A collection of articles on Christians and global health written by CCIH members and staff, as well as coverage of CCIH in external media.
2020
What Happened with PEPFAR’s Faith-based Initiative?
Devex interviewed CCIH Executive Director Doug Fountain for this piece about the role of FBOs in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment and how PEPFAR funding has been allocated. | View the Article
Is Reproductive Health ‘Essential’ in a Pandemic?
CCIH member Melanie Lopez, Health Director, World Vision lifted up the message that family planning saves lives, and is especially essential during a pandemic, such as COVID-19. The opinion piece was published in Devex in August 2020. | View the Article
Is Faith-based Health Care a Stop-gap or a Longterm Partnership?
CCIH Executive Director Doug Fountain was interviewed for this piece in Devex about the role, reach and impact of faith-based health care across the globe. | View the Article
2019
The Neglected Family Value
Amy Hewitt of International Aid/CURE International writes about her experiences with a crisis during childbirth and how that relates to the experiences of women in developing countries. She advocates for family planning to help women time and space pregnancies to optimize health for mothers and babies in this piece published October 24, 2019 in The Christian Post. | View the Article
Christians at the Forefront of Safe Pregnancies
A piece published May 23, 2019 in The Christian Post by CCIH member Adrienne Allison highlights how Christian organizations are working to help women time and space pregnancies and reduce the chance of obstetric fistula. | View the Article
2018
Faith Groups Do More to Promote “Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancies”
David Olson explored the role of faith-based organizations in healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies/family planning in a piece in Global Health TV. CCIH’s Raymond Martin and Doug Fountain discuss the growing realization by the global health community of the importance of faith groups in healthcare and the potential for greater collaboration to reach even more families with care. | View the Article
The Scale of the Yemen crisis is Unimaginable
This piece by CCIH member Dr. Dick Stellway of Community Vision International was published in The Hill in August 2018. It draws on the experience of one woman and her infant child who died from severe malnutrition, only weighing 6 pounds at 8 months old, a victim of a three-year war resulting in famine. The piece points to concern from both sides of the political aisle in the U.S. and calls for all parties to do what is needed to end the conflict and not take actions to support its continuation. | View the Article
PEPFAR Chief Wants 70 Percent ‘Indigenous’ Funding in 30 Months
Devex reporter Michael Igoe attended the CCIH conference in July 2018 and published a story based on the presentation of Ambassador Deborah L. Birx, MD of PEPFAR, which includes quotes from CCIH members. | View the Article
Christians and the New Age of AIDS
This article in Devex by Michael Igoe includes a lengthy interview with Shepherd and Anita Smith about the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the creation of PEPFAR, as well as coverage from the CCIH conference and a brief discussion of faith groups and family planning. | View the Article
2017
Ebola Showed Government and Faith Groups Need Each Other
In this opinion piece in the Christian Post, Bob Blees of SIM shared his personal story of how partnership and connections with the U.S. State Department and other government officials were critical in the effort to help American missionaries, including Dr. Kent Brantly return home safely during the Ebola crisis in West Africa in 2014. | View the article
The U.S. Should Work to Promote Vaccines around the World
Dr. Richard Lane of Liberty University shares his experiences in this piece in The Hill advocating for U.S. and international support for global vaccine programs to protect children and avoid preventable diseases. | View the article
2016
World AIDS Day: Unexpected Allies in the Fight Against HIV
In this opinion piece in The Hill, co-authors Bruce Wilkinson, CEO of Catholic Medical Mission Board and CCIH Executive Director Garrett Grigsby discuss the history of the faith community’s involvement in the fight against HIV and the need for effective and powerful partnerships among the U.S. government and civil society, including faith-based groups to continue. | View the article
Kenya’s New Healthcare Battle
In an op-ed in U.S. News & World Report, Dr. Samuel Mwenda, General Secretary of the Christian Health Association of Kenya makes the case for turning our attention to Kenya’s rising tide of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease while keeping the country’s focus on HIV/AIDS. Dr. Mwenda became the third recipient of the CCIH Christian International Health Champion Award at the 2016 CCIH Annual Conference in June. | View the article
A Christian Warrior for Health Takes on Chronic Diseases after Battling AIDS
This post by CCIH Board Member David Olson on the Huffington Post Impact page features the work of Dr. Samuel Mwenda to fight NCDs and AIDS. It also includes coverage of his receipt of the 2016 CCIH Christian International Health Champion Award and quotes Rick Santos, CEO of IMA World Health, who nominated Dr. Mwenda for the award. | View the Article
Pope Francis Isn’t the Only Religious Leader to Give a Surprising Boost to Contraception
CCIH Program Director Mona Bormet is quoted along with CCIH members Susan Otchere of World Vision and Katherine Marshall of World Faiths Development Dialogue in this Los Angeles Times article by Noam Levey on support among faith leaders for family planning. The article also includes the work of the Christian Health Association of Kenya. | View the Article
2015
CCIH Christian International Health Champion Featured in Baltimore Sun
CCIH member Dr. Henry Mosley was featured in a piece in the Baltimore Sun about his long career in global health in connection with receiving the CCIH Christian International Health Champion award. | View the Article
What Does the Bible Say About Family Planning?
CCIH member Dr. Paul Robinson reviews scripture to provide an analysis of the theology behind family planning in this piece posted February 11, 2015 on the Zeal with Knowledge blog managed by the Center for HIM (Health in Mission). | View the Article
2014
Family Planning as a Christian Global Health Agenda
In this editorial in the Christian Journal for Global Health, CCIH member Dr. Henry Mosley, MD, MPH of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, describes family planning as one of the most cost-effective public health interventions and states that it should be part of any Christian global health program. He refers to the CCIH definition of family planning as enabling couples to time and space pregnancies in a way that is consistent with their values and faith. | View the Article
Christians’ Long Support for Vaccines
This opinion piece by CCIH Executive Director Emeritus and CCIH member Sambe Duale about support for vaccines and collaboration among Christians and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance to reach children with lifesaving vaccines appeared in the blog section of the Christian Century on October 17, 2014. | View the Article
Why Family Planning Is Consistent with Christian Values
This blog post, published on August 5, 2014 on K4Health, was authored by CCIH Executive Director Ray Martin and explores why family planning is consistent with Christian values. It also provides background into CCIH’s decision to advocate for access to family planning information and services for women in developing nations to protect the health of mothers and children and introduces the CCIH infographic on Christian values and family planning. | View the article
Should U.S. Christians Support International Family Planning?
CCIH Board Member Dr. Ron Mataya of Loma Linda University School of Public Health authored a guest commentary on why Christians should support international family planning programs for the health of mothers and children across the globe that appeared June 17, 2014 in the San Bernadino Sun. | View the article
Biblical Basis for Family Planning in OnFaith
A piece by CCIH Family Planning/Reproductive Health Working Group Co-Chair and Seminarian Anne Wilson providing a Biblical basis for family planning to protect the health of women and children appeared May 9, 2014 in OnFaith. The piece provided an analysis of scripture and demonstrated that family planning and providing access to contraceptives is consistent with Jesus’ compassion and respect for women. | View the article
Christian Organization Delivers Life-Saving Vaccines
A piece by CCIH Communications Manager Kathy Erb on the work of CCIH member Bishop Masereka Christian Foundation to provide vaccines to children and mothers in Uganda appeared on the website of the Christian publication Sojourners on April 24, 2014. | View the article
2013
What Do Christians Really Think of Family Planning? by CCIH Executive Director Ray Martin in The Christian Post
A guest column by CCIH Executive Director Ray Martin on support among Christians for family planning to optimize maternal and child health was published October 29, 2013 in The Christian Post. In the piece, Ray Martin shares his experiences as head of a Christian network and his many years working in global public health. | View the article
Family Planning Vital to Health
A letter to the editor by CCIH member Abbey Bailey appeared in the Arizona Republic. The letter explains the connection between healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies and the health of mother and child, and the commitment among many Christians working in global health to help women have healthy pregnancies. | View the letter
Article on Gender-Based Violence Appears on Sojourners in Honor of International Women’s Day
While the world has seen great progress in rights and empowerment for women and girls, there is still much work to be done. Gender-based violence touches every part of the globe, and is especially widespread in some areas. The Christian publication, Sojourners, published an article on March 8, 2013 in honor of International Women’s Day featuring the work of CCIH member the Free Methodist Church’s Nundu Hospital in Kivu province in the DRC to help victims and sensitize communities to put an end to the violence. | View the article
Letter on CCIH Survey Indicating Strong Support among Christians for Family Planning in the Boston Globe
A letter by Dr. Douglas Huber, co-chair of the CCIH Family Planning and Reproductive Health Working Group appeared February 8, 2013 addressing the CCIH survey showing widespread support for effective, voluntary family planning among Christians and the importance of access to family planning services as a key preventive strategy to avoid abortions. | View the letter
2012
CCIH Board Member David Olson Published in Washington Post
A piece by CCIH board member David Olson appeared in the On Faith section of the Washington Post on the eve of the July 11, 2012 Family Planning Summit organized by the Gates Foundation and the UK Department for International Development. In a guest opinion, Faith-based Organizations to Make New Commitments at Long Family Planning Summit, Olson reported that faith leaders will have a presence at the summit and will meet to discuss how the faith community could work more closely with governments, donors and other partners to provide family planning services and information to families to help improve maternal and child health. | View the article
CCIH Member Dr. Henry Mosley Writes for Washington Post On Faith
On May 12, 2012, a piece by W. Henry Mosley, MD, MPH appeared in the On Faith section of the Washington Post. In the piece, On Mother’s Day, the Gift of Family Planning, Dr. Mosley shared his observations on the positive impact of family planning services on the health of mothers, children, and communities from his 45 years as an international public health professional. Dr. Mosley encourages a return to a discussion about family planning that is centered around maternal and child health. He is professor emeritus at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. | View the article
Bob Carter, MD Writes on HIV/AIDS in Huffington Post
A piece by CCIH member Dr. Bob Carter of SIM (Serving in Mission) on HIV/AIDS appeared in the Huffington Post on May 12, 2012. Dr. Carter discussed the positive impact the involvement of developed nations has had in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the need for continued financial support, programs to encourage behavior change, and the engagement of faith-based organizations to maintain progress in the struggle against HIV/AIDS. In World Leaders Must Keep Commitment To Fighting HIV or Risk Losing Hard-Won Gains, Dr. Carter shares his experiences working with people affected by HIV/AIDS in Zambia and Kenya, and the story of one girl living with HIV infection. | View the Article
CCIH Member Featured in Mother’s Day Series on Sojourners
Sojourners, a Christian publication focusing on social justice issues, featured an article May 7, 2012 about the work of IMA World Health to train health workers in South Sudan on emergency obstetrics. Faith in Action: One Man’s Quest for Safe Births in Sudan, written by IMA Senior Program Officer Erika Pearl, was the first in a series of articles leading up to Mother’s Day covering mothers and women’s issues. The story centers around a South Sudanese man selected by his village for a nine-month training course at the Great Lakes University of Kisumu in Kenya to develop skills to help the women in his community who desperately need care during childbirth. | View the article
CCIH Featured by Gates Foundation Impatient Optimists Blog
On April 4, 2012, Impatient Optimists, the Gates Foundation blog, featured CCIH in an article written by CCIH board member David Olson. The article, Do You Know Where Faith-Based Groups Stand on Family Planning?, addresses CCIH’s efforts to promote family planning in ways acceptable to religious communities. In the piece, Dr. Henry Mosley, professor emeritus in Population, Family, and Reproductive Health at Johns Hopkins University and long-time CCIH member is quoted as saying, ” The secular community can provide technology and services, but the religious community can get to the values behind who’s making the decisions, the power relationships in the family, and the dignity of women.” | View the article
CCIH and Members Featured in Reject Apathy Piece on International Women’s Day
Reject Apathy, the social justice branch of Relevant Magazine, published a piece written by CCIH’s Kathy Erb on International Women’s Day on March 8, 2012. The piece, Fighting for Mothers in Sudan, tells the tragic story of a South Sudanese teenager who dies in childbirth and features the work of two CCIH members, the Christian Health Association of Sudan and Medical Teams International. | View the article
For more about Christian work in global health, see our Resources section.