USAID Health Policy Initiative has released two manuals aimed at raising awareness and educating religious leaders and communities about gender-based violence. The first “Mobilizing Religious Communities to Respond to Gender-based Violence and HIV: A Training Manual” aims to strengthen the capacity of religious communities and networks to respond to gender-based violence as it relates to HIV. The training manual equips religious communities with tools to deepen their awareness and understanding of gender-based violence and its link to HIV and proposes faith-based activities on the subject. Although it was created specifically for leaders of religious organizations, the training manual can be adapted to meet the needs of other organization members.
The second “Restoring Dignity: A Toolkit for Religious Communities to End Violence Against Women,” created by Religions for Peace with support from the Health Policy Initiative, offers religious leaders, faith communities, and Inter-religious Councils the tools to carry out awareness, prevention, and advocacy programs to end violence against women. Sample resources and tools include religious principles that condemn violence against women; education and awareness; prevention; advocacy; organizing an inter-religious retreat; support and care; addressing justice and ending impunity; partnering with the media; and monitoring and evaluation.
Compiled from: “Mobilizing Religious Communities to Respond to Gender-based Violence and HIV: A Training Manual,” USAID Health Policy Initiative (2009) (full text PDF, 76 pages); “Restoring Dignity: A Toolkit for Religious Communities to End Violence Against Women,” USAID Health Policy Initiative (2009) (full text PDF, 36 pages).