect for diverse religious beliefs and practices, justice, and human rights for all people.

IHP Public/Private Partnership

With funding from the Division of Global HIV/AIDS at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Interfaith Health Program Public Private Partnership (PPP) is working to complement and strengthen existing collaborations with faith-based organizations in support of the strategic goals being carried under through the US government through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).  Because such a large percentage of health care services are provided by faith-based organizations (FBOs), the IHP PPP is working to enhance and facilitate capacity building with FBOs at international, national, regional, and local levels through coordinated, inter-related administrative and programmatic initiatives.  IHP’s efforts are developing a framework that identifies the best practices of FBOs in critical areas related to HIV prevention, treatment, and support and strengthens existing collaboration between FBOs, civil society partners, and national governmental programs.  This framework is being developed through PEPFAR-sponsored programs in key priority countries but is designed to provide a platform for replication by other PEPFAR country offices and their respective FBO partners.

In addition, the activities of the IHP PPP will allow for new FBO collaborations to be developed.   This PPP will help leverage existing partnerships and identify new partners, bringing these resources together to support improved collaboration, capacity building, leadership development, and programmatic support.  The IHP PPP will encourage long-term sustainability by building the capacity faith-based partners in their respective countries to take a greater role in setting country priorities and spearheading program implementation in support of PEPFAR’s commitment to country leadership and ownership.  The PPP includes comprehensive monitoring and evaluation of the activities undertaken so that effective approaches can be replicated and expanded.

Activities of the IHP PPP in the current project year include:

• Developing a replicable method for better assessing and measuring the scope and quality of HIV services offered by faith-based health systems in Kenya in collaboration with the Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK) and the African Christian Health Associations Platform.
• Conducting needs assessment and key stakeholder interviews in support of a leadership development initiative to increase the impact of faith-based leaders’ responses to HIV/AIDS at both national and local levels.
• Employing community and religious health assets mapping methodologies to identify and align the unknown but existing assets that reside in resource poor communities to help meet the psychosocial needs of HIV-positive adolescents.
• Identifying promising models of effective program delivery by FBOs working with key populations.